What if there was a river at the door of any of you wherein he takes a bath five times a day? Would there remain any of his filth?
Narrator in the source: Abu Hurayrah reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah say:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "What if there was a river at the door of any of you wherein he takes a bath five times a day? Would there remain any of his filth?" They said: Nothing of his filth would remain. He said: "This is similar to the five prayers by means of which Allah erases sins."- Grade in the source
- Authentic
- Reported by
- Agreed upon
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 4968 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ أَنَّ نَهَرًا بِبَابِ أَحَدِكُمْ يَغْتَسِلُ فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَمْسًا، مَا تَقُولُ ذَلِكَ يُبْقِي مِنْ دَرَنِهِ؟» قَالُوا: لَا يُبْقِي مِنْ دَرَنِهِ شَيْئًا، قَالَ: «فَذَلِكَ مِثْلُ الصَّلَوَاتِ الخَمْسِ، يَمْحُو اللَّهُ بِهِ الخَطَايَا».Understand this hadith
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) likened the five prayers every day and night and their effect on removing and expiating minor sins and misdeeds to a river at one's door wherefrom he takes a bath five times every day and, thus, nothing of his dirt or filth remains.
Lessons from the hadith
- Such merit is exclusive to expiating minor sins, whereas major sins require repentance.
- The merit of performing the five prayers and observing them while fulfilling their conditions, pillars, obligatory and Sunnah acts.
References (original Arabic)
صحيح البخاري (1/ 112) (528). صحيح مسلم (1/ 462) (667). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 773). تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص610). المعجم الوسيط، (1/ 282). النهاية في غريب الحديث والأثر، لابن الأثير (2/ 115).