This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahih Fazail-e-Amaal.
Protecting the prayer is the way of the believers, as a result of which they will receive forgiveness and Paradise from Allah Almighty. Accordingly, it is stated:
﴿قُل لِّعِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُنفِقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَّا بَيْعٌ فِيهِ وَلَا خِلَالٌ﴾
"Say to My servants who have believed that they should establish prayer and spend out of what We have provided them, secretly and publicly, before a Day comes in which there will be no exchange or friendship."
Reference: (14-Ibrahim:31)
﴿وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ ۚ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ﴾
"And establish prayer and give zakah and whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will find it with Allah. Indeed, Allah of what you do is Seeing."
Reference: (2-Al-Baqarah:110)
Further, it is stated: ﴿حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَىٰ وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ﴾
"Guard strictly your prayers, especially the middle prayer, and stand before Allah with devotion."
Reference: (2-Al-Baqarah:238)
In all these verses, the obligation of prayer and the command to protect it have been given, because prayer is the second major pillar of Islam. On the Day of Judgment, the first thing to be questioned will be prayer. Whoever's prayer is correct, his other matters will also be correct; otherwise, the matter will not be correct. Protecting prayer means to perform it at its prescribed times and according to the method of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him:
عن حريث بن قبيصة، قال: قدمت المدينة، فقلت: اللهم لي جليسا صالحا، فجلست إلى أبى هريرة رضى الله عنه قال: فقلت: إني دعوت الله عز وجل أن يسر لي جليسا صالحا، فحدثني بحديث سمعته من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، لعل الله أن ينفعني به قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: إن أول ما يحاسب به العبد بصلاته، فإن صلحت فقد أفلح وأنجح، وإن فسدت خاب وخسر.
Harith bin Qabisah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that when I came to Madinah, I prayed: O Allah! Grant me a righteous companion. Then I sat with Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, and said: I prayed to Allah Almighty to grant me a righteous companion. Please tell me a hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, so that perhaps Allah may benefit me through it. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say: "Indeed, the first thing for which a servant will be held accountable is his prayer. If it is correct, he will be successful and prosperous, and if it is defective, he will be unfortunate and a loser."
Reference: Sunan Nasai, Book of Prayer, Chapter on Accountability for Prayer, No. 465. Sunan Tirmidhi, Times of Prayer, Chapter on What Has Been Related That The First Thing a Servant Will Be Accounted For on the Day of Judgment Is Prayer, No. 413.
Al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him, declared it authentic.Sayyiduna Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, narrated that one day the Prophet, peace be upon him, mentioned prayer and said:
من حافظ عليها كانت له نورا وبرهانا ونجاة يوم القيامة، ومن لم يحافظ عليها، لم يكن له نور ولا برهان ولا نجاة، وكان يوم القيامة مع قارون وفرعون وهامان وأبي بن خلف.
Whoever protects the prayer, it will be a light, a proof, and a means of salvation for him on the Day of Resurrection. And whoever does not protect it will have neither light, nor proof, nor salvation, and on the Day of Resurrection, his end will be like Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman, and Abu Jahl (disbelievers).
Reference: Musnad Ahmad: 169/2. Sahih Ibn Hibban, No. 1467.
Ibn Hibban declared it authentic.How did the predecessors act upon these Quranic verses and hadiths? Take the example of Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. There was an attack during the Fajr prayer; he was wounded and fell down. Upon regaining consciousness, he asked about his prayer and said sorrowfully:
لا حظ فى الإسلام لمن ترك الصلاة.
Meaning: Whoever abandons prayer has no share in Islam.
Then he performed prayer despite his bleeding wounds.
Reference: Tabaqat Ibn Saad: 187/2. Seer A'lam al-Nubala: 2/473.
Similarly, Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, had a student named Hamid al-Tawil, may Allah have mercy on him, who died while praying.
Reference: Seer A'lam al-Nubala: 167/6
Yunus Muhammad al-Mu'addib says:
Hammad bin Salamah, may Allah have mercy on him, died while performing prayer in the mosque.
Reference: Seer A'lam al-Nubala: 448/7
Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, had a foster brother and companion of the Prophet, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi al-Sarh, may Allah be pleased with him, who was at a place called Ramla. Near morning, he asked his companions if it was dawn yet; they said not yet. After a while, he said: O Allah! Let the end of my deeds be at dawn (i.e., at the time of Fajr prayer). Saying this, he performed ablution and started praying. In the first rak'ah, he recited Surah Al-Fatiha and Surah Al-Adiyat, and in the second rak'ah, he recited Surah Al-Fatiha along with another Surah. At the end of the prayer, when he turned his salams to the right and then to the left, his soul departed from his body.
Reference: Seer A'lam al-Nubala: 3/35
This was the love for prayer and its protection shown by those predecessors and elders. May Allah be pleased with them all and grant them a place in Jannat al-Firdaus. Ameen!
