5/49. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 649j — Reward of Waiting for Prayer
The virtue of offering the obligatory prayers in congregation, the virtue of waiting for prayer and taking many steps towards the masjid, the virtue of walking to the masjid
Hadith About Waiting for Prayer and Staying in Worship
Sahih Muslim : 649j
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 649j
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " لاَ يَزَالُ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا دَامَتِ الصَّلاَةُ تَحْبِسُهُ لاَ يَمْنَعُهُ أَنْ يَنْقَلِبَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ إِلاَّ الصَّلاَةُ " .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
Abu Huraira reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Everyone among you is constantly in prayer so long as the prayer detains him (for this noble objective) and nothing prevents him to return to his family but the prayer.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 649jIn-book reference : Book 5, Hadith 343USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1398
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 649j
This hadith about waiting for prayer gives a simple but deep reminder. A person is counted as being in prayer as long as the prayer is what keeps him waiting. The text does not speak about any extra act here. It points to the value of being held back by salah itself. The person could return to family, rest, or move on with daily life, but prayer is the reason he stays. That makes waiting for salah in the mosque a meaningful act of worship. For anyone searching for the reward of waiting for prayer, this narration shows that time spent waiting for prayer is not wasted when the heart is tied to the prayer.
What we learn from this hadith
- Waiting for prayer is treated as prayer when prayer is the reason a person stays.
- The believer values salah enough to let it hold him back from other plans.
- Time before congregational prayer can become worship when it is spent for the prayer.
