Go back and pray, for you have not prayed

Islam > Hadiths > Jurisprudence and juristic principles > Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles

Hadith narrated by Agreed upon

Authenticity grade : Authentic

Hadith text: Go back and pray, for you have not prayed

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ دَخَلَ المَسْجِدَ فَدَخَلَ رَجُلٌ، فَصَلَّى، فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَرَدَّ وَقَالَ: «ارْجِعْ فَصَلِّ، فَإِنَّكَ لَمْ تُصَلِّ»، فَرَجَعَ يُصَلِّي كَمَا صَلَّى، ثُمَّ جَاءَ، فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ: «ارْجِعْ فَصَلِّ، فَإِنَّكَ لَمْ تُصَلِّ» ثَلاَثًا، فَقَالَ: وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالحَقِّ مَا أُحْسِنُ غَيْرَهُ، فَعَلِّمْنِي، فَقَالَ: «إِذَا قُمْتَ إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ فَكَبِّرْ، ثُمَّ اقْرَأْ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مَعَكَ مِنَ القُرْآنِ، ثُمَّ ارْكَعْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ رَاكِعًا، ثُمَّ ارْفَعْ حَتَّى تَعْدِلَ قَائِمًا، ثُمَّ اسْجُدْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ سَاجِدًا، ثُمَّ ارْفَعْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ جَالِسًا، وَافْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فِي صَلاَتِكَ كُلِّهَا».

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque, and then a man came in and prayed. He greeted the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), who responded and said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." He went back and prayed as he had prayed, then, he came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and greeted him. He said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed," three times. So, he said: By the One Who sent you with the truth, I cannot do better than that. So teach me. He said: "When you stand to pray, say Takbīr (Allāhu Akbar), then recite whatever you can of the Qur’an; then bow until you are at ease in bowing; then rise until you are standing up straight; then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration; and then sit up until you are at ease in sitting. Do that throughout your prayer."

Explanation of the hadith: Go back and pray, for you have not prayed

Lessons: Go back and pray, for you have not prayed

• These pillars of prayer cannot be waived, whether out of forgetfulness or ignorance, as evidenced by the command for the praying person to repeat his prayer. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not suffice only to teach him.
• Maintaining composure is one of the pillars of prayer.
• An-Nawawi said: It indicates that whoever fails to perform any of the obligatory acts of prayer, his prayer is invalid.
• An-Nawawi said: It also indicates being gentle with the learner and the ignorant, treating them kindly, clarifying the issue for them, summarizing the main objectives, and focusing on what is essential for them rather than the supplementary aspects that they may not be able to memorize or implement.
• An-Nawawi said: This indicates that if a Mufti is asked about something and there is another matter that the questioner needs but did not inquire about, it is recommended for the Mufti to mention it. This should be considered as advising rather than speaking about irrelevant matters.
• The merit of admitting negligence is clear in his statement: "I cannot do better than that. So teach me."
• Ibn Hajar said: It indicates enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, as well as the learner's requesting knowledge from the scholar and asking him to teach him.
• It is recommended to greet with peace upon meeting someone, and it is obligatory to respond to the greeting. It is also recommended to repeat the greeting if the meeting occurs again, even if it is shortly after the previous one, and a response is required each time.

Categories : Method of Prayer