The virtues and rulings of the five obligatory prayers and the Fajr and Asr prayers

① Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrates, I heard the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم say:

أرأيتم لو أن نهرا بباب أحدكم يغتسل منه كل يوم خمس مرات، هل يبقى من درنه شيء؟

“Tell me, if a canal passes in front of the door of any one of you and he bathes in it five times a day, will any filth remain on him?”
The Companions رضي الله عنہم said, no filth will remain on him. The Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:

فكذلك مثل الصلوات الخمس يمحو الله بهن الخطايا

“Similarly, the five prayers are like that; through them, Allah forgives sins.”

② Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:

الصلوات الخمس، والجمعة إلى الجمعة، ورمضان إلى رمضان، مكفرات لما بينهن إذا اجتنب الكبائر

“The five prayers are an expiation for the sins committed between one Friday and the next Friday, and between one Ramadan and the next Ramadan, provided major sins are avoided.”

③ It is narrated from a man named Mukhadji from Banu Kinana, who heard a man named Abu Muhammad in the evening say: Witr is obligatory. Mukhadji says, I went to Ubadah رضي الله عنه and told him what Abu Muhammad had said. He said: Abu Muhammad has spoken incorrectly, because I heard the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم say:

خمس صلوات كتبهن الله على العباد فمن جاء بهن ولم يضيع منهن شيئا استخفافا بحقهن كان له عند الله عهد أن يدخله الجنة، ومن لم يأت بهن فليس له عند الله عهد، إن شاء عذبه وإن شاء أدخله الجنة

“Allah has made five prayers obligatory upon the servants. Whoever brings them in his record of deeds and does not consider them light nor diminishes any of their rights, then Allah has a covenant with such a person that He will admit him to Paradise. And whoever does not bring them, then Allah has no covenant with him; He may punish him or admit him to Paradise as He wills.”

① Sayyiduna Abu Zuhair رضي الله عنه narrates, I heard the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم say:

لا يلج النار أحد صلى قبل طلوع الشمس وقبل غروبها

“Whoever prays before the sunrise and before the sunset (i.e., Fajr and Asr prayers) will not enter Hell.”

② Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrates, the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:

يتعاقبون فيكم ملائكة بالليل وملائكة بالنهار ويجتمعون فى صلاة الفجر وصلاة العصر ثم يعرج الذين باتوا فيكم فيسألهم ربهم وهو أعلم بهم كيف تركتم عبادي فيقولون: تركناهم وهم يصلون وأتيناهم وهم يصلون

“Some angels come during the night and some during the day one after another, so they gather at the time of Fajr and Asr prayers. Then the angels who stayed with you during the night ascend to the heavens and their Lord asks them, while He is well aware of His servants, ‘In what state did you leave My servants?’ They reply, ‘We left them while they were praying, and when we came to them, they were praying.'”

③ Sayyiduna Jarir رضي الله عنه narrates, we were present in the company of the Noble Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, he looked at the moon of the fourteenth night and said:

إنكم سترون ربكم كما ترون هذا القمر لا تضامون فى رؤيته، فإن استطعتم أن لا تغلبوا على صلاة قبل طلوع الشمس وقبل غروبها فافعلوا

“Indeed, you will see your Lord just as you see this moon; you will have no difficulty in seeing Him. If you are able not to be overcome by the Fajr and Asr prayers, then certainly act upon it.”

④ Sayyiduna Jundub bin Abdullah رضي الله عنه narrates, the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:

من صلى الصبح فهو فى ذمة الله، فانظر يا ابن آدم لا يطلبنك الله من ذمته بشيء

“Whoever performs the morning prayer is under the protection of Allah. O son of Adam! Reflect, Allah will not demand anything from you regarding His protection.”

⑤ Sayyiduna Buraydah رضي الله عنه narrates, the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:

من ترك صلاة العصر حبط عمله

“Whoever abandons the Asr prayer, his deeds are destroyed.”