Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (127) | Chapter on the virtue of the first grade

0:00 Riyadh al-Salihin, from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

0:09 Chapter: The command to maintain the prescribed prayers, and the stern prohibition and severe warning against neglecting them.

0:21 Allah the Exalted says: "Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer."

0:29 “Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (9:5)

0:37 On the authority of Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

0:43 I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, "Which deed is best?"

0:50 He said, "Prayer at its appointed time." I asked, "Then what?"

0:56 He said, "Kindness to parents." I asked, "Then what?"

1:02 He said, "Jihad in the cause of Allah." (Agreed upon).

1:08 On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:

1:12 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

1:16 "Islam is built upon five: the testimony that there is no god but Allah,"

1:22 "And that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,"

1:25 "And the establishment of prayer, and the giving of zakat,"

1:29 "And the pilgrimage to the House, and the fasting of Ramadan." (Agreed upon).

1:36 "Upon five," meaning upon five pillars or five foundations.

1:43 From the benefits of the hadith:

1:46 Islam is built upon these pillars.

1:50 They are like the foundations for its structure.

1:52 The structure cannot stand without them.

1:55 The intent behind the two testimonies is faith in Allah and His Messenger.

2:01 As for the establishment of prayer,

2:04 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has designated it

2:07 As the pillar of Islam.

2:09 As in the hadith of Mu‘adh, may Allah be pleased with him:

2:12 "The head of the matter is Islam, and its pillar is prayer."

2:17 The structure cannot stand except by its pillar.

2:20 And it cannot be stable except by its support.

2:23 If the pillar falls,

2:25 The structure would fall and could not stand without it.

2:29 On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:

2:34 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

2:38 "I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify"

2:41 "That there is no god but Allah,"

2:43 "And that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,"

2:46 "And they establish prayer and give zakat."

2:49 "If they do that,"

2:51 "They have protected their blood and wealth from me,"

2:54 "Except by the right of Islam,"

2:57 "And their reckoning is with Allah."

2:59 (Agreed upon).

3:02 On the authority of Mu‘adh, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

3:05 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sent me

3:09 To Yemen,

3:11 And said, "You are coming to a people from the People of the Book,"

3:16 "So call them to the testimony"

3:18 "That there is no god but Allah,"

3:20 "And that I am the Messenger of Allah."

3:23 "If they obey that,"

3:25 "Then inform them that Allah the Exalted"

3:27 "Has enjoined upon them five prayers"

3:30 "In every day and night."

3:32 "If they obey that,"

3:35 "Then inform them that Allah the Exalted"

3:37 "Has enjoined upon them a charity (zakat)"

3:39 "To be taken from their wealthy,"

3:42 "And returned to their poor."

3:44 "If they obey that,"

3:47 "Then beware of the best of their wealth [when collecting zakat],"

3:50 "And fear the supplication of the oppressed,"

3:53 "For there is no veil between it and Allah."

3:57 (Agreed upon).

3:59 On the authority of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

4:03 I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:

4:08 "Between a man and polytheism and disbelief"

4:12 "Is the abandonment of prayer."

4:14 (Narrated by Muslim).

4:16 On the authority of Buraydah, may Allah be pleased with him,

4:19 From the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:

4:23 "The covenant between us and them is prayer,"

4:27 "So whoever abandons it has disbelieved."

4:30 (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi).

4:33 On the authority of Shaqiq Ibn ‘Abdullah, the Tabi‘i,

4:36 Whose eminence is agreed upon, may Allah have mercy on him, who said:

4:40 "The Companions of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,"

4:44 "Did not consider any deed as disbelief"

4:47 "Other than prayer."

4:49 (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi).

4:51 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

4:55 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

5:00 "The first thing for which a servant will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection regarding his deeds is his prayer."

5:06 "If it is sound, he has succeeded and prospered,"

5:10 "And if it is corrupt, he has failed and lost."

5:14 "If anything is missing from his obligatory prayer,"

5:17 "The Lord, Mighty and Majestic, says,"

5:20 "Look, does My servant have any voluntary prayers?"

