The Reason for Obligation of Five Prayers at Five Specific Times

Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh|Volume 1|Book 1|Chapter 32

Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh

Book 1, Chapter 32

The Reason for Obligation of Five Prayers at Five Specific Times

Hadith #643

643 - رُوِيَ عَنِ اَلْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ - جَاءَ نَفَرٌ مِنَ اَلْيَهُودِ إِلَى اَلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ فَسَأَلَهُ أَعْلَمُهُمْ عَنْ مَسَائِلَ فَكَانَ مِمَّا سَأَلَهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ اَللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ فَرَضَ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ هَذِهِ اَلْخَمْسَ اَلصَّلَوَاتِ فِي خَمْسِ مَوَاقِيتَ عَلَى أُمَّتِكَ فِي سَاعَاتِ اَللَّيْلِ وَ اَلنَّهَارِ فَقَالَ اَلنَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ «إِنَّ اَلشَّمْسَ عِنْدَ اَلزَّوَالِ لَهَا حَلْقَةٌ تَدْخُلُ فِيهَا فَإِذَا دَخَلَتْ فِيهَا زَالَتِ اَلشَّمْسُ فَيُسَبِّحُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ دُونَ اَلْعَرْشِ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّي جَلَّ جَلاَلُهُ وَ هِيَ اَلسَّاعَةُ اَلَّتِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيَّ فِيهَا رَبِّي جَلَّ جَلاَلُهُ فَفَرَضَ اَللَّهُ عَلَيَّ وَ عَلَى أُمَّتِي فِيهَا اَلصَّلاَةَ وَقَالَ «۝ أَقِمِ اَلصَّلاٰةَ لِدُلُوكِ اَلشَّمْسِ إِلىٰ غَسَقِ اَللَّيْلِ ۝» وَ هِيَ اَلسَّاعَةُ اَلَّتِي يُؤْتَى فِيهَا بِجَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَ اَلْقِيَامَةِ فَمَا مِنْ مُؤْمِنٍ يُوَافِقُ تِلْكَ اَلسَّاعَةَ أَنْ يَكُونَ سَاجِداً أَوْ رَاكِعاً أَوْ قَائِماً إِلاَّ حَرَّمَ اَللَّهُ جَسَدَهُ عَلَى اَلنَّارِ وَ أَمَّا صَلاَةُ اَلْعَصْرِ فَهِيَ اَلسَّاعَةُ اَلَّتِي أَكَلَ آدَمُ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ فِيهَا مِنَ اَلشَّجَرَةِ فَأَخْرَجَهُ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مِنَ اَلْجَنَّةِ فَأَمَرَ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ بِهَذِهِ اَلصَّلاَةِ إِلَى يَوْمِ اَلْقِيَامَةِ وَ اِخْتَارَهَا لِأُمَّتِي فَهِيَ مِنْ أَحَبِّ اَلصَّلَوَاتِ إِلَى اَللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ أَوْصَانِي أَنْ أَحْفَظَهَا مِنْ بَيْنِ اَلصَّلَوَاتِ وَ أَمَّا صَلاَةُ اَلْمَغْرِبِ فَهِيَ اَلسَّاعَةُ اَلَّتِي تَابَ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِيهَا عَلَى آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ وَ كَانَ بَيْنَ مَا أَكَلَ مِنَ اَلشَّجَرَةِ وَ بَيْنَ مَا تَابَ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ عَلَيْهِ ثَلاَثُمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ مِنْ أَيَّامِ اَلدُّنْيَا وَ فِي أَيَّامِ اَلْآخِرَةِ يَوْمٌ «كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ» مَا بَيْنَ اَلْعَصْرِ إِلَى اَلْعِشَاءِ وَ صَلَّى آدَمُ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ ثَلاَثَ رَكَعَاتٍ رَكْعَةً لِخَطِيئَتِهِ وَ رَكْعَةً لِخَطِيئَةِ حَوَّاءَ وَ رَكْعَةً لِتَوْبَتِهِ فَفَرَضَ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ هَذِهِ اَلثَّلاَثَ رَكَعَاتٍ عَلَى أُمَّتِي وَ هِيَ اَلسَّاعَةُ اَلَّتِي يُسْتَجَابُ فِيهَا اَلدُّعَاءُ فَوَعَدَنِي رَبِّي عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنْ يَسْتَجِيبَ لِمَنْ دَعَاهُ فِيهَا وَ هِيَ اَلصَّلاَةُ اَلَّتِي أَمَرَنِي رَبِّي بِهَا فِي قَوْلِهِ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى: «فَسُبْحٰانَ اَللّٰهِ حِينَ تُمْسُونَ وَ حِينَ تُصْبِحُونَ» وَ أَمَّا صَلاَةُ اَلْعِشَاءِ اَلْآخِرَةِ فَإِنَّ لِلْقَبْرِ ظُلْمَةً وَ لِيَوْمِ اَلْقِيَامَةِ ظُلْمَةً أَمَرَنِي رَبِّي عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ أُمَّتِي بِهَذِهِ اَلصَّلاَةِ لِتُنَوِّرَ اَلْقَبْرَ وَ لِيُعْطِيَنِي وَ أُمَّتِيَ اَلنُّورَ عَلَى اَلصِّرَاطِ وَ مَا مِنْ قَدَمٍ مَشَتْ إِلَى صَلاَةِ اَلْعَتَمَةِ إِلاَّ حَرَّمَ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ جَسَدَهَا عَلَى اَلنَّارِ وَ هِيَ اَلصَّلاَةُ اَلَّتِي اِخْتَارَهَا اَللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَ تَقَدَّسَ ذِكْرُهُ لِلْمُرْسَلِينَ قَبْلِي وَ أَمَّا صَلاَةُ اَلْفَجْرِ فَإِنَّ اَلشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَتْ تَطْلُعُ عَلَى قَرْنَيِ اَلشَّيْطَانِ فَأَمَرَنِي رَبِّي عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ اَلشَّمْسِ صَلاَةَ اَلْغَدَاةِ وَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَسْجُدَ لَهَا اَلْكَافِرُ لِتَسْجُدَ أُمَّتِي لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ سُرْعَتُهَا أَحَبُّ إِلَى اَللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ هِيَ اَلصَّلاَةُ اَلَّتِي تَشْهَدُهَا مَلاَئِكَةُ اَللَّيْلِ وَ مَلاَئِكَةُ اَلنَّهَارِ.

