Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 1072
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنَا وَمَا يَتَخَلَّفُ عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَّا مُنَافِقٌ قَدْ عُلِمَ نِفَاقُهُ أَوْ مَرِيضٌ إِنْ كَانَ الْمَرِيضُ لَيَمْشِي بَيْنَ رَجُلَيْنِ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ الصَّلَاةَ وَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَّمَنَا سُنَنَ الْهُدَى وَإِنَّ مِنْ سُنَنِ الْهُدَى الصَّلَاةُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الَّذِي يُؤَذَّنُ فِيهِ وَفِي رِوَايَة: " مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يَلْقَى اللَّهَ غَدًا مُسْلِمًا فليحافظ على هَؤُلَاءِ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ حَيْثُ يُنَادَى بِهِنَّ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شرع لنبيكم صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسلم سُنَنَ الْهُدَى وَإِنَّهُنَّ مِنْ سُنَنِ الْهُدَى وَلَوْ أَنَّكُمْ صَلَّيْتُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ كَمَا يُصَلِّي هَذَا الْمُتَخَلِّفُ فِي بَيْتِهِ لَتَرَكْتُمْ سُنَّةَ نَبِيِّكُمْ وَلَوْ تَرَكْتُمْ سُنَّةَ نَبِيِّكُمْ لَضَلَلْتُمْ وَمَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ يَتَطَهَّرُ فَيُحْسِنُ الطُّهُورَ ثُمَّ يَعْمِدُ إِلَى مَسْجِدٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْمَسَاجِدِ إِلَّا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِكُلِّ خُطْوَةٍ يَخْطُوهَا حَسَنَةً وَرَفَعَهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً ويحط عَنْهُ بِهَا سَيِّئَةً وَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنَا وَمَا يَتَخَلَّفُ عَنْهَا إِلَّا مُنَافِقٌ مَعْلُومُ النِّفَاقِ وَلَقَدْ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يُؤْتَى بِهِ يُهَادَى بَيْنَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ حَتَّى يُقَام فِي الصَّفّ. رَوَاهُ مُسلم
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿud said: “I saw that no one stayed away from the prayer except a hypocrite whose hypocrisy was known, or a sick person. Even a sick person would walk between two men until he came to the prayer. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught us the ways of guidance, and among the ways of guidance is praying in the mosque where the call to prayer is made.
In another version: “Whoever would be pleased to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim should keep up these five prayers where they are called. Allah prescribed for your Prophet the ways of guidance, and these prayers are among the ways of guidance. If you were to pray in your homes as this man who stays behind prays in his home, you would abandon your Prophet’s practice; and if you abandoned your Prophet’s practice, you would go astray. Whenever a man purifies himself well and then sets out for one of these mosques, Allah records a good deed for him for every step he takes, raises him a degree, and removes a sin from him. I saw that no one stayed away from them except a hypocrite known for hypocrisy. A man would be brought, supported between two others, until he was placed in the row.” Muslim transmitted it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source contains an initial report followed by a separately marked alternate version; these are kept as two paragraphs. The final image is of a man being supported between two others into the prayer row.