Excerpt from the Book: Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh Nabawiyyah ﷺ
Author: Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz
Publisher: Maktabah Dār al-Andalus
Allah Almighty describes among the qualities of those who attain success:
﴿وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ﴾
“And those who strictly guard their prayers.”
— [al-Muʾminūn: 9]
In another verse:
﴿وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا﴾
“Command your family to establish prayer and be steadfast upon it.”
— [Ṭā Hā: 132]
Ṣalāh is the fundamental pillar of Islām. Without it, a person cannot be a Muslim.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
بني الإسلام علىٰ خمس: شهادة أن لا إلٰه إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله وإقام الصلاة وإيتاء الزكاة والحج وصوم رمضان
“Islām is built upon five: testifying that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muḥammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakāh, performing ḥajj, and fasting in the month of Ramaḍān.”
— [Bukhārī – Kitāb al-Īmān: 8]
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
رأس الأمر الإسلام وعموده الصلاة
“The peak of the matter is Islām, and its pillar is prayer.”
— [al-Tirmidhī: 2616 – Ṣaḥīḥ, Musnad Aḥmad: 5/231]
He ﷺ said:
إن أول ما يحاسب به العبد يوم القيامة صلاته، فإن صلحت فقد أفلح وأنجح، وإن فسدت فقد خاب وخسر
“The first matter that the servant will be taken to account for on the Day of Judgment is his prayer. If it is sound, he will be successful and saved. If it is corrupt, he will fail and be ruined.”
— [al-Nasāʾī: 466 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
خمس صلوات افترضهن الله عز وجل، من أحسن وضوءهن وصلاهن لوقتهن وأتم ركوعهن وخشوعهن، كان له على الله عهد أن يغفر له، ومن لم يفعل فليس له على الله عهد، إن شاء غفر له، وإن شاء عذبه
“Allah has enjoined five prayers. Whoever performs ablution for them properly, prays them on time, completes their bowing and humility, then he has a covenant with Allah that He will forgive him. But whoever does not do so, he has no covenant with Allah – if He wills, He may forgive him, and if He wills, He may punish him.”
— [Abū Dāwūd: 425 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
In his final moments, the Prophet ﷺ advised:
الصلاة، الصلاة، واتقوا الله فيما ملكت أيمانكم
“Ṣalāh! Ṣalāh! And fear Allah concerning those under your authority.”
— [Abū Dāwūd: 5156 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
During the Prophet’s time, when someone accepted Islām, the first thing taught was prayer.
— [al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 7/66, ḥadīth: 3030 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه wrote to his governors:
“The most important task in my view is establishing Ṣalāh. Whoever preserves it and remains committed to it has protected his religion, and whoever neglects it will be more negligent about other aspects of religion.”
— [al-Muwaṭṭaʾ – Kitāb Waqt al-Ṣalāh: 6]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
الصلوات الخمس كفارات لما بينهن
“The five daily prayers are expiations for the sins committed between them.”
— [al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 4/553, ḥadīth: 1920]
He ﷺ asked his companions:
“If one of you had a river at his door and bathed in it five times daily, would any dirt remain on him?”
They replied, “No dirt would remain.”
He said:
فذلك مثل الصلوات الخمس، يمحو الله به الخطايا
“That is the example of the five prayers. Through them, Allah wipes out sins.”
— [Bukhārī: 528, Muslim: 1522]
He ﷺ also said:
إن لله ملكا ينادي عند كل صلاة: يا بني آدم! قوموا إلىٰ نيرانكم التى أوقدتموها علىٰ أنفسكم فاطفئوها بالصلاة
“Indeed, there is an angel who announces at every prayer time: O children of Ādam! Rise and extinguish the fire you have kindled upon yourselves through prayer.”
— [al-Ṭabarānī – al-Awsaṭ: 11509; al-Ṣaghīr: 1131; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Targhīb: 1/86, ḥadīths 358–359 – Ḥasan]
In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said:
إذا أراد الله رحمة من أراد من أهل النار أمر الله الملائكة أن يخرجوا من كان يعبد الله، فيخرجونهم ويعرفونهم بآثار السجود، وحرم الله على النار أن تأكل أثر السجود
“When Allah wants to show mercy to some of the people of Hell, He commands the angels to bring out those who worshipped Him. They will recognize them by the marks of prostration. Allah has made it forbidden for Hell to consume the mark of prostration.”
— [Bukhārī: 806]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
جعلت قرة عيني فى الصلاة
“The coolness of my eyes has been placed in prayer.”
— [al-Nasāʾī: 3391 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
﴿إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ، وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَىٰ﴾
“The hypocrites try to deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them. And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily.”
