From fifty to five prayers

Question:

Did God give fifty prayers to the messenger (s.), whereupon they became five?

Answer:

Muhammad Ibn Ali reported that Imam As-Sadiq (a.) said: “When the Prophet Muhammad (s.) began the Heavenly Journey, his Lord commanded him fifty prayers. Then he passed through one prophet after another, but none of them asked him about anything until he came to Moses, the son of Imran (a.), who said to him: “What thing did your Lord command you? The Messenger (s.) said: “Fifty prayers. Moses (a.) said: “Ask your Lord for a decrease, for your community will not be able to withstand it.” The Messenger (s.) asked his Lord, who reduced it for him by ten. Then the Messenger passed one Prophet after another, but none of them asked him about anything until he came to Moses, the son of Imran (a.), who said to him: “What thing did your Lord command you? The Messenger (s.) said: “Forty prayers! Moses (a.) said: “Ask your Lord for a decrease, for your community will not withstand it.” The Messenger (s.) asked his Lord, who reduced it for him by ten. Then the Messenger passed one Prophet after another, but none of them asked him about anything until he came to Moses, the son of Imran (a.), who said to him: “What thing did your Lord command you?” The Messenger (s.) said: “Thirty prayers! Moses (a.) said: “Ask your Lord for a decrease, for your community will not withstand it.” The Messenger (s.) asked his Lord, who reduced it for him by ten. Then the Messenger passed by one Prophet after another, but none of them asked him about anything until he came to Moses, the son of Imran (a.), who said to him: “What thing did your Lord command you?” The Messenger (s.) said: “Twenty prayers!” Moses (a.) said: “Ask your Lord for a decrease, for your community will not withstand it.”The messenger (s.) asked his Lord, who decreased it for him by ten. Then the messenger passed one prophet after another, but none of them asked him about anything until he came to Moses, the son of Imran (a.), who said to him: “What thing did your Lord command you? The Messenger (s.) said: “Ten prayers. Moses (a.) said: “Ask your Lord for a decrease, for your congregation will not withstand it. I brought to the Children of Israel what God had commanded them to do, but they did not accept it and did not approve it.” The Prophet (s.) asked his Lord, Who reduced it for him, and He made them five prayers. Then the Messenger passed one Prophet after another, but none of them asked him about anything until he came to Moses, the son of Imran (a.), who said to him: “What thing did your Lord command you? The Messenger (s.) said: “Five prayers. Moses (a.) said: “Ask your Lord for a decrease for your community, for your community will not stand up to it.” He said: “I am ashamed to go back to my Lord”. Then the messenger conveyed the five prayers. The messenger (s.) said: “May God grant Moses, the son of Imran (a.), a good reward because on account of my community.” Imam As-Sadiq (a.) said: “God give Moses, the son of Imran (a.), a good reward from us.” [Man La Yahduruh-ul-Faqih of As-Saduq, Volume 1 Page 141 – 142 Hadith 602]

عن محمد بن علي عن أبي عبد الله الصادق عليه السلام قال: إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله لما أسري به أمره ربه بخمسين صلاة، فمر على النبيين نبي نبي لا يسألونه عن شئ حتى انتهى إلى موسى بن عمران عليه السلام، فقال: بأي شئ أمرك ربك؟ فقال: بخمسين صلاة، فقال: اسأل ربك التخفيف فإن أمتك لا تطيق ذلك، فسأل ربه فحط عنه عشرا، ثم مر بالنبيين نبي نبي لا يسألونه عن شئ، حتى مر بموسى بن عمران عليه السلام فقال: بأي شئ أمرك ربك؟ فقال بأربعين صلاة، فقال: اسأل ربك التخفيف فإن أمتك لا تطيق ذلك، فسأل ربه فحط عنه عشرا، ثم مر بالنبيين نبي نبي لا يسألونه عن شئ حتى مر بموسى بن عمران عليه السلام فقال: بأي شئ أمرك ربك؟ فقال: بثلاثين صلاة، فقال اسأل ربك التخفيف فإن أمتك لا تطيق ذلك، فسأل ربه عز وجل فحط عنه عشرا ثم مر بالنبيين نبي نبي لا يسألون عن شئ حتى مر بموسى بن عمران عليه السلام فقال: بأي شئ أمرك ربك؟ فقال: بعشرين صلاة، فقال: اسأل ربك التخفيف فإن أمتك لا تطيق ذلك، فسأل ربه فحط عنه عشرا، ثم مر بالنبيين نبي نبي لا يسألونه عن شئ حتى مر بموسى بن عمران عليه السلام فقال: بأي شئ أمرك ربك؟ فقال: بعشر صلوات، فقال: اسأل ربك التخفيف فإن أمتك لا تطيق ذلك فإني جئت إلى بني إسرائيل بما افترض الله عز وجل عليهم فلم يأخذوا به ولم يقروا عليه، فسأل النبي صلى الله عليه وآله ربه عز وجل فخفف عنه فجعلها خمسا، ثم مر بالنبيين نبي نبي لا يسألونه عن شئ حتى مر بموسى عليه السلام فقال له: بأي شئ أمرك ربك؟ فقال: بخمس صلوات، فقال: اسأل ربك التخفيف عن أمتك فإن أمتك لا تطيق ذلك، فقال: إني لأستحي أن أعود إلى ربي، فجاء رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله بخمس صلوات، وقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: جزى الله موسى بن عمران عن أمتي خيرا، وقال الصادق عليه السلام جزى الله موسى بن عمران عنا خيرا

