The Benefits of Performing Prayers (Part 1)
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever keeps on performing the prescribed Prayer, Allah will grant him five honorable rewards: he will lead a happy life, avoid the torment in the grave, receive his record by his right hand, cross Sirat (the bridge on Fire) as swiftly as lightning, and enter Paradise without being reckoned. But who is remiss in performing the Prayer, Allah will make him suffer fifteen kinds of punishment, five in this world, three when dying, three in the grave, and three when being resurrected. The worldly punishments are: he loses the glamor (the blessing) of his life span, the righteous appearance diminishes from his face, he works in vain, he will not have his supplications answered, and he will not make use of the righteous people’s supplications. When dying, he dies humiliated, hungry, thirsty, even if he drinks all the rivers of the world. In the grave, he will be compressed so tightly that his ribs permute, blazing in fire day and night, and will face a bald-headed, poisonous male serpent with two black spots over its eyes, which are created of Fire and the fingernails of iron; each fingernail is equal to the distance covered in a day. It will address the deceased in a very roaring sound like thunder, saying, “I am the baldheaded poisonous male serpent. My Lord commanded me to beat you for missing the Fajr Prayer until sunrise, the Dhuhr until Asr, Asr Prayer until Maghrib, Maghrib Prayer until ‘Isha’, and Isha until Fajr.”
Whoever he strikes, he sinks in the earth for seventy arms deep, and he will keep sinking therein until the Day of Judgment. Eventually, when being resurrected from his grave, he will be raised with three lines written on his face:
1) You neglect Allah’s right
2) You got Allah’s wrath
3) As you have neglected Allah’s right in the world, you should despair of His Mercy on this Day.”
(Reported by As-Siuti, who said it is a forged hadith.)
Ibn ‘Abbas said, “On the Day of Judgment, a man is brought before Allah. Then Allah issues a command to cast him into the Fire. The man asks Allah, “O My Lord, why? Allah, then, replies, “Because you neglected to perform the Prayer in its time and you swear falsely by Me.” “One day, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said before his Companions: “O Allah, let not any of us wretched or deprived.” Then, he said, “Do you know who the wretched and deprived are? “They said, “Who is that, Messenger of Allah?” He said, “The one who neglects the Prayer.“ (Not found.)
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “The first faces that will turn dark on the Day of Judgment are the faces of those who neglect the Prayer. In the HellFire, there is a valley called AI-Malham that contains serpents. Each serpent is as fat as a camel’s neck, and its length is equal to the distance covered in a day. Then, it stings the one who neglects the Prayer, the poison boils in his body for seventy years, then the flesh is torn out.” (Reported by AI-Hakim.)
Once, an Israelite woman came to Musa (peace be upon him) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I committed a
grievous sin, but I repented to Allah. So may you invoke Allah to forgive me and accept my repentance?” Musa said, “What was your sin?” She replied, “I committed adultery and then gave birth to a child whom I killed.” Musa (peace be upon him) said, “Go away, corrupt woman, lest the fire strike from the sky and burn us.” Accordingly, the woman went out with a broken heart. Then, Jibreel (Gabreal) lauded and said, “O Musa, Allah the Almighty asked you, why did you reject the penitent woman. Haven’t you found anyone worse than her?” Musa asked, “Who is that Jibreel?” He replied, “The one who intentionally neglects the Prayer.” Mas’ud AI-Badri related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “A Prayer is not valid if one’s back is not upright after bowing and prostration.” (Reported by Ahmad.)
Thus, he who prays should remain motionless for a moment while bowing, prostrating, standing, etc. It was related that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “The worst thief is he who steals from his Prayer.” Someone asked, “How?” He answered, “When he does not bow, prostrate, or recite therein perfectly.” (Reported by AJ-Darami, Ahmed, and AI-Hakim)