“O Abu Ayyub,
we have missed out
on Jihad this year, and we were told that whoever
prays in the four
mosques will be forgiven his sins.” He said: “O
son of my brother,
shall I not tell you of something easier than
that? I heard the
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever performs
ablution as he has
been commanded, and prays as he has been
commanded, will be forgiven
his previous (bad) deeds.’” He said:
“(Did he not say it) like that, O
‘Uqbah?” He said: “Yes.”
Narrated by It was
narrated from ‘Asim bin Sufyan Thaqafi that they went on the
campaign of Salasil, but no battle took place; they only took up
their
positions. Then they came back to Mu’awiyah, and Abu Ayyub
and ‘Uqbah
bin ‘Amir were with him. ‘Asim said:
Context
In this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) reassures his companions that even if they miss the opportunity for jihad, performing ablution and prayer as prescribed will lead to forgiveness of sins. This reflects the accessibility of worship and the emphasis on sincere practice.
Modern Application
Today, this hadith encourages individuals to maintain their daily prayers and ablution as a means of spiritual cleansing, reinforcing that sincere worship can lead to forgiveness and spiritual growth, even in the absence of grand acts.
Topics
This hadith is tagged with Prayer and Good Deeds because it emphasizes the significance of regular prayer and the potential for forgiveness through sincere worship.
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.
O you who have believed, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying or in a state of janabah, except those passing through [a place of prayer], until you have washed [your whole body]. And if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and find no water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and your hands [with it]. Indeed, Allah is ever Pardoning and Forgiving.
O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, "Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent."
And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.
And complete the Hajj and 'umrah for Allah. But if you are prevented, then [offer] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And do not shave your heads until the sacrificial animal has reached its place of slaughter. And whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the head [making shaving necessary must offer] a ransom of fasting [three days] or charity or sacrifice. And when you are secure, then whoever performs 'umrah [during the Hajj months] followed by Hajj [offers] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And whoever cannot find [or afford such an animal] - then a fast of three days during Hajj and of seven when you have returned [home]. Those are ten complete [days]. This is for those whose family is not in the area of al-Masjid al-Haram. And fear Allah and know that Allah is severe in penalty.
This hadith is #1130 from Sunan Ibn Majah, in the Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them. It is graded Sahih and narrated by It was
narrated from ‘Asim bin Sufyan Thaqafi that they went on the
campaign of Salasil, but no battle took place; they only took up
their
positions. Then they came back to Mu’awiyah, and Abu Ayyub
and ‘Uqbah
bin ‘Amir were with him. ‘Asim said:.