According to the statement “So woe to the worshippers who are neglectful of their prayers” in the chapter al-Ma’un, is it not better not to perform prayers at all instead of performing them neglectfully?

Dear Brother / Sister,

We have been informed that the phrase “woe to those who pray, who are neglectful of the prayer they perform (they make mistakes)” in the chapter of al-Ma’un, especially in verses 4-5, has caused many Muslims who perform prayers to worry. The reason why some Muslims who read this chapter only from the translations were seriously worried about the issue was that they questioned themselves as follows: “Many Muslims can experience a natural state of heedlessness while performing prayers and cannot be in a state of awe at all times. According to the verses in the chapter of al-Ma’un, are those prayers that we perform a sign of hypocrisy and not acceptable by any means? Since our minds can wander while praying and we cannot be in a state of awe at all times, would it not be better for us not to perform those prayers at all instead of performing them in heedlessness given the horrifying scolding in the verse?”

We will try to clarify the issue with the hope that this deep conscientious questioning will heal the pain of the wound inflicted on Muslim minds. First, let us have a look at the statements in the chapter of al-Ma’un that raise questions in the mind:

The Translation of the Chapter:
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
1– Seest thou one who denies the Judgment (to come)?
2– Then such is the (man) who repulses the orphan (with harshness).
3– And encourages not the feeding of the indigent.
4– So woe to the worshippers,
5– Who are neglectful of their prayers.
6– Those who (want but) to be seen (of men).
7– But refuse (to supply) (even) neighborly needs

What we will focus on, and what is mentioned in the question, is the verse that is generally translated as “Woe to those who perform prayers like this... They are neglectful of the prayer they are performing”. The phrase “of their prayers” in the translations is very different from the phrase “in prayer”, but this difference is not perceived by people in general and hence they can be very uneasy and anxious. In this respect, we will briefly summarize what the phrases in the verses mean in items:

- This chapter mentions deniers from beginning to end. In the first verse, the profile of those who do not believe in the Hereafter is drawn: “Seest thou one who denies the Judgment (to come)?”

-The last verse mentions those who do not give the slightest help to those in need because they do not expect any reward in return - because they do not believe in the hereafter. Thus, the first verse and the last verse draw a picture that unites on the common denominator of denial.

-The second and third verses paint a picture of the lack of compassion, hard-heartedness, excessive stinginess, excessive pride and spoilage that stems from not believing in being called to account, which makes one look down on others - especially orphans. All those qualities are presented in a manner showing that they stem from the “denial of the Day of Reckoning” emphasized in the first verse.

- The fourth verse is in a position to link the first three verses with the last three verses. However, according to this position, instead of saying, “woe to the worshippers “, the verse should have said, “Woe to them”, i.e., “those whose characteristics are mentioned above”.

The use of the word “worshippers (performers of prayers)” instead of the pronoun “them” in the verse is certainly for one or more reasons. We can explain two of those reasons as follows:

a. The emphasis on prayer in the verse shows its place in religion and its close relationship with belief. Indeed, in Islam, prayer is an issue that comes after belief. This is why, at the beginning of the chapter of al-Baqara, the first chapter of the Quran after al-Fatiha, “those who have taqwa”, i.e. those who fear Allah are characterized as “who believe in the unseen and are steadfast in prayer...”, and prayer is placed immediately after belief, in the second place. It means that the weaker the belief in the Hereafter, the less desire for prayer. In fact, it does not mean that every person who does not perform prayers does not believe in the Day of Reckoning, but every unbeliever in the Day of Reckoning does not perform prayers. Accordingly, it is possible to understand verse four as follows: “Woe to those who do not believe in the Day of Reckoning, those who are in the position of “Musalli” (those who perform prayers), who are obliged to perform prayers but do not do so because they do not believe in the Day of Reckoning! Woe to them when the Day of Reckoning comes!”

b. The mention of “prayer (salah)” in this verse is to indicate that hypocrites can also pray. However, they have a characteristic that gives them away: they are not scrupulous about whether they pray or not. It does not matter for them whether they perform prayers or not because they do not expect any reward.

