Question:
Assalamualaikum SS Dato’ Seri Mufti. What is the status of this hadith?
It is said that the Prophet PBUH said:
مَنْ صَلَّى الْفَجْرَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فَكَأَنَّمَا حَجَّ خَمْسِينَ حَجَّةً مَعَ آدم
“Whoever perform the Subuh prayer in congregation, it is as though he has performed hajj 50 times with the Prophet Adam.”
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
There are certainly great rewards from Allah SWT as has been stated by Him for those who perform the Subuh prayer. Therefore, in a sahih hadith it is stated that for the hypocrites, it is one of the prayers that are difficult for them to fulfil. The reason is, it needs determination for humans to wake up from their sleep to perform Subuh prayer. This is stated by our Prophet PBUH in a hadith:
- From Abu Hurairah RA, the Prophet PBUH said:
إِنَّ أَثْقَلَ صَلَاةٍ عَلَى الْمُنَافِقِينَ صَلَاةُ الْعِشَاءِ، وَصَلَاةُ الْفَجْرِ، وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِيهِمَا لَأَتَوْهُمَا وَلَوْ حَبْوًا
“The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are the 'Isha' prayer and the Fajr prayer. If only they knew what (reward) there is in them, they would come to them even if they had to crawl.”
Sahih Muslim (651)
The Status of the Hadith
Regarding the hadith in question, here we include the scholars’ opinion regarding the status of it:
- Imam al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (852 H) included it in his book stated it as fake. (See Lisan al-Mizan, 454/2)
- Imam al-Suyuthi (911 H) state that the hadith is fake. (See Zail al-La’aliy al-Masnu’ah, 223)
- Imam Ibn ‘Arraq al-Kinani (963 H) said that the hadith is fake. (See Tanzih al-Syariah, 42/2)
- Imam al-Fattani (986 H) states it is a fake hadith. (See Tazkirah al-Mawdhu’at, 106)
- Imam al-Syaukani (1250 H) also states that it is a fake hadith. (See al-Fawaid al-Majmu’ah, 32)
Referring to the opinions of scholars, thus, we would like to state that the hadith is fake and it is not from the Prophet PBUH. Hence, we are prohibited from referring it to the Prophet PBUH and it is our responsibility to state its falsehood.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, undoubtedly there are great rewards for anyone who performs the Subuh prayer. Especially for those who managed to perform it in congregation. The reason is, there is a sahih hadith that states the rewards of congregational Subuh prayer, it is as the following:
- From Uthman bin Affan RA, I heard the Prophet PBUH said:
مَنْ صَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَامَ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ، وَمَنْ صَلَّى الصُّبْحَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فَكَأَنَّمَا صَلَّى اللَّيْلَ كُلَّهُ
“He who observed the 'Isha' prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed up to midnight, and he who prayed the morning prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed the whole night.”
Sahih Muslim (656)
Lastly, let us all put our best effort and determination to perform the Subuh prayer in congregation. May Allah SWT make us from among His slaves that maintain their prayers and among His successful slaves. Amin.
Wallhua’lam.