❖ Importance of Salah in the Light of Hadith ❖
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Indeed, the first matter from the deeds that a person will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgment is the Salah.”
[Abū Dāwūd: 864; al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī graded it as authentic]
Narrated by Anas (رضي الله عنه):
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The first thing a person will be questioned about on the Day of Judgment is his prayer. If it is correct, then the rest of his deeds will be correct; and if it is corrupt, then the rest of his deeds will be corrupt.”
[Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah by al-Albānī: 1358]
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه):
I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
“Which deed is most beloved to Allah?”
He replied:
“Praying on time.”
I asked: “Then what?”
He said: “Being good to one’s parents.”
I asked: “Then what?”
He said: “Jihād in the path of Allah.”
[Bukhārī: 527; Muslim: 85]
Narrated by ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه):
“The last words of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were: Fear Allah concerning Salah and those under your care (slaves).”
[Ibn Mājah: 2698; Ibn Ḥibbān: 1200 – graded authentic by al-Būṣayrī]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Salah is the pillar of the religion.”
[Tirmidhī: 2616; graded authentic by al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“On the Day of Judgment, when Allah intends to show mercy to some people from Hellfire, He will command the angels to take out those who did not associate anything with Him. The angels will recognize them by the marks of prostration. Allah has made the Fire forbidden upon the parts of the body touched by prostration. The fire will not consume them.”
[Bukhārī: 806; Muslim: 182]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Jibrīl (عليه السلام) came to me and said: O Muhammad! Live as long as you wish, for you will die. Love whom you will, for you will part. Do as you wish, for you will be recompensed. The honor of the believer is in praying at night, and his dignity is in being free from needing others’ wealth.”
[Al-Ḥākim: 4/423, 523; authenticated by al-Ḥākim, al-Dhahabī, and al-Mundhirī]
This means being content, grateful, and not greedy for others’ possessions.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“I saw my Lord, the Blessed and Most High, in the best form in a dream. He said: ‘O Muhammad!’ I replied: ‘Here I am, my Lord.’ He said: ‘What are the exalted angels disputing about?’ I replied: ‘I do not know.’ He asked thrice, and each time I said the same. Then He placed His hand between my shoulders, and I felt its coolness in my chest, and all things became clear to me, and I recognized them.”
Then Allah said: ‘What are they disputing about?’ I replied: ‘About the expiations.’
He asked: ‘What are they?’
I replied:
① Walking to congregational prayers
② Remaining in the mosque after prayer
③ Perfecting wudū’ in difficult conditions
Then He asked: ‘And what else?’
I said: ‘About the means of elevation in rank.’
He asked: ‘What are they?’
I replied:
① Feeding others
② Speaking gently
③ Praying at night when people are asleep
Then He said: ‘Ask whatever you wish.’ So I said:
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ...
“O Allah! I ask You for righteous deeds, avoidance of evil, love of the poor, and that You forgive me and have mercy upon me. If You intend a trial for people, then take me to You without being tested. I ask You for Your love, the love of those who love You, and love for the deeds that bring me closer to Your love.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“This dream is true, so remember it and convey it to others.”
[Tirmidhī: 3235 – graded ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever prays the Fajr prayer is under the protection of Allah. So do not harm someone who is under Allah’s protection, for if you do, Allah will seize you and throw you face-first into the Fire of Hell.”
[Muslim: 657]
This ḥadīth teaches that harming a person who performs Fajr prayer is a grave sin, because he is under Allah’s special protection.
❖ Salah will be the first deed accounted for on the Day of Judgment.
❖ Salah is the most beloved deed to Allah when performed on time.
❖ The Prophet ﷺ emphasized Salah in his final words.
❖ Salah is the pillar of Islam.
❖ Those who prostrate regularly will be saved from Hellfire.
❖ Night prayer and contentment are signs of a noble believer.
❖ The Prophet ﷺ received a divine vision affirming the virtues of prayer, charity, and good character.
❖ Performing Fajr places a person under Allah’s protection.
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
✔ Accountability of Salah on the Day of Judgment
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Indeed, the first matter from the deeds that a person will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgment is the Salah.”