Hadith.643 - It was narrated from Imam Hasan ibn Ali said that a group of Jews came to The Prophet and the most knowledgeable among them asked him about various matters. Among the questions was: 'Tell me, why did Allah , the Mighty and Majestic, prescribe these five prayers at five specific times for your Ummah during the day and night?'" The Prophet, replied: "(As for the Dhuhr prayer), When the sun reaches its zenith, it enters a ring, and when it enters this ring, everything under the Throne praises the glory of my Lord , the Exalted. It is at this hour that my Lord , the Mighty and Majestic, sends blessings upon me, and therefore Allah made this hour obligatory for me and my Ummah as prayer, as He said: 'Establish prayer at the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night' (Surah Al-Isra 17:78). This is also the hour when Hell will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection. Thus, there is no believer who is in prostration, bowing, or standing at that hour except that Allah will make his body forbidden from the Fire. "As for the Asr prayer, it is the hour when Adam ate from the tree and was expelled from Paradise. Allah commanded his progeny to perform this prayer until the Day of Judgment and chose it for my Ummah, making it one of the most beloved prayers to Allah , the Mighty and Majestic. He instructed me to give it special care among the prayers. "As for the Maghrib prayer, it is the hour when Allah accepted Adam's repentance. The time between when he ate from the tree and when Allah accepted his repentance was three hundred years of worldly time, equivalent to a day in the Hereafter, 'A day is like a thousand years' (Surah Al Hajj 22:47). Adam prayed three rak'ahs: one for his sin, one for Hawwa's (Eve’s) sin, and one for his repentance. Allah prescribed these three rak'ahs for my Ummah, and it is an hour when supplications are answered. My Lord has promised to accept the supplications of those who call upon Him at that hour, and it is the prayer my Lord commanded me to perform when He said: 'Glorify Allah when you reach the evening and when you reach the morning' (Surah Ar-Rum 30:17). "As for the Isha prayer, the grave has darkness, and the Day of Resurrection has darkness. My Lord commanded me and my Ummah to perform this prayer to illuminate the grave and to provide light on the Sirat (the bridge over Hell). No foot that walks to the Isha prayer will have its body made forbidden for the Fire, and this prayer was chosen by Allah , the Exalted and Majestic, for the messengers before me. "As for the Fajr prayer, when the sun rises, it rises between the horns of Satan. My Lord commanded me to perform this prayer before sunrise so that my Ummah would prostrate to Allah , the Mighty and Majestic, before the disbelievers prostrate to the sun. The hastening of this prayer is more beloved to Allah , the Mighty and Majestic, and it is the prayer that is witnessed by the angels of the night and the angels of the day."