- That characteristic of theirs is indicated in other verses of the Quran too:
“The Hypocrites - they think they are over-reaching Allah, but He will over- reach them: When they stand up to prayer, they stand without earnestness, to be seen of men, but little do they hold Allah in remembrance; (They are) distracted in mind even in the midst of it,- being (sincerely) for neither one group nor for another whom Allah leaves straying,- never wilt thou find for him the way.” (an-Nisa, 4/142-143)

“They (hypocrites) reject Allah and His Messenger. that they come to prayer without earnestness; and that they offer contributions unwillingly. (at-Tawba, 9/54)

As it can be seen, the characteristics of the hypocrites mentioned in those verses and the characteristics described in the chapter of al-Ma’un correspond fully. The common denominator: Not caring about prayer, praying lazily and for show-off, not giving charity willingly... because hypocrites are unbelievers. They do not expect any reward in the Hereafter.

That is why they are usually neglectful (heedless) “of prayer, not in prayer”. They only pray pretentiously so as not to be embarrassed in the presence of people.

-According to some scholars, the first three verses of the chapter of al-Ma’un were revealed in Makkah and the last four verses in Madinah. Accordingly, the first three verses, which describe the characteristics of those who do not believe in the Day of Reckoning, specifically mention the polytheists (mushriks). The last four verses, which were revealed in Madinah, mention hypocrites.

According to some, the first three verses were revealed in Makkah about Abu Jahl. It was he who denied the hereafter. The last four verses were revealed in Madinah about the famous hypocrite Abdullah b. Ubayy b. Salul and his friends. They are the ones who performed prayers for show-off.

Look at the marvelous style of the Quran: when you read those two parts of verses, which are separated by years in terms of their descent, you see no discrimination. It is true not only for the literal style but also for the semantic style.

For example, the common characteristic of the polytheists and hypocrites mentioned in both groups of verses is that they do not believe in the Day of Reckoning. Both of these groups of people do not perform prayers sincerely. The polytheists do not pray at all. The hypocrites pray for show-off because hypocrites usually lived in Madinah in the Era of Bliss. The hypocrites who lived among those who performed prayers in Madinah did not pray for the sake of Allah, but only for the sake of appearances.

- Some of the Companions, such as Ali (ra), Ibn Abbas (ra) and Anas (ra), pointed out the subtlety of the verse and said that the expression “of (from) prayer” was very different from the expression “in prayer”.

Accordingly, if the phrase “fi salatihim” had been used, it would have meant woe to those who are negligent (heedless) in their prayers, which would have been wrong. This is because it is beyond human power not to be heedless in prayer and not to make mistakes. Moreover, it is known that the Prophet (pbuh) himself made mistakes in prayer. There is a chapter on “Making mistakes in prayer” in all fiqh books.

That is why the phrase “an salatihim” is used in the verse. That is, they are heedless of their prayers. That is, they do not know about the prayer itself; they forget it completely; they do not pay attention to it. If they are not concerned about showing off to people, they will never pray.

That is why some scholars say, in order to point out this subtle difference, thank God that the Quran does not say “fi Salatihim = in their prayers” but “an salatihim = from (of) their prayers”.

- Abdullah b. Abbas states the following: This verse is about the hypocrites. When they are away from people, they do not perform prayers. When they are in the presence of people, they pray for show-off. They pray in public and abandon it in seclusion.

Wahidi, one of the famous tafsir scholars, states the following: This verse is about the hypocrites because they do not believe in the Day of Reckoning and they do not expect any reward when they pray; nor do they fear any punishment when they do not pray. That is what “neglectful of prayer” means.

According to Tabari, when this verse was revealed, the Prophet said: “Allahu akbar! This verse is better for you than the whole world being given to one person because the one who makes a mistake in prayer is the one who does not expect any reward when he prays, nor does he fear his Lord when he abandons it.”

This hadith also points out the subtlety of the phrase “from (of) their prayers” in the verse in question.

- It is also possible to understand that it is related to the hypocrites since the term “those who are steadfast in prayer” is not used in the verse but the term “worshippers (those who pray)” is used.
This is because the Quran uses the expression “those who are steadfast in prayer” for sincere and proper prayers. The phrase “those who pray (worshippers)” is used in the Quran for prayers that are not sincere and proper.

