Is This Hadith Authentic: Allah Bestows Five Favors upon Those Who Mind Their Prayer?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I have read a hadith in a book that says, “A person who observes the obligatory prayers properly, Allah Most High will honor him in five ways. For example- (a) remove poverty and misery in the world, (b) forgive the punishment of the grave, (c) give deeds in the right hand on the day of judgment, (d) cross the bridge at high speed, (e) enter Paradise free of charge.”

Is this fabricated hadith?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

This hadith is part of a longer hadith mentioned in Fada’il Amal of Shaykh Zakariyya al-Kandhlawi (Allah have mercy on him). The complete hadith is as follows:

It is said in a hadith that Allah bestows five favors on a person who is mindful of his prayer, namely: His daily bread is made easy for him; he is saved from the punishments in the grave; he shall receive his record in his right hand on the Day of Judgement; he shall cross the bridge with the speed of lightning, and he shall enter Paradise without reckoning. As for him who neglects his prayer, he shall meet five types of punishments in this world, three at the time of death, three in the grave, and three after the resurrection.

Those in this world are: he is not blessed in life; he is deprived of the light with which the faces of the righteous are endowed; he receives no rewards for his good practices; his prayers are not answered; and he has no share in the prayers of the pious.

Those at the time of death are: he dies disgracefully; he dies hungry; he dies in thirst; which the water in the oceans of the world cannot quench. Those in the grave are: He is so squeezed there that the ribs of one side penetrate into the ribs of the other side; fire is burnt inside for him, and he is rolled on cinders day and night; a serpent with fiery eyes and iron nails equal in length to a day’s journey is let loose on him and shouts with a thundering voice, ‘My Lord has charged me with thrashing you till sunrise for neglecting Fajr, till Asr for neglecting Dhur, till sunset for neglecting Asr, till Isha or neglecting Maghrib and till dawn for neglecting Isha. The serpent will keep on thrashing him thus till the Last Day. Each blow pushes him to a depth of seventy arm’s length. The punishments will last till the Day of Judgment.

Those after the resurrection are: His reckoning will be a hard one; Allah will be angry with him; and he will be thrown into the Fire. According to one report, he will have the following three lines inscribed on his forehead: ‘One you who neglected Allah’s duty’ and ‘One you who has deserved Allah’s wrath.’ ‘Now despair of Allah’s mercy, as you neglected our duty to Allah.’

Eminent scholars like Ibn Hajr, Abu Laith Samarqandi, and others (Allah have mercy on them) have mentioned this hadith in their books. While I have not found this complete hadith in the general books of hadith, all the virtues and warnings mentioned are supported by many other narrations.’ [Zakariyya al-Kandhlawi, Fada’il al-Amal]

Acting on Weak Hadiths

According to the very words of Imam al-Nawawi, “The ulama has said, both the hadith experts and fuqaha say it is permitted, rather recommended, to act in virtuous deeds, in acts of exhortation and warning, i.e., when something is encouraged or warned against  It is permitted to act upon weak hadith as long as they are not fabricated.”

Related:

• Should I Act on a Weak Hadith?
• Weak Hadith Archives
• Should I Act on a Weak Hadith?
• Can one act on a weak hadith? -Islam FAQ: Clear Reliable Answers To Common Questions
• Prayer Reader: The Ultimate Guide To Prayer in Islam

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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.