Hadith 7: Allah delights in a humble servant
Uqbah ibn Amir reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say:
يَعْجَبُ رَبُّكَ مِنْ رَاعِي غَنَمٍ فِي رَأْسِ شَظِيَّةِ الْجَبَلِ يُؤَذِّنُ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَيُصَلِّي فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ انْظُرُوا إِلَى عَبْدِي هَذَا يُؤَذِّنُ وَيُقِيمُ الصَّلَاةَ يَخَافُ مِنِّي قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لِعَبْدِي وَأَدْخَلْتُهُ الْجَنَّةَ
Your Lord delights at a shepherd who, on the peak of a mountain, gives the call to prayer and prays. Then Allah the Exalted will say: Look at this servant of Mine, he gives the call to prayer and performs the prayers, for he is in awe of Me. I have forgiven My servant for his sins and have admitted him to Paradise.
Source: Sunan An-Nasa’i 666, Grade: Hasan
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Hadith 8: Recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah
Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
مَنْ صَلَّى صَلَاةً لَمْ يَقْرَأْ فِيهَا بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ فَهِيَ خِدَاجٌ ثَلَاثًا غَيْرُ تَمَامٍ
A prayer performed by someone who has not recited the foundation of the Quran(surah al-fatihah) during it is deficient, incomplete.
He repeated these words three times. Someone said to Abu Hurairah, “Even though we are behind the Imam?” He said: Recite it to yourself, for I have heard the Messenger of Allah say:
قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَسَمْتُ الصَّلَاةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ فَإِذَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى حَمِدَنِي عَبْدِي وَإِذَا قَالَ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَثْنَى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي وَإِذَا قَالَ مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ قَالَ مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي وَقَالَ مَرَّةً فَوَّضَ إِلَيَّ عَبْدِي فَإِذَا قَالَ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ قَالَ هَذَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ فَإِذَا قَالَ اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ قَالَ هَذَا لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ
Allah the Exalted said: I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: Praise be to Allah Lord of the Worlds, Allah says: My servant has praised Me. And when he says: The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Allah says: My servant has extolled Me. And when he says: Master of the Day of Judgment, Allah says: My servant has glorified Me, – and on one occasion He said: My servant has submitted to My power. And when he says: You alone we worship, You alone we ask for help, Allah says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. And when he says: Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom you have favored, not those who went astray, Allah says: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.
Source: Sahih Muslim 395, Grade: Sahih
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Hadith 9: The first action to be judged is prayer
Huraith Ibn Qabisa reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا يُحَاسَبُ بِهِ الْعَبْدُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ صَلَاتُهُ فَإِنْ صَلُحَتْ فَقَدْ أَفْلَحَ وَأَنْجَحَ وَإِنْ فَسَدَتْ فَقَدْ خَابَ وَخَسِرَ فَإِنْ انْتَقَصَ مِنْ فَرِيضَتِهِ شَيْءٌ قَالَ الرَّبُّ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ انْظُرُوا هَلْ لِعَبْدِي مِنْ تَطَوُّعٍ فَيُكَمَّلَ بِهَا مَا انْتَقَصَ مِنْ الْفَرِيضَةِ ثُمَّ يَكُونُ سَائِرُ عَمَلِهِ عَلَى ذَلِكَ
The first actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded; but if they are lacking, then he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers then the Lord the Exalted will say: See if My servant has any extra prayers which can complete what is defective in his obligatory prayers. Then the rest of his actions will be judged in the same way.
Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 413, Grade: Hasan
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Hadith 10: The virtue of fasting
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
قَالَ اللَّهُ كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلاَّ الصِّيَامَ، فَإِنَّهُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ‏.‏
Allah the Exalted said: All the deeds of the children of Adam are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.
The Messenger of Allah said further:
وَالصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ، وَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ، فَلاَ يَرْفُثْ وَلاَ يَصْخَبْ، فَإِنْ سَابَّهُ أَحَدٌ، أَوْ قَاتَلَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ صَائِمٌ‏.‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَخُلُوفُ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ، لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ يَفْرَحُهُمَا إِذَا أَفْطَرَ فَرِحَ، وَإِذَا لَقِيَ رَبَّهُ فَرِحَ بِصَوْمِهِ
Fasting is a shield. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid intimate relations with his wife and arguments. If somebody should fight or argue with him, he should say: I am fasting. By Him in whose hand is my soul, the unpleasant smell coming from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast and the other when he meets his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting.
Source: Sahih Bukhari 1805, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi