RENAISSANCE SEPTEMBER 2021

43 Monthly Renaissance September 2021 Ḥ ad ī th Narratives on Forty Prayers Dr Shehzad Saleem I Introduction There are narratives which say that a person will be forgiven in the Hereafter if he offers forty prayers in the mosque. One category specifies this mosque to the Prophet’s mosque in Mad ī nah and the other to all types of mosques. In this article, the isn ā d of these narratives will be critically evaluated. II Texts and Isn ā d Analysis (1) َ َ ﺣ َ ﺛَ ﺪ َ ﻨ ْ ﺎ ﻋ َ ﺪ ﷲٰ ﺒ ﺣ ﺛَ ﺪَ ¤ b َ À ﺛَ R َ ﻨ ﺎ ﻟْﺤَﻜَﻢ ﺑْ ﻣﻮْ ﻦ َ cb َ ﻗ َ ﺑْ َ ﺎلَ ْ ﻮ ﻋ َ ﺒ ْ ﺪ ﻟﺮ َ ﻦ ﻤَ ﺣ ﻋ ْ ﺪ ﷲٰ ﺒ وَﺳَﻤﻌْﺘﻪ ﻧَ َ ﺎ ﻣﻦَ ﻟْﺤَﻜَﻢ ﺑْ ﻣﻮْ ﻦ َ cb َ ﺛ َ َ ﻨ ْ ﺎ ﻋ ﺒ َ ﺪ ﻟﺮ ﺑْ ﻦ ﻤَ ﺣ َ ﻦ À َ ﻟﺮﺟَﺎل ﻋ R ﻧﺒَﻴْﻂ ﺑْ ﻦ ﻦ َ ﻤَ ﻋ َ ﺮ ﻋ َ ﻦْ ﻧَﺲ ﺑْ ﻦ َ ﻣَﺎﻟﻚٍ ﻋَﻦ ﻟﻨ ¶ b َ ﺻ َ˜R ٰ ﷲ َ ﻋ َ ْ ﻠ ﻴ وَ ﻪ َ َ ﺳ ﻧَ َ ﻢَ ﻠ ﻗَ ﻪ َ ﺎلَ ﻣ َ ﻦْ ﺻ َ˜R RS َ ْ ﻣ ﺴ ﺠ َ ي ﺪ َ ﺻَﻶَ َﻌ ƒْ ر َﻔﻮْ ﻹ ﻹةً ﻵَ C ﻹ ﺗﻪ ﺻَﻶَ ةٌ ﻛﺘﺒَﺖْ ﻟَ ﻪ ﺑَﺮ َءَةٌ ﻣﻦَ ﻟﻨَﺎر وَﻧَﺠَﺎةٌ ﻣﻦَ ﻟْﻌَﺬ َبوَ ﺑَ َ ﺮ ي ءﻣﻦَ ﻟﻨﻔَﺎق Anas ibn M ā lim reported that the Prophet said: “He who offers forty prayers in my mosque such that he misses none of them, he is secure from the fire and punishment of Hell and also from hypocrisy.” 1 Following is the schematic illustration of the isn ā d of this narrative’s variants: 1. A ḥ mad ibn Ḥ anbal, Musnad , vol. 3, 155, (no. 12605). See also: Al- Ṭ abar ā n ī , Al- Mu‘jam al-awsa ṭ , vol. 5, 325 (no. 5444).