The Prophet (ﷺ) said in his narration of a dream that he saw, "He whose head was being crushed with a stone was one who learnt the Qur'an but never acted on it, and slept ignoring the compulsory prayers."
Prayer at Night (Tahajjud)
Sahih al-Bukhari - Hadith 1143
The Narration
The Prophet (ﷺ) said in his narration of a dream that he saw, "He whose head was being crushed with a stone was one who learnt the Qur'an but never acted on it, and slept ignoring the compulsory prayers."
Scholarly Commentary
This profound hadith reveals the severe consequences of two major spiritual neglects: learning the Qur'an without implementation and abandoning obligatory prayers. The crushing of the head with a stone symbolizes the ultimate destruction of one's spiritual faculties - the intellect and consciousness that should guide one to Allah.
The first category represents those who acquire Islamic knowledge but fail to translate it into action. They memorize the Qur'an, understand its rulings, yet their deeds contradict their knowledge. This hypocrisy between knowledge and practice is among the gravest spiritual diseases.
The second category concerns those who neglect the five daily prayers, particularly by sleeping through their times. The compulsory prayers are the pillars of Islam, and their deliberate abandonment without valid excuse constitutes major sin. Sleeping here implies conscious negligence rather than genuine inability.
The combined punishment demonstrates that knowledge without practice is worthless, and that the abandonment of prayer destroys one's spiritual foundation. The dream vision serves as a divine warning to maintain consistency between knowledge and action, and to prioritize the fundamental acts of worship.
Legal and Spiritual Implications
Scholars emphasize that this hadith underscores the obligation of acting upon knowledge and maintaining the five daily prayers. The punishment depicted, while occurring in a dream vision, reflects the actual spiritual consequences in the hereafter for those who persistently neglect these duties without repentance.
The commentary serves as a reminder that Islamic knowledge is not for mere academic pursuit but for practical implementation, and that the prescribed prayers are the primary means of maintaining one's connection with the Creator.