What is meant by the worshippers in the chapter of al-Ma’un with the use of the latter is this: When those who are not sincere in their prayers and those who pray for show-off perform prayers, their spirits wander far away from prayer though their bodies are in prayer. They pray when they are supposed to perform a prayer, but they are not steadfast in prayer.

-It is understood from all those explanations that the verse refers to the prayers of the hypocrites for show-off, not to the mistake and negligence of the believers who pray properly.

As a matter of fact, three characteristics of the hypocrites and unbelievers are pointed out in the three verses preceding this fourth verse; and three other characteristics are pointed out in the three verses following this verse. The characteristics in the first three verses are as follows: Denying the Day of Reckoning, repulsing the orphan with harshness, and not encouraging to feed the poor/needy. The last three characteristics in the last three verses are as follows: neglecting/disregarding prayer, liking show-off, and avoiding even the smallest help. When we bring the six characteristics in those six verses together, the unbelief of the hypocrites who do not believe in the Day of Reckoning will be seen.

Then, why does the Quran prefer a style that also touches Muslims?

The main reason for this preference is to enable Muslims to learn from the parable. So much so that sincere believers will avoid the characteristics of hypocrites, try to strengthen their belief in the Day of Reckoning at all times, will not forget that they will be called to account, will not abandon prayer in particular, will not delay prayer, and will keep their minds away from worldly preoccupations as much as possible while in prayer. As Mawlana (Rumi) puts it; “Ser be zemin, dum be heva” = head on the ground, tail in the air; it will not be a show-off consisting of bending down and standing up. They will not forget that they are in the presence of Allah Almighty; they will be steadfast in prayer (“iqamah” / “tadil al-arkan”); they will not show off in their worship, will not avoid spending their wealth in the way of Allah, and will take care of the poor and orphans.

The Phrase “Yuqimunas-Salah (Are Steadfast in Prayer)”

This Arabic phrase (yuqimunas-salah = are steadfast in prayer), which first appears in the Quran in verse 3 of the chapter of al-Baqara, is preferred over “yusalluna = performing prayers” though it is longer. According to tafsir scholars, the reason for the preference of the phrase “yuqimunas-salah” over the shorter phrase “yusalluna” is to draw attention to the meanings of the word “iqamah” (the root of the verb yuqimuna), such as tadil al-arkan, performing prayers regularly, and maintaining prayer by performing it on time. (1) Qaḍi Baydawi attracts attention to the same point and states that “iqamah” is used in verses that praise those who pray with tadil al-arkan perfectly or command daily prayers and that it is not used in verses that rebuke those who pray in heedlessness, as in the chapter of al-Ma’un. (2)

The word “iqamah” is derived from “qiyam” or “qiwam” in the form of “if’al” and one of its lexical meanings is “lifting up” or “straightening” (3), which is closely related to the lexical meaning of the word “salah”. When “lifting up, straightening and putting upright” is used in prayer, the spinal cord is involved. So, when those lexical meanings are taken into account, the meaning of “yuqimunas-salah” is “performing the prayer by reading (reciting) the Quran and dhikr properly, and by keeping the 17 vertebrae in your spine straight in all your movements practically in accordance with the position of the place where you are.”

References: Tabari, Zamakhshari, Samarqandi, Razi, Qurtubi, Salibi, Ibn Kathir, Abu Suud, ad-Durrul-Manthur, Baydawi, Nasafi, Shanqiti; Shawkani, Alusi, Ibn Ashur, Fi Zilal, Elmalılı, the interpretation of the verses in question.

1- see az-Zamakhshari, al-Kashshaf, I/39-40; Nursi, İşãrâtu’l-İ’câz, 45-46.
2- al-Baydawi, Tawaliul-Anwar, 45-45. See also Khatib ash-Sirbini, as-Sirajul-Munir, I/17-18; ar-Raghib,491-492; Jamaluddin al-Qasimi, Mahasinut-Tawil, I/35-36. For the examples in the Quran where the word “iqama” is used, see 4/162; 5/55; 11/114; 17/78; 20/14; 29/45; for the examples where it is not used, see 107/4-5; 9/54.
3- see Yazır, I/175.

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