Sahih Muslim, 438 a
sahihAbu Sa'id al-Khudri reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw (a tendency ) among his Companions to go to the back, so he said to them: Come forward and follow my lead, and let those who come after you follow your lead. People will continue to keep back till Allah will put them at the back.
حَدَّثَنَا شَيْبَانُ بْنُ فَرُّوخَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَشْهَبِ، عَنْ أَبِي نَضْرَةَ الْعَبْدِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَأَى فِي أَصْحَابِهِ تَأَخُّرًا فَقَالَ لَهُمْ
تَقَدَّمُوا فَائْتَمُّوا بِي وَلْيَأْتَمَّ بِكُمْ مَنْ بَعْدَكُمْ لاَ يَزَالُ قَوْمٌ يَتَأَخَّرُونَ حَتَّى يُؤَخِّرَهُمُ اللَّهُ
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References2 variants
- In-Book Reference
- Book 4, Hadith 144
- USC-MSA web (English) reference
- Book 4, Hadith 878 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The Prophet (ﷺ) was the best teacher and educator, so he used to precisely observe his companions’ conditions to guide them in worship, dealings, etc. In this hadith, he taught them and the entire nation to be keen on supreme issues and avoid causes of laziness. This hadith clarified that he perceived that some of his companions were not keen to early go to the mosque or some did not care for completing lines to the extent that some prayed in rear lines. As a result, he said to them, "Come forward and follow me in prayer. Let those coming after you follow you in prayer." This is because those praying behind the first line may not see how he is praying. Afterward, he warned, "People will continue to keep back till Allah will put them at the back." He may mean that people continue praying in the rear lines until Allah keeps them back in the rear ranks of Paradise, or they continue leaving the first line in prayer until Allah deprives them of his great bounties. Finally, this hadith reminds that continuous negligence in acts of worship leads to staying away from Allah and getting His wrath..