[Abū Dāwūd: 864; al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī graded it as authentic]
Narrated by Anas (رضي الله عنه):
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The first thing a person will be questioned about on the Day of Judgment is his prayer. If it is correct, then the rest of his deeds will be correct; and if it is corrupt, then the rest of his deeds will be corrupt.”
[Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah by al-Albānī: 1358]
✔ The Most Beloved Act to Allah
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه):
I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
“Which deed is most beloved to Allah?”
He replied:
“Praying on time.”
I asked: “Then what?”
He said: “Being good to one’s parents.”
I asked: “Then what?”
He said: “Jihād in the path of Allah.”
[Bukhārī: 527; Muslim: 85]
✔ The Final Words of the Prophet ﷺ
Narrated by ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه):
“The last words of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were: Fear Allah concerning Salah and those under your care (slaves).”
[Ibn Mājah: 2698; Ibn Ḥibbān: 1200 – graded authentic by al-Būṣayrī]
✔ Salah Is the Pillar of the Religion
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Salah is the pillar of the religion.”
[Tirmidhī: 2616; graded authentic by al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī]
✔ Forgiveness for Those Who Prostrate
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“On the Day of Judgment, when Allah intends to show mercy to some people from Hellfire, He will command the angels to take out those who did not associate anything with Him. The angels will recognize them by the marks of prostration. Allah has made the Fire forbidden upon the parts of the body touched by prostration. The fire will not consume them.”
[Bukhārī: 806; Muslim: 182]
✔ The Nobility of a Believer: Night Prayer and Contentment
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Jibrīl (عليه السلام) came to me and said: O Muhammad! Live as long as you wish, for you will die. Love whom you will, for you will part. Do as you wish, for you will be recompensed. The honor of the believer is in praying at night, and his dignity is in being free from needing others’ wealth.”
[Al-Ḥākim: 4/423, 523; authenticated by al-Ḥākim, al-Dhahabī, and al-Mundhirī]
This means being content, grateful, and not greedy for others’ possessions.✔ A Dream of the Prophet ﷺ: Divine Meeting and Virtue of Salah
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“I saw my Lord, the Blessed and Most High, in the best form in a dream. He said: ‘O Muhammad!’ I replied: ‘Here I am, my Lord.’ He said: ‘What are the exalted angels disputing about?’ I replied: ‘I do not know.’ He asked thrice, and each time I said the same. Then He placed His hand between my shoulders, and I felt its coolness in my chest, and all things became clear to me, and I recognized them.”
Then Allah said: ‘What are they disputing about?’ I replied: ‘About the expiations.’
He asked: ‘What are they?’
I replied:
① Walking to congregational prayers
② Remaining in the mosque after prayer
③ Perfecting wudū’ in difficult conditions
Then He asked: ‘And what else?’
I said: ‘About the means of elevation in rank.’
He asked: ‘What are they?’
I replied:
① Feeding others
② Speaking gently
③ Praying at night when people are asleep
Then He said: ‘Ask whatever you wish.’ So I said:
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ...
“O Allah! I ask You for righteous deeds, avoidance of evil, love of the poor, and that You forgive me and have mercy upon me. If You intend a trial for people, then take me to You without being tested. I ask You for Your love, the love of those who love You, and love for the deeds that bring me closer to Your love.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“This dream is true, so remember it and convey it to others.”
[Tirmidhī: 3235 – graded ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ]
✔ Fajr Prayer and Divine Protection
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever prays the Fajr prayer is under the protection of Allah. So do not harm someone who is under Allah’s protection, for if you do, Allah will seize you and throw you face-first into the Fire of Hell.”
[Muslim: 657]
This ḥadīth teaches that harming a person who performs Fajr prayer is a grave sin, because he is under Allah’s special protection.
Summary of Key Points:
❖ Salah will be the first deed accounted for on the Day of Judgment.
❖ Salah is the most beloved deed to Allah when performed on time.
❖ The Prophet ﷺ emphasized Salah in his final words.
❖ Salah is the pillar of Islam.
❖ Those who prostrate regularly will be saved from Hellfire.
❖ Night prayer and contentment are signs of a noble believer.
❖ The Prophet ﷺ received a divine vision affirming the virtues of prayer, charity, and good character.
❖ Performing Fajr places a person under Allah’s protection.