— [al-Nisāʾ: 142]
﴿فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ﴾
“If they repent, establish prayer, and give zakāh, then leave their way free.”
— [al-Tawbah: 5]
﴿فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ﴾
“If they repent, establish prayer, and give zakāh, then they are your brothers in religion.”
— [al-Tawbah: 11]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إن بين الرجل وبين الشرك والكفر ترك الصلاة
“Between a man and shirk and kufr is the abandonment of prayer.”
— [Muslim: 82 – Kitāb al-Īmān]
He ﷺ also said:
العهد الذى بيننا وبينهم الصلاة، فمن تركها فقد كفر
“The covenant between us and them is prayer. Whoever abandons it has committed disbelief.”
— [al-Tirmidhī: 2621, al-Nasāʾī: 464, Ibn Mājah: 1069 – all Ṣaḥīḥ]
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه said:
“Whoever abandons prayer has no share in Islām.”
— [Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 7/218, al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī: 1/257, ḥadīth: 1673]
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said:
“Whoever abandons prayer has no connection with Islām.”
— [Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 6/16, ḥadīth: 30388]
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shaqīq رحمه الله said:
“The Companions did not consider any deed, other than the abandonment of prayer, to be kufr.”
— [al-Tirmidhī: 2622 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
﴿فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ، فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا﴾
“Then there came after them successors who neglected prayer and followed desires, so they will meet destruction.”
— [Maryam: 59]
The Prophet ﷺ 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 guards the prayers will have light, evidence, and salvation on the Day of Judgment. Whoever does not, will have no light, no evidence, and no salvation – and he will be with Qarūn, Firʿawn, Hāmān, and Abū ibn Khalaf.”
— [Musnad Aḥmad: 2/169, ḥadīth: 6576; Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān: 1467 – authenticated by Shuʿayb al-Arnāʾūṭ]
﴿قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ﴾
“They will say: We were not of those who used to pray.”
— [al-Muddaththir: 43]
✔ Ṣalāh is the foundation of Islām and the first act of accountability on the Day of Judgment.
✔ Abandoning prayer is an act that borders on kufr, and in some views, is kufr.
✔ The prayer is a light, salvation, and protection in this world and the next.
✔ Deliberate neglect of prayer leads to severe consequences, both spiritually and eternally.
Author: Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz
Publisher: Maktabah Dār al-Andalus
✿ The Importance of Ṣalāh
Allah Almighty describes among the qualities of those who attain success:
﴿وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ﴾
“And those who strictly guard their prayers.”
— [al-Muʾminūn: 9]
In another verse:
﴿وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا﴾
“Command your family to establish prayer and be steadfast upon it.”
— [Ṭā Hā: 132]
Ṣalāh is the fundamental pillar of Islām. Without it, a person cannot be a Muslim.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
بني الإسلام علىٰ خمس: شهادة أن لا إلٰه إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله وإقام الصلاة وإيتاء الزكاة والحج وصوم رمضان
“Islām is built upon five: testifying that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muḥammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakāh, performing ḥajj, and fasting in the month of Ramaḍān.”
— [Bukhārī – Kitāb al-Īmān: 8]
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
رأس الأمر الإسلام وعموده الصلاة
“The peak of the matter is Islām, and its pillar is prayer.”
— [al-Tirmidhī: 2616 – Ṣaḥīḥ, Musnad Aḥmad: 5/231]
He ﷺ said:
إن أول ما يحاسب به العبد يوم القيامة صلاته، فإن صلحت فقد أفلح وأنجح، وإن فسدت فقد خاب وخسر
“The first matter that the servant will be taken to account for on the Day of Judgment is his prayer. If it is sound, he will be successful and saved. If it is corrupt, he will fail and be ruined.”
— [al-Nasāʾī: 466 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
خمس صلوات افترضهن الله عز وجل، من أحسن وضوءهن وصلاهن لوقتهن وأتم ركوعهن وخشوعهن، كان له على الله عهد أن يغفر له، ومن لم يفعل فليس له على الله عهد، إن شاء غفر له، وإن شاء عذبه
“Allah has enjoined five prayers. Whoever performs ablution for them properly, prays them on time, completes their bowing and humility, then he has a covenant with Allah that He will forgive him. But whoever does not do so, he has no covenant with Allah – if He wills, He may forgive him, and if He wills, He may punish him.”
— [Abū Dāwūd: 425 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
In his final moments, the Prophet ﷺ advised:
الصلاة، الصلاة، واتقوا الله فيما ملكت أيمانكم
“Ṣalāh! Ṣalāh! And fear Allah concerning those under your authority.”
— [Abū Dāwūd: 5156 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
During the Prophet’s time, when someone accepted Islām, the first thing taught was prayer.
