Question

I remember coming across a Hadith a couple of years ago which says something like Allah has made five Salahs obligatory and those who miss it will be punished but Allah will forgive if He so wills.

Could you kindly locate the Hadith?

Answer

You are probably referring to the following Hadith:

Sayyiduna ‘Ubadah ibn Samit (radiyallahu ‘anhu) says, I heard Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) say: “Allah has made five Salah obligatory on His servants. Whomsoever performs wudu in a perfect manner, offers them on time, completes the ruku’ properly and [offers the Salah] with full concentration, has a guarantee that Allah will forgive him. Whosoever does not do so [i.e., does not offer Salah in the perfect manner or does not offer Salah at all], does not have any guarantee from Allah, if he wishes He may forgive him or if he chooses, He will punish him.”

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith: 428, 1415, Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith: 1401 with variation in the wording. Refer: Mirqat, Hadith: 570)

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.

Answered by: Mawlana Suhail Motala

Approved by: Mawlana Muhammad Abasoomar,

One should understand, that every major sin requires repentance in this world, for it to be forgiven. Failing which, his matter is left to his Creator (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), as illustrated in the above Hadith. However, one should firstly ensure to abstain from sin, and in the event of committing a sin, there should be no delay in repenting, and making up for that mistake, in this world.