Neglecting the Salah of 'Assr

Question:

There is a Hadith according to which Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said that the one who neglects the Salah of 'Assr, his actions are nullified. Please give an explanation on that.

Answer:

This Hadith is found in Saheeh Bukhari and other books of Hadith. To begin with, it is good to know that the Salah of 'Assr has a little more value than the other Salahs to such an extent that the Qur'an-e-Kareem has made a special mention of it in verse 238 of Surah Baqarah. Likewise, according to a Hadith which is found in Saheeh Bukhari itself, Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) has compared a person who missed the Salah of 'Assr as the most miserable person who has lost his family and his wealth. Thus, all this is here to show the great importance that the Shari'ah has attached to the Salah of 'Assr. And it is probably because it was at a time when people were busy with their trade in that epoch. Thus, there was a very high risk that people may neglect it. Therefore, Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) drew their attention so that they could take the necessary steps not to miss it.

Now coming to your question, it is good to note that no one has applied the Hadith which you have quoted, in the direct sense as it is in the text. This is because this will imply that a person, who has neglected the Salah of 'Assr due to forgetfulness or for some other valid reason, is also included in this warning. Yet it is not such. The 'Ulama applied this hadith to those who do it in a deliberate manner with full knowledge. And they have interpreted it such in the light of the established principles of the Shari'ah. Likewise, they did not consider “the nullification of action” in its direct sense. Otherwise, this will have a long implication. That's why the 'Ulama say that this means that the person suffers a very great loss which can be equal to a person whose actions are nullified. They took it in that way as it would otherwise require overriding several other principles. It is better to interpret one hadith in a way to reconcile other Hadith than breaking ten principles due to one hadith.

[English version of "Quitte namaz Assar" – Al Jamiat – Vol.5 No.5]