This hadith is one of the most important regarding prayer, as it details its most important and essential aspects. Fiqh scholars give it much attention and use it as evidence regarding many questions in their area of Islamic Studies. It is frequently referred to by scholars as the ‘hadith concerning invalid prayer’.
1. A man entered the mosque and offered a prayer, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was watching. When he finished, he came to the Prophet and greeted him. The Prophet returned the greeting and ordered him to repeat his prayer, because it was invalid and did not fulfil his duty.
Had it not been invalid, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not have ordered him to repeat it. He would have pointed out his mistakes to avoid them in future.
2. The man did as he was told and repeated his prayer, performing it in the same manner as he prayed the first time. When he went back to the Prophet, the Prophet again ordered him to repeat it. On the third occasion, the man said to the Prophet that he did not know anything better and requested that the Prophet teach him how to pray.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not point out to the man his errors at the beginning perhaps because he thought that the man was aware of the essential requirements in prayer but had not attended to them properly. Hence, he simply told him to repeat his prayer. When the man said that he did not know anything better than what he did, the Prophet taught him how to pray. Or perhaps the Prophet (peace be upon him) felt that teaching him the proper way after the man had done it wrongly several times would ensure that he would give greater attention to learning the proper way and would not commit mistakes in the future.
3. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told the man that when he wished to pray, he should start with the initial Allah-u akbar. This means that this takbīr is essential for the validity of prayer. Without it, the prayer is invalid. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was teaching the man what makes his prayer valid. As this was a matter of teaching, it is better to limit it to the essentials, without adding recommended practices.
It should be noted that the Prophet did not mention intention, because the man was already aware of it. Intention is an essential requirement in all religious matters, and this is known to all Muslims, because all actions are subject to the intention behind them. This applies to all Islamic worship, including prayer, zakat, fasting, etc.
4. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then ordered the man to recite whatever came easy to him of the Qur’an. This does not mean that he recited any part of it. More details are given in other hadiths, indicating the obligation of reciting the first surah, al-Fātiḥah. The Prophet says: ‘No prayer is valid if one does not recite the Opening Surah of the Book’.[1] Thus, the Prophet meant that what comes easy is the opening surah, because God has made it easy to remember for men, women and children. Alternatively, the meaning is to recite whatever comes easy after finishing the opening surah. The man must have known that reciting the opening surah is one of the essentials of prayer, and the Prophet indicated following it with whatever was easy.
5. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then ordered him to bow and ensured that he did it well, then to stand up and ensured that he was in a good standing position. Again he should be well positioned when prostrating himself. In all these movements, it is important to do it well, without being hasty. This is also an essential duty that must be observed; otherwise, very hasty prayer is invalid. This is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered the man to repeat his prayer. The Prophet criticized a prayer that does not reflect a calm, comfortable approach, saying: ‘That is the way a hypocrite prays. He sits down watching the sun, and when it is in between Satan’s horns, he stands up to knock out four quick [rak‘ahs], mentioning God in them only very little’.[2]
In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions some of the essential duties of prayer, omitting details of which prayer becomes invalid. He did not mention other essentials such as intention, the last sitting and ending the prayer with salām. The man apparently was aware of these, and the Prophet saw him doing them. He was only unaware of other things, which the Prophet pointed out to him.
Impementation:
1. The hadith shows that when a Muslim comes into a mosque and finds some people sitting there, it is recommended that he starts with the prayer of greeting the mosque, then greeting the people present.
2. Every Muslim must learn what he needs to ensure that his worship is valid. Otherwise, his worship may be invalid.
3. It is recommended that a scholar or advocate of Islam sits in a mosque and people gather around him. He will then admonish them and urge them to do what is good. He should describe the Prophet’s prayer as he (peace be upon him) offered it.
4. For any deed to be accepted by God, it must be sincere and comply with the Prophet’s Sunnah. Needless to say, lack of sincerity renders a good deed invalid. Likewise, when a deed is contrary to the Sunnah, its being done with good intention does not make it good.
5. An advocate of Islam or a scholar may delay explanation for a reason, such as making the listeners more eager to understand the religious ruling, or to ensure that more people arrive and listen to what he has to say, or for a similar need.
6. The hadith shows that spreading the greeting of peace, i.e. assalām alaykum, is recommended, and its return is a duty. It is also recommended to repeat the greeting if the meeting is renewed, even after a short period. It is a duty to return the greeting every time.
7. The hadith reflects the importance of treating learners and people lacking in knowledge gently and explaining the relevant matter, making the information clear and limiting it to the important aspect, without adding further details which may not be easy for them to remember and implement.
8. Allah-u akbar is the opening of prayer. When one says it, one is already in prayer. What is now due is to feel that He is greater than the universe and all there is in it. No worldly cares and concerns should distract the worshipper from his devotion and humility.
9. The hadith confirms the importance of making things easy for Muslims and not to burden them with what may be tiresome for them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) tells the man to recite of the Qur’an what comes easy for him. This is contrary to what some imams continuously do, reciting long surahs and making things hard for people. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘When any of you stands up to lead the people, let him make the prayer light. Among them are those who are weak, unwell and old. When he prays alone he may make his prayer as long as he likes’.[3]
10. Calmness is an essential duty, without which a prayer is invalid. Its purpose is to understand the meanings of what is recited and stated of glorifications of God and supplication. Prayer is not the mere movements a Muslim performs.
11. One aspect of urging people to do what is right and refrain from what is wrong is to educate ignorant people and draw their attention to what is necessary. Zayd ibn Wahb mentioned that Hudhayfah, a companion of the Prophet, saw a man who did not do his bowing and prostration in prayer rightly. He said to him: ‘You have not prayed. Were you to die doing this, you would die doing what is contrary to the right way God showed to Muhammad (peace be upon him)’. This is a case of strong rebuke.
references
- Related by al-Bukhari, 756; Muslim, 394.
- Related by Muslim, 622.
- Related by al-Bukhari, 703; Muslim, 467.
