Aslam

Praise be to Allah.

In Shu’ab

al-Eeman by al-Bayhaqi there is a marfoo’ hadeeth (report) narrated from

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) according to which the

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays Fajr

and ‘Isha in congregation and does not miss one rak’ah, he will be recorded

as being free from two things: free from the Fire and free from

hypocrisy.” (Shu’ab al-Eeman, 3/62).

It says in

al-‘Ilal al-Mutanahiyah: This hadeeth is not saheeh (authentic) and its

narrators are not known apart from Bakr ibn Ahmad narrating from Ya’qoob ibn

Tahiyyah, both of whose condition is unknown. (1/432).

But a

different version was narrated in Sunan al-Tirmithi, where it says: “Whoever

prays to Allah for forty days in congregation, catching up with the first

takbeer, he will be recorded as being free from two things: free from the

Fire and free from hypocrisy.” (al-Tirmithi no. 241; classed as da’eef by

al-Tirmithi but as hasan/sound by al-Albani).

This

hadeeth was also classed as da’eef by a number of earlier scholars, who

stated that it is mursal (chain does not reach the Companions), but it was

classed as hasan by some of the later scholars. See Talkhees al-Habeer,

2/27.

The

hadeeth is not limited to Fajr prayer only, rather the reward mentioned in

the hadeeth is connected to being present for the opening takbeer of all the

five daily prayers.

Undoubtedly being keen to catch up with the opening takbeer for this period

of time is an indication of the strength of a person’s religious

commitment.

So long as

the hadeeth can be interpreted in a sound manner, there is the hope that the

one who is keen to do what is mentioned therein will attain this great

virtue. The least that he will attain by means of this keenness is training

himself to regularly observe this important rite of Islam.

We ask

Allah to write for us and for you freedom from hypocrisy and from the Fire,

for He is the All-Hearing, Ever-Responsive.