5Prayers

Some of the virtues of prayer:

One of the virtues of prayer is that it is the best deed after the two testimonies of faith; the evidence for this is the ḥadīth of Ibn Mas’ūd (may Allāh be pleased with him) wherein he said, “I asked Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him), “What is the best deed?” To which he answered, “Prayer on time””. He said, “I said, “Then what?”” To which he replied, “Treating one’s parents well”. He said, “I said, “Then what?” To which he replied, “Jihad for the sake of Allāh.”” [Reported by Imams Bukhārī and Muslim].
One of the virtues of prayer is that it will be light for the slave on the Day of Judgment. The evidence for this is the Ḥadīth of Abī Mālik Al Ash’arī in which he said, “Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said, “Cleanliness and purity is half of īmān (faith). Al ḥamdu lillāh (All praise belongs to Allāh) fills the scale. SubḥānAllāh (Free be Allāh from all imperfections) and Al ḥamdu lillāh (All praise belongs to Allāh) both together fill - or one alone fills (Translator’s note: some doubt on the part of the narrator) – what is between the Heavens and the Earth. Prayer is light and ṣadaqah (voluntary charity) is proof (of īmān(translator’s addition))” [Reported by Muslim].
One of the virtues of prayer is that it washes away sins: The evidence for this is the ḥadīth (narration) of Jābir (may Allāh be pleased with him) in which he said, “Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said, “The five prayers are like an overflowing river at your door in which you wash yourselves five times a day”” [Reported by Muslim].
One of the virtues of prayer is that cancels out bad deeds: Abu Hurayrah (may Allāh be pleased with him) narrated that “Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said, “The five prayers, one Friday prayer to the next and one Ramaḍān to the next cancel out what occurs between them if you avoid major sins”” [Reported by Muslim].
One of the virtues of prayer is that it is light for the one who performs it in this life and the next: It was narrated by Buraydah (may Allāh be pleased with him) that the Prophet (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said, “Glad tidings to those who walk in the dark to the mosque that they will have perfect and complete light on the Day of Judgment” [Mishkāt Al Maṣābīḥ].
One of the virtues of prayer is that it raises your rank and erases your sins: The evidence for this is the Ḥadīth of Thawbān, the freed slave of Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him), in which the Prophet (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said to him, “Prostrate a great deal, because whenever you prostrate to Allāh, Allah increases your rank and erases sins from you” [Reported by Imam Muslim].
One of the virtues of prayer is that it is a means by which one enters Paradise in the company of the Prophet (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him): The evidence for this is the ḥadīth of Rabī’ah Ibn Ka’b Al Aslamī (may Allāh be pleased with him) in which he said, “I was spending the night with Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) and brought him water for wudhū (ablution) and what he needed and he said to me, “Ask for what you want” so I said, “I ask you that I be with you in paradise.” He said, “Anything else?” So, I said, “That’s it.” So, he said, “Then help me by prostrating a great deal” [Reported by Muslim].
One of the virtues of prayer is that walking to it means that you have rewards written for you, your rank is raised and your sins are removed: The evidence for this is the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah (may Allāh be pleased with him) in which he said, “Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said, “For whoever performs wuḍū` in his home and then walks to a house of Allāh to perform an obligatory prayer, one step will remove a sin and the other will raise his rank” [Abū Dāwūd].
One of the virtues of prayer is that is that it is a means by which one obtains forgiveness for the sins that one commits between prayers: The evidence for this is the ḥadīth of ‘Uthmān (May Allāh be pleased with him) in which he said, “If the time has come for an obligatory prayer and a man performs wuḍū` (ablution) well, has good khushū’ (humbleness and submissiveness) and performs rukū’ (bowing) well, this will be nothing less than expiation for the sins that he previously committed except for major sins, and that goes on for his whole life” [Reported by Imam Muslim].
One of the virtues of prayer is that it is a cause of success due to prayer for the one praying for as long as he remains in his place of prayer, and he is considered to be in prayer as long as prayer is what is keeping him there. The evidence for the is the ḥadīth (narration) of Abū Hurayrah (may Allāh be pleased with him) in which Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said, “When he enters the mosque, he will be reckoned as praying as long as he is detained by the prayer. The angels continue to ask for you to be forgiven so long as you remain seated in the place of prayer, saying: O Allāh, forgive him; O Allāh, have mercy on him; O Allāh, accept his repentance, so long as he does not harm anyone, or break his wuḍū’ (ablution). [Reported by Imams Bukhārī and Muslim].
One of the virtues of prayer is that waiting for it is the same as being stationed on watch in Allāh’s cause. The evidence for this is the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah (may Allāh be pleased with him) in which Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said, “Shall I not tell you about something by which Allāh erases sins and raises one’s rank?” They said, “Tell us O Messenger of Allāh”. He said, “Doing wuḍū` (ritual ablution) well despite any difficulties you may face in that, taking many steps to the mosque, and waiting for the next prayer after the prayer, because that is being stationed on watch, that is being stationed on watch.” [Reported by Imam Muslim]
One of the virtues of prayer is that the reward for going out for it is like the reward for a person doing Ḥajj in iḥrām. The evidence of this is the ḥadīth (narration of Abū Umāmah (may Allāh be pleased with him) in which Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said, “Whoever leaves his house in a state of wuḍū` (ritual ablution) for an obligatory prayer will have a reward like the reward of a person doing Ḥajj in iḥrām” [Ṣaḥīḥ Al Targhīb wa Al Tarhīb].
One of the virtues of prayer is that Allāh gives somebody who normally prays in congregation if he does not make the congregational prayer in time the same reward as those who made it. The evidence for this is the ḥadīth (narration) of Abū Hurayrah (may Allāh be pleased with him) in which he said that Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said, “Whoever performs wuḍū` (ritual ablution) well and sets out then finds that the people have already prayed , Allāh (Supreme and Sublime) will give him the same reward as those who made it, and that will not take anything away from their reward” [Authenticated by Al-Albānī in Sunan Abī Dāwūd].
One of the virtues of prayer is that when a slave performs wuḍū (ritual ablution) well, then goes out for prayer he is considered to be in his prayer until he returns. The evidence for this is the ḥadīth (narration) of Abū Hurayrah (may Allāh be pleased with him) in which he said that Allāh’s Messenger (May Allāh praise him and Peace be upon him) said, “When one of you performs wuḍū (ritual ablution) at home, then comes to the mosque, he is in his prayer until he returns and he doesn’t do this” and interlinked his fingers [Authenticated by Al-Albāni in Ṣaḥīḥ Al Targhīb wa Al Tarhīb]