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 Madinah and the other to all types of mosques.
In this article, the isnad of these narratives will be critically evaluated.
II Texts and Isnad Analysis
(1)
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْد اللّٰهِ حَدَّثَنِي اَبِي ثَنَا الْحَكَمُ بْنُ مُوْسَي قَالَ اَبْو عَبْد الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْد اللّٰه وَسَمِعْتُهُ اَنَا مِنَ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ مُوْسَي ثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحُمَنِ بْنُ اَبِي الرِّجَالِ عَنِ نُبَيْطِ بْنِ عُمَرَ عَنْ اَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّي اللّٰه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اَنَّهُ قَالَ مَنْ صَلَّي فيِ مَسْجِدِي اَرْبَعِينَ صَلَاةً لَا يَفُوْتُهُ صَلَاةٌ كُتِبَتْ لَهُ بَرَاءَةٌ مِنَ النَّارِ وَنَجَاةٌ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ وَبَرِيَء مِنَ النِّفَاقِ
Anas ibn Malim 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 isnad of this narrative’s variants:
Nubayt ibn ‘Umar is majhul al-‘ayn because the only person to narrate from him is ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi al-Rijal.2
(2)
حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ اَبِي شَيْبَةَ ثَنَا اِسْمَاعِيْلُ بْنُ عَيَّاشٍ عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ غَرِيَّةَ عَنْ اَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّي اللّٰه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُوْلُ مَنْ صَلَّي فِي مَسْجِدٍ جَمَاعَةً اَرْبَعِيْنَ لَيْلَةً لَا تَفُوْتُهُ الرَّكْعَةُ الْأُولَي مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ كَتَبَ اللّٰه لَهُ بِهَا عِتْقًا مِنْ النَّارِ
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab reported that the Prophet said: “He who offers forty prayers in congregation in a mosque such that he does not miss the first rak‘at behind the prayer leader, God renders him secure from the fire.”3
Following is the schematic illustration of the isnad of this narrative’s variants:
According to al-Tirmidhi and al-Daraqutni, ‘Umarah ibn Ghaziyyah has not met Anas ibn Malik.4 Hence the narrative is broken.
Isma‘il ibn ‘Ayyash (d. 182 AH is only reliable in narratives which he narrates from the Syrians (idha haddatha ‘an ghayr-i ahl al-Sham idtaraba wa akhta’a).5 In the narrative under discussion, he narrates from ‘Umarah who is not a Syrian.6
Al-Daraqutni also mentions another chain of narration of this narrative –though incomplete:
وروى هذا الحديث أبو العلاء الخفاف خالد بن طهمان الكوفي عن حبيب بن أبي عميرة الإسكاف عن أنس عن النبي صلي اللّٰه عليه وسلم لم يذكر فيه عمر7
Thus the inqita‘ is obvious. Moreover Habib al-Iskaf is matruk according to al-Daraqutni.8
III Conclusion
It is evident from the above mentioned information that both categories of narratives are not reliable.
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1. Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 3, 155, (no. 12605). See also: Al-Tabarani, Al-Mu‘jam al-awsat, vol. 5, 325 (no. 5444).
2. For information regarding ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi al-Rijal being the sole narrator from him, see: Ibn Hibban, Al-Thiqat, vol. 5, 483; Ibn Hajar, Ta‘jil al-manfa‘ah, 420; Abu al-Mahasin, Al-Ikmal, 432. See also Shu‘ayb al-Arna’ut, Musnad Ahmad, vol. 20, 40.
3. In Majah, Sunan, vol. 1, 261, (no. 798). See also: Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh Madinah Dimashq, vol. 43, 88; Al-Bayhaqi, Shu‘ab al-iman, vol. 3, 62, (no. 2867).
4. Al-Tirmidhi, Sunan, vol. 2, 8; Al-Daraqutni, Al-‘Ilal, vol. 2, 118.
5. Al-‘Uqayli, Al-Du‘afa’ al-kabir, vol. 1, 88.
6. See, for example: Al-Mizzi, Tahdhib al-kamal, vol. 21, 259.
7. Al-Daraqutni, Al-‘Ilal, vol. 2, 118.
8. See, for example: Ibn Hajar, Lisan al-mizan, vol. 2, 174.