— [al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 7/66, ḥadīth: 3030 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه wrote to his governors:
“The most important task in my view is establishing Ṣalāh. Whoever preserves it and remains committed to it has protected his religion, and whoever neglects it will be more negligent about other aspects of religion.”
— [al-Muwaṭṭaʾ – Kitāb Waqt al-Ṣalāh: 6]
✿ The Virtue of Ṣalāh
The Prophet ﷺ said:
الصلوات الخمس كفارات لما بينهن
“The five daily prayers are expiations for the sins committed between them.”
— [al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 4/553, ḥadīth: 1920]
He ﷺ asked his companions:
“If one of you had a river at his door and bathed in it five times daily, would any dirt remain on him?”
They replied, “No dirt would remain.”
He said:
فذلك مثل الصلوات الخمس، يمحو الله به الخطايا
“That is the example of the five prayers. Through them, Allah wipes out sins.”
— [Bukhārī: 528, Muslim: 1522]
He ﷺ also said:
إن لله ملكا ينادي عند كل صلاة: يا بني آدم! قوموا إلىٰ نيرانكم التى أوقدتموها علىٰ أنفسكم فاطفئوها بالصلاة
“Indeed, there is an angel who announces at every prayer time: O children of Ādam! Rise and extinguish the fire you have kindled upon yourselves through prayer.”
— [al-Ṭabarānī – al-Awsaṭ: 11509; al-Ṣaghīr: 1131; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Targhīb: 1/86, ḥadīths 358–359 – Ḥasan]
In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said:
إذا أراد الله رحمة من أراد من أهل النار أمر الله الملائكة أن يخرجوا من كان يعبد الله، فيخرجونهم ويعرفونهم بآثار السجود، وحرم الله على النار أن تأكل أثر السجود
“When Allah wants to show mercy to some of the people of Hell, He commands the angels to bring out those who worshipped Him. They will recognize them by the marks of prostration. Allah has made it forbidden for Hell to consume the mark of prostration.”
— [Bukhārī: 806]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
جعلت قرة عيني فى الصلاة
“The coolness of my eyes has been placed in prayer.”
— [al-Nasāʾī: 3391 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
✿ The Ruling on Abandoning Ṣalāh
﴿إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ، وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَىٰ﴾
“The hypocrites try to deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them. And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily.”
— [al-Nisāʾ: 142]
﴿فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ﴾
“If they repent, establish prayer, and give zakāh, then leave their way free.”
— [al-Tawbah: 5]
﴿فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ﴾
“If they repent, establish prayer, and give zakāh, then they are your brothers in religion.”
— [al-Tawbah: 11]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إن بين الرجل وبين الشرك والكفر ترك الصلاة
“Between a man and shirk and kufr is the abandonment of prayer.”
— [Muslim: 82 – Kitāb al-Īmān]
He ﷺ also said:
العهد الذى بيننا وبينهم الصلاة، فمن تركها فقد كفر
“The covenant between us and them is prayer. Whoever abandons it has committed disbelief.”
— [al-Tirmidhī: 2621, al-Nasāʾī: 464, Ibn Mājah: 1069 – all Ṣaḥīḥ]
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه said:
“Whoever abandons prayer has no share in Islām.”
— [Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 7/218, al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī: 1/257, ḥadīth: 1673]
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said:
“Whoever abandons prayer has no connection with Islām.”
— [Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 6/16, ḥadīth: 30388]
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shaqīq رحمه الله said:
“The Companions did not consider any deed, other than the abandonment of prayer, to be kufr.”
— [al-Tirmidhī: 2622 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
✿ The Consequences of Abandoning Ṣalāh
﴿فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ، فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا﴾
“Then there came after them successors who neglected prayer and followed desires, so they will meet destruction.”
— [Maryam: 59]
The Prophet ﷺ 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 guards the prayers will have light, evidence, and salvation on the Day of Judgment. Whoever does not, will have no light, no evidence, and no salvation – and he will be with Qarūn, Firʿawn, Hāmān, and Abū ibn Khalaf.”
— [Musnad Aḥmad: 2/169, ḥadīth: 6576; Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān: 1467 – authenticated by Shuʿayb al-Arnāʾūṭ]
﴿قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ﴾
“They will say: We were not of those who used to pray.”
— [al-Muddaththir: 43]
Summary
✔ Ṣalāh is the foundation of Islām and the first act of accountability on the Day of Judgment.
✔ Abandoning prayer is an act that borders on kufr, and in some views, is kufr.
✔ The prayer is a light, salvation, and protection in this world and the next.
✔ Deliberate neglect of prayer leads to severe consequences, both spiritually and eternally.