Muhammad Ibn Ali reported that Zaid Ibn Ali (a.) said: “I asked my father, Imam Zain-ul-Abidin (a.) and said to him: “O my father, tell me about our grandfather, the Messenger of God (s.), when he set out on the journey to heaven and his Lord commanded him fifty prayers. Why had he not asked Him for a reduction for his community until Moses, the son of Imran (a.), said: “Go back to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction, for your community does not withstand it.” He said: “O my son! the Messenger gives no advice to his Lord, and therefore does not question Him in any matter that He commands him. When Moses (a.) questioned him about this and became an advocate for his community with Him, he was not permitted to reject the intercession of his brother Moses (a.). So he went back to his Lord to ask Him for a reduction until He reduced them to five prayers.” I said: “O my father, why didn’t he go back to his Lord and ask him for a reduction on the five prayers when Moses (a.) asked him to go back to his Lord and ask Him for a reduction?” He said: “O my son! He wanted his community to receive the reduction and still the reward to be fifty prayers, for God says: “He who comes with a good deed receives ten times that amount.” (6:160) Do you not see that Gabriel (a.) came down to him after his descent to the earth and said: “O Muhammad, your Lord sends you the greeting of peace and says to you: “They are five with fifty. The saying is not changed with Me. And I do no wrong to the servants.” (50:29) I said to him: “O my Father, is it not the case that God is being described without a place?” He said: “But God is exalted above it all.” I said: “What then is meant by the statement of Moses (a.) to the messenger (s.): “Go back to your Lord?” He said: “By this is meant the same as with the statement of Abraham (a.): “I will go to my Lord, He will guide me.” (37:99) And this is the same as Moses’ (a.) statement: “I have hastened to you, my Lord, that you may please me.” (20:84) And by this is meant the same as with the statement of the Exalted: “Flee now to God.” (51:50) Its meaning is: “Make the pilgrimage to the house of God”. O my son, the Ka’bah is the house of God. The one who made the pilgrimage to the house of God turned to God and the houses of prayer are the houses of God, because the one who hurries to them hurries to God and turns to Him and as long as the praying person is in prayer, he stands before God. The blessed and sublime belong to places in His heavenly kingdom. He who ascends to a place of it ascends to Him. Do you not then hear the word of God: “The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him”? (70:4) And the Exalted One says with reference to Jesus, the Son of Mary (a.): “But God lifted him up to Himself.” (4:158) And the Exalted One says: “The pleasing word ascends unto Him, and the good deed is ascended up unto Him.”(35:10) [Man La Yahduruh-ul-Faqih of As-Saduq, Volume 1 Page 142 – 143 Hadith 603]

عن محمد بن علي عن زيد بن علي عليهما السلام قال: سألت أبي سيد العابدين عليه السلام فقلت له يا أبة أخبرني عن جدنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله لما عرج به إلى السماء وأمره ربه عز وجل بخمسين صلاة كيف لم يسأله التخفيف عن أمته حتى قال له موسى بن عمران عليه السلام: ارجع إلى ربك فاسأله التخفيف فإن أمتك لا تطيق ذلك فقال: يا بني إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله لا يقترح على ربه عز وجل فلا يراجعه في شئ يأمره به، فلما سأله موسى عليه السلام ذلك وصار شفيعا لامته إليه لم يجز له أن يرد شفاعة أخيه موسى عليه السلام فرجع إلى ربه عز وجل فسأله التخفيف إلى أن ردها إلى خمس صلوات، قال: فقلت له: يا أبة فلم لم يرجع إلى ربه عز وجل ولم يسأله التخفيف من خمس صلوات وقد سأله موسى عليه السلام أن يرجع إلى ربه عز وجل ويسأله التخفيف؟ فقال: يا بني أراد عليه السلام أن يحصل لامته التخفيف مع أجر خمسين صلاة لقول الله عز وجل: من جاء بالحسنة فله عشر أمثالها ألا ترى أنه عليه السلام لما هبط إلى الأرض نزل عليه جبرئيل عليه السلام فقال: يا محمد إن ربك يقرئك السلام ويقول: لك إنها خمس بخمسين ما يبدل القول لدي وما أنا بظلام للعبيد قال: فقلت له: يا أبة أليس الله جل ذكره لا يوصف بمكان؟ فقال: بلى تعالى الله عن ذلك علوا كبيرا، قلت: فما معنى قول موسى عليه السلام لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: ارجع إلى ربك؟ فقال: معناه معنى قول إبراهيم عليه السلام إني ذاهب إلى ربي سيهدين ومعنى قول موسى عليه السلام وعجلت إليك رب لترضى ومعنى قوله عز وجل: ففروا إلى الله يعني حجوا إلى بيت الله، يا بني إن الكعبة بيت الله فمن حج بيت الله فقد قصد إلى الله، والمساجد بيوت الله فمن سعى إليها فقد سعى إلى الله وقصد إليه، والمصلي ما دام في صلاته فهو واقف بين يدي الله عز وجل فإن لله تبارك وتعالى بقاعا في سماواته، فمن عرج به إلى بقعة منها فقد عرج به إليه ألا تسمع الله عز وجل يقول: تعرج الملائكة والروح إليه ويقول الله عز وجل في قصة عيسى بن مريم عليهما السلام: بل رفعه الله إليه ويقول الله عز وجل: إليه يصعد الكلم الطيب والعمل الصالح يرفعه