Sheikh Saalih Al-`Uthaimeen رحمه الله
بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد
In respect to al-Salaah (prayer), not only is
the reward multiplied, but also the actions:
(In the
beginning), Salaah (prayer) Fifty times a day was made compulsory, and this
shows the extent of the love of Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى and His concern for them. But (later on) they
were reduced, so that they are Five in action but Fifty in the Scale – as if
the person (actually) prayed Fifty times (in a day). It is not to be understood
in the terms that the reward for a good deed will be multiplied Ten times. If
it was the case – that the reward for the good deed (i.e. prayer) is multiplied
Ten times (only) – then the prayer would have had no privilege over the other
forms of worship, because for every form of worship is rewarded Ten times. But
what is apparent is that the reward of actually praying Fifty times (a day) is
written for the person. What confirms this is the fact that the Prophetصلى الله عليه وسلم
and he is the Imaam of this Ummah – accepted the obligation of praying Fifty
times a day and was pleased with them. Thereafter Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى reduced them (in numbers), but He سُبحانه وتعالى kept the reward for the
Ummah (as it is) upon what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had initially accepted
and was pleased with – i.e. Fifty prayers.
The evidence
for this is what al-Bukhaaree has reported in his Saheeh on the authority of
Anas رضي الله عنه that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
«فراجَعته
ـ يعني: الله ـ فقال: {هي خمس وهي خمسون}»
“So I returned to Allaah and He سُبحانه وتعالى
said:{These are
five prayers and they are all (equal to) fifty}.”
[Saheeh
al-Bukhaaree (349) and Saheeh Muslim (242)]
