بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد
Indeed, prayers are a time-bounded obligation upon Muslims. The times of prayers are fixed hours, and the best deed a Muslim does is to offer the prayers at the beginning of their stated fixed times.
Allaah تعالى says:
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا
مَّوْقُوتًا
`Abdullaah Ibn Mas`ood رضي الله عنه said: I asked the Prophet ﷺ:
“Which deed is most loved by Allaah?” He ﷺ replied: ❝(To offer) the prayer at its
proper time.❞
[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (527, 5970, 7534) and Saheeh Muslim. In al-Adab al-Mufrad, the very first Hadeeth that Imaam al-Bukhaaree reported is this one. As if to say that the foundation of all good manners begins with having good manners with Allaah]
In another narration, the wording is: ❝To
offer the prayers at their stated fixed times.❞
[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (2782)]
`Abdullaah Ibn Mas`ood رضي الله عنه said: I asked the Prophet ﷺ:
“Which of the actions is best?” He ﷺ replied: ❝To
offer prayers at their early stated times.❞
[Saheeh Ibn Khuzaimah (327), Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan (1475, 1479),
and al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (674, 675) and said: “It is as per the conditions
of al-Bukhaaree and Muslim,” and al-Dhahabee agreed with him]
Narrated Umm Farwah رضي الله عنها
(the paternal sister of Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq): The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ was asked: “Which of the actions is best?”
He ﷺ replied: ❝Prayer at its earliest time.❞
[Sunan Abu Dawood (426), and Sunan al-Tirmidhee (170) and graded
as “Saheeh li ghairihee” by Shaikh al-Albaanee in Saheeh al-Targheeb (399)]
The thought that should embarrass us the most should be about delaying prayers beyond their prescribed timings because we are not the ones who set the time for these prayers, nor are we the ones who chose the timings. It is Allaah سبحانه وتعالى, the Almighty Creator, Who decreed this and chose this.
Allaah - the One who created this universe with its greatness, vastness, and beauty; the One Who perfected it to its utmost perfection, and with the multitude of His creatures and numerous blessings - is the One Who wants us to stand before Him, speak to Him, and have a private conversation with Him.
And what do we do?
Oftentimes, we make this appointment our last priority and the least of our concerns, putting every other trivial matter before it until the time almost runs out!
Allaah تعالى asks us to stand before Him – while we are just an atom of weight in His vast universe – and instead, we busy ourselves with the absurdities of life and its worn-out adornments!
When we are called for a job interview, do we arrive late or on time? No, instead, we go there ahead of time!
We have more trust in the promises made by the creation and little in the promise made by the Creator:
وَعْدَ اللَّهِ ۖ لَا يُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ
وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ * يَعْلَمُونَ ظَاهِرًا مِّنَ الْحَيَاةِ
الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ عَنِ الْآخِرَةِ هُمْ غَافِلُونَ
But when we are called for prayers in which there is our
success in this world and the Hereafter:
حي على الصلاة حي على الفلاح
Come to prayer! Come to success!
Allaah تعالى only asks for a few minutes of our time, yet we ignore, procrastinate, delay, and postpone. Then, as a regular habit, we come to Him late. What misery is greater than that!!
Allaah سبحانه وتعالى invites us to have a closed – one to one – meeting between Him and us. He تعالى calls us because we are the ones in need, and He is al-Ghanee (Rich, free of all wants), the Most Generous.
Instead of having a private meeting with Him, we make it an open meeting for all kinds of thoughts and daydreams, our mind wandering everywhere - while we are in this private conversation with our Lord. Physically, we are present, but mentally, we are absent.
He wants us to get away from everything for a few minutes, rest our bodies and minds, and disconnect ourselves a little from the chaotic world and the worries of life so that we can adequately express our complaints and concerns to Him سبحانه وتعالى and no one else.
He, the Almighty Creator and Sustainer, is independent. He does not need us, our worship, or our time. He تعالى calls us and wants to hear our voices so that we pour our hearts out to Him; instead, we procrastinate. Then here we are, coming either sluggishly or in a hurry, as if we are coming to Him against our wills.
We are present yet absent!
We are there, but our mind is everywhere!
Then we rush out of the Masjid as if there is some competition on who will exit the Masjid first. What could be more shameful than this?!
After mentioning some of the Prophets and Messengers, Allaah تعالى said:
فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ
وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا
It means they made their Ṣalaah (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them at all or by not offering them perfectly or at their proper fixed times, etc.
Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer رحمه الله
mentioned in his Tafseer:
Al-Qaasim Ibn Mukhaymirah said concerning Allaah’s statement:
فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ
{Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have lost the Salaah}, “This means that they will not keep up with the proper times of the prayer because if it meant complete abandonment of the prayer, this would be Kufr (disbelief).”
It is also reported that it was said to Ibn Mas`ood رضي الله عنه, “Allaah often mentions the prayer in the Qur’aan. He تعالى says:
لَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ
{Who delay their Ṣalaah (prayer from their stated fixed times} (107:5)
And He تعالى says:
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ
{Those who remain constant in their Salaah} (70:23)
And He تعالى says:
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ
{Those who guard their Salaah}.” (23:9) Then, Ibn Mas`ood replied: “This means (offering prayers) at their designated times.” The people said: “We thought that this was referring to the abandonment of the prayer.” Ibn Mas`ood replied: “That would be disbelief.”
Masrooq said: “The one who guards the five daily prayers will not be written among the heedless. Being neglectful leads to destruction. The neglect (in prayer) is delaying them past their fixed times.”
Al-Awzaa`ee reported from Ibraheem Ibn Zayd that `Umar Ibn `Abdul-`Azeez recited the Ayah:
فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ
وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا
{Then, there has succeeded
them a posterity who have lost the Salaah and have followed lusts. So they will
be thrown into Hell}. Then, he
(`Umar Ibn `Abdul-`Azeez) said: “Their loss was not their abandonment of the
prayers, but it was by not offering them during their proper and prescribed
times.”
[end of quote from Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
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