Ayn Takun Idha Nudi lil-Salah
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- Dār Ibn Khuzaymah
Ayn Takun Idha Nudi lil-Salah (Where Are You When the Call to Prayer is Made?) is a short devotional and exhortatory treatise by Azhari Ahmad Mahmoud focused on the obligation and spiritual importance of answering the call to prayer (adhan) and attending congregational prayer (salat al-jama'ah) in the mosque .
Subject and Purpose
The treatise is structured around a central question directed at the reader: where one stands five times a day when the caller proclaims the words of the adhan . The author divides people into two categories upon hearing the call: those who hasten directly to the mosques, and those who turn away in heedlessness (ghaflah) and distraction . The primary objective of the work is to call Muslims to sincere self-reckoning (muhasaba), warning against trading the lasting success of the hereafter for worldly occupations, and encouraging active devotion through regular attendance at congregational prayers .
Themes and Contents
The text covers several interconnected themes regarding the prayer and the status of mosques:
- Admonition and Worldly Distraction: The author contrasts the speed with which people respond to calls for employment and worldly duties with their laxity toward the call of God, citing Quranic praise for those whom commerce and trade do not distract from the prayer .
- Examples of the Early Generations: The work cites reports illustrating the commitment of the righteous predecessors (al-salaf) to congregational prayer, including a report via Ubayy ibn Ka'b concerning a man who lived far from the mosque yet never missed a prayer, Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab's refusal to stay home when hearing the adhan despite danger, and the grief of Hatim al-Asamm (referred to as Hatim al-Zahid) when he missed a single congregational prayer .
- Textual Warnings Against Neglecting the Congregation: The text presents hadiths emphasizing the gravity of congregational prayer, including the Prophet's ﷺ intention to burn the houses of those who fail to attend, and his instruction to a blind man who lacked a guide to respond to the call as long as he could hear it . It also cites the statement of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud identifying the deliberate abandonment of congregational prayer as a trait of known hypocrites .
- Virtues of Congregational Prayer and Mosques: The author cites multiple hadiths on the expiation of sins through walking to the mosque, the prayers of angels for the worshiper, and the reward prepared in Paradise for those who frequent mosques . It also cites a list compiled by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani detailing the specific benefits of congregational prayer, such as the supplications and testimony of angels, safety from error in prayer, attaining humility (khushu'), fostering harmony among neighbors, and aligning one's amin with that of the angels .
- Attachment to God's Houses: The work describes mosques as the houses of God, the fortresses of the believer, and the most beloved places on earth to God, concluding with poetic verses and an urgent appeal to prepare righteous deeds before death .
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