1053/1 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “He who goes to the mosque in the morning or in the evening, Allah prepares an honorable abode for him in Paradise every time he goes (to the mosque) in the morning or in the evening.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1054/2 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “He who makes ablution in his house and then goes to one of the houses of Allah to perform one of the obligatory prayers, his steps will be like this: one step removes a sin and one elevates by one rank.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) Walking to the mosque is a means for expiating sins and raising ranks.
2) They encourage us to regularly attend congregational prayers so that we can get a great reward for such a simple act.
3) The complete reward promised in the Hadīth is due to those who make ablution at home and then go to the mosque, which highlights the merit of making ablution at home.
1055/3 - Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “There was a man from the Ansār who, as far as I know, lived farther from the mosque than anyone else, and he never missed a prayer. It was said to him: ‘Why don’t you buy a donkey to ride it in the darkness and the scorching heat?’ He said: ‘I do not like that my house be near the mosque, for I want the steps I take to the mosque and back to my family to be recorded for me (as reward).’ Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Verily, Allah has gathered all of that for you.’” [Narrated by Muslim]
1056/4 - Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “There were some plots of land lying vacant around the mosque. The people of (the tribe of) Banu Salimah wanted to move to this land and come nearer to the mosque. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) heard about it and said to them: ‘I heard that you want to move near the mosque?’ They said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah! We want to do that.’ He said: ‘O Banu Salimah, stay in your neighborhood and your footsteps will be recorded for you; stay in your neighborhood and your footsteps will be recorded for you.’ They said: ‘We would not have liked to move near the mosque.’” [Narrated by Muslim] Al-Bukhāri narrated a Hadīth with the same meaning, reported by Anas.
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1) It is better to walk to the mosque than to ride to it, unless walking involves difficulty. The easier, the better, for the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) “was never given a choice between two things except that he would choose what was easier, unless it was a sin.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri as reported by ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her)]
2) The good deeds of a person are recorded for him, along with the resultant effects. This comes from the grace of Allah towards His servants.
3) The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen to attend congregational prayers and live near the mosque, which shows their intent to hasten to do good deeds and reap the rewards. It behooves us to follow their example.
1057/5 - Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Those who get the greatest reward for prayer are those who walk to it from the farthest place; and those who wait to offer the prayer with the Imām get a greater reward than those who pray then sleep.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) When a person experiences a greater difficulty in performing an act of worship, within the permissible bounds in the Shariah, he gets a greater reward.
2) A person gets a greater reward if he delays the ‘Ishā’ prayer and offers it in congregation with the Imām.
1058/6 - Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Give glad tidings to those who walk to the mosques in the darkness, for they will be given a perfect light on the Day of Resurrection.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi]
1) Recompense is of the same nature of the deed. So, he who comes to the mosque in the darkness of the night, Allah will grant him light on the Day of Judgment.
2) It is recommended to mention the good deed with the reward to be reaped from it, so that people will feel motivated to do it. This is a tip to teachers and educators: mention good deeds along with their merits and rewards.
1059/7 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Shall I inform you of that by which Allah erases sins and raises ranks?” They said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah!” He said: “Performing ablution thoroughly despite difficulties, taking many steps to mosques, and waiting for the next prayer after the last prayer; that is the Ribāt, that is the Ribāt (guarding for the sake of Allah).” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) It shows the merit of walking to the mosque to attend congregational prayers on a constant basis, in order to obtain the reward for the steps taken to the mosque.
2) Regular performance of the good deeds legislated in the Shariah falls under the Ribāt, which literally means guarding in the cause of Allah and metaphorically means being stationed to do something good.
1060/8 - Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If you see a man frequenting mosques, bear witness that he has faith. Allah Almighty says: {The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day} [Surat at-Tawbah: 18].” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; he classified it as Hasan (sound)] [12]
1) Attending congregational prayers on a regular basis is a sign of true faith.
2) The testimony by the believers for a particular person is a proof that he is righteous, for the believers are the witnesses of Allah on earth.