5:23 "So that the deficiency in the obligatory prayer may be completed by them."

5:27 "Then the rest of his deeds will be treated in this manner."

5:31 (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi).

5:33 From the benefits of the hadith:

5:37 The first thing a servant is held accountable for regarding acts of worship on the Day of Resurrection

5:42 Is the prayer.

5:44 Whoever performs the prayer correctly, his deeds are sound.

5:47 And whoever’s prayer is not sound, his deeds are corrupt.

5:52 The mercy of Allah is great toward His servants,

5:55 In that He completes their obligatory acts with their voluntary ones.

5:58 This applies to all his obligatory deeds.

6:01 If there is any voluntary act, it completes the deficiency.

6:05 Until, when his good deeds increase and outweigh his bad deeds,

6:09 He enters Paradise by the mercy of Allah toward him.

6:17 Regarding the virtue of the first row,

6:19 And the command to complete the first rows,

6:22 And to straighten them and stand shoulder-to-shoulder in them.

6:25 On the authority of Jabir Ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:

6:31 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, came out to us and said:

6:36 "Will you not line up as the angels line up before their Lord?"

6:41 We said, "O Messenger of Allah,"

6:44 "And how do the angels line up before their Lord?"

6:47 He said, "They complete the first rows,"

6:50 "And they stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the row."

6:53 (Narrated by Muslim).

6:55 From the benefits of the hadith:

6:59 Information that the angels form rows before Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He.

7:05 And they stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the row.

7:07 So there is no gap between them.

7:10 Encouragement to imitate the angels,

7:14 Because the angels are protected from error.

7:18 And imitating those who are protected

7:20 Leads to perfection in action.

7:23 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

7:27 That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

7:31 "If people knew what was in the call to prayer and the first row,"

7:36 "And then found no way [to get it] except by drawing lots for it,"

7:40 "They would have drawn lots."

7:41 (Agreed upon).

7:43 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

7:48 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

7:52 "The best of the men's rows is the first,"

7:55 "And the worst is the last."

7:58 "And the best of the women's rows is the last,"

8:01 "And the worst is the first."

8:04 (Narrated by Muslim).

8:06 From the benefits of the hadith:

8:09 The desirability for men to arrive early at the mosque,

8:14 So they may have the virtue of precedence,

8:16 And attain the first rows.

8:19 Islam’s concern that a woman should not look at the private parts of a man,

8:24 Just as it is concerned that a man should not look at a woman.

8:28 The departure of women should be before the departure of men,

8:33 So that women do not intermingle with men in the mosques.

8:38 Men, by being close to the Imam, follow him,

8:42 And the women follow them.

8:45 This contains a ruling:

8:47 That it is not permissible for a woman to stand in front of a man in prayer.

8:53 Men are stronger in carrying the message from the Prophets,

8:57 And more eager to convey it than women.

9:00 Therefore, it is necessary to place them in front.

9:03 And their front rows were the best of rows.

9:07 The last of the women's rows is better than the first.

9:12 On the authority of Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him,

9:17 That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

9:20 Saw a delay among his Companions,

9:23 So he said to them, "Come forward and follow me,"

9:29 "And let those after you follow you."

9:32 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, does not forget them:

9:38 "And let those after you follow you."

9:41 "People will continue to lag behind until Allah puts them behind."

9:46 (Narrated by Muslim).

9:50 From the benefits of the hadith:

9:52 Encouragement to learn and to be eager for it.

9:55 Whoever delays in learning and following the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

10:02 And learning virtues and avoiding vices,

10:05 Allah will put them behind regarding His mercy and great reward.

10:10 The permissibility of a follower relying on following an Imam whom he does not see or hear,

10:16 By relying on someone relaying it, or a row in front of him that sees and follows the Imam.

10:22 On the authority of Abu Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

10:28 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

10:31 Used to touch our shoulders in prayer and say,

10:35 "Stand straight and do not differ, lest your hearts differ."

10:40 "Let those of you who are mature and possess understanding be closest to me,"

10:44 "Then those who are next to them, then those who are next to them."

10:49 (Narrated by Muslim).

10:51 "Those who are mature" are the adults of sound mind,

10:55 Those who are perfect in virtue.

10:58 From the benefits of the hadith:

11:01 Straightening the rows is a cause for the unity of the Ummah and its gathering around the firm rope of Allah.

11:08 Disagreement in the outward appearance leads to disagreement in the inward state.

11:12 This confirms the influence of the outward on the inward.

11:16 And the reverse is also true, negatively and positively.

11:19 It is recommended that those who have memorized the Qur'an and those with knowledge of the Book and Sunnah be closest to the Imam,

11:26 Then those below them, and so on.

11:29 A statement of the virtue of knowledge of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

11:35 Because it is a cause for their precedence over others.

11:41 On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

11:44 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

11:48 "Straighten your rows,"

11:50 "For the straightening of the row is part of the perfection of prayer."

11:54 (Agreed upon).

11:56 And in a narration by al-Bukhari:

11:58 "For the straightening of the rows is part of the establishment of prayer."

12:02 From the benefits of the hadith:

12:06 It is incumbent upon the Imam to command the people to straighten the rows before beginning the prayer.

12:12 The command to straighten the rows and establish them occurs after the iqamah (call to start prayer).

12:19 Straightening the rows is part of the congregational prayer.

12:23 On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

12:28 The prayer was called (iqamah),

12:30 And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, turned to us with his face,

12:35 And said,

12:36 "Straighten your rows and stand shoulder-to-shoulder,"

12:40 "For I see you from behind my back."

12:43 Al-Bukhari recorded it with this exact wording.

12:46 And Muslim recorded it with the same meaning.

12:48 In another narration by al-Bukhari:

12:51 "Each of us would press his shoulder against his companion's shoulder,"

12:55 "And his foot against his foot."

12:57 Among the benefits of this hadith:

13:01 The emphasis on establishing and straightening the rows when the Imam requests it.

13:06 And during the prayer.

13:08 It confirms a miracle of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

13:13 That he could see his Companions from behind his back,

13:17 Which serves as a greater incentive for them to straighten the rows.

13:21 Straightening the row

13:23 Is achieved by pressing shoulder to shoulder,

13:26 And foot to foot.

13:28 On the authority of al-Nu'man Ibn Bashir, may Allah be pleased with both of them, who said:

13:34 I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:

13:39 "You must straighten your rows,"

13:41 "Or Allah will cause discord among your faces."

13:45 Agreed upon.

13:47 In a narration by Muslim:

13:50 That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

13:53 Used to straighten our rows,

13:55 As if he were straightening arrows with them,

13:59 Until he saw that we had understood it from him.

14:03 Then he went out one day and stood up, and was about to say the takbir,

14:07 When he saw a man whose chest was protruding from the row.

14:11 He said, "Servants of Allah,"

14:14 "You must straighten your rows,"

14:16 "Or Allah will cause discord among your faces."

14:20 Among the benefits of this hadith:

14:24 Failure to straighten the rows leads to discord.

14:28 And discord leads to the occurrence of enmity and hatred,

14:32 And the divergence of hearts.

14:35 On the authority of al-Bara' Ibn 'Azib, may Allah be pleased with both of them, who said:

14:40 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

14:44 Used to pass through the row from one side to the other,

14:48 Patting our chests and shoulders and saying,

14:53 "Do not differ, lest your hearts differ."

14:57 And he used to say, "Indeed, Allah and His angels"

15:01 "Send blessings upon the first rows."

15:04 Recorded by Abu Dawud.

15:08 Among the benefits of this hadith:

15:12 The virtue of the first row.

15:15 For this reason, it is recommended to arrive early for prayer,

15:18 To attain the virtue of the first rows.

15:21 O enemy of the righteous.

Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (127) | Chapter on the virtue of the first grade

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