Khaberni - There is no doubt that it is necessary to know what the punishment is for not praying Fajr on time, due to the great virtue of the Fajr prayer, and also because it has been specially mentioned in the Noble Book, in the words of Allah Almighty: (Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient), which indicates the seriousness of delaying the Fajr prayer and the necessity of knowing the punishment for not praying Fajr on time, to avoid a bad outcome and to prevent belittling this obligation.
What happens to someone who delays the Fajr prayer when they wake up for work a few minutes before sunrise? What is the punishment for not praying Fajr on time?
It is stated regarding the matter of what is the punishment for not praying Fajr on time, that one is deprived of 20 blessings and virtues of the Fajr prayer, which are granted to those who perform it and withheld from those who abandon it, and they are:
Being characterized by the traits of hypocrites: Ibn Mas'ud said: "We saw that no one would miss the Fajr prayer except a known hypocrite", and Al-Farouq (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: "If we missed a man at Fajr, we thought poorly of him".
Woe and destruction for those who do not pray Fajr: Allah Almighty says: (Then, there has succeeded them a generation who have lost the prayer and have followed desires. So they will be thrown in Hell).
The devil urinates in the ears of those who sleep through the Fajr prayer: It has been reported in the hadith that: (A man was mentioned in the presence of the Prophet, peace be upon him, who had slept through to the morning, he said: That is a man in whose ears Satan has urinated).
Praying Fajr on time brings ample sustenance, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: «O Allah, bless my Ummah in their early mornings», and when he sent a raiding party or army, he would send them at the start of the day, he said : and Sakhr was a merchant who used to send out in his trade at the start of the day, and thus he became wealthy and his property increased».
Praying Fajr on time brings blessings in sustenance.
Contentment and clarity of soul.
Gathering virtues; praying Fajr on time and in congregation has a great reward, and it is one of the reasons for acquiring immense and great reward.
Being under the protection of Allah, for He guarantees the safety and security of those who pray, and no harm should come to the worshiper.
Angels bear witness to him and honor those who pray Fajr by raising their names before Allah Almighty.
Angels pray for and seek forgiveness for those who perform the Fajr prayer.
The reward of standing the night in prayer; the Fajr prayer is like praying throughout the night.
Entering Paradise for those who pray the Fajr; the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: (He who performs the two cool prayers (Fajr and 'Asr) will enter Paradise).
The reward of Hajj and Umrah.
The Fajr prayer keeps a person under the protection of Allah for the entire day.
Seeing Allah Almighty, for the Fajr prayer holds a significant place in Islam; it is among the most important obligatory prayers and the closest to the Lord of Majesty, exalted is He, for the Fajr prayer shows the closeness of the Muslim to his Creator; when he arises from his sleep at the time of Fajr, "at a time when people are sleeping", he gets up, performs ablution, and goes out at this time in the darkness of the night, overcoming the cold of winter and the heat of summer; to obey Allah Almighty, and to perform what the Lord of Honor has commanded him to do regarding the Fajr prayer.
It is better than the world and everything in it if a Muslim adheres to it; this is because of its great virtue and reward with Allah Almighty, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: «The two Rak'ahs of Fajr are better than the world and everything in it».
The Fajr prayer in congregation is the complete light for the devout Muslim on the Day of Resurrection, this virtue and reward for those who witness the Fajr prayer with the congregation; it has been narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he said: «Give glad tidings to those who walk in darkness to the mosques with complete light on the Day of Resurrection».
The Fajr prayer keeps the Muslim under the protection and care of Allah, for it was narrated from the Prophet - peace be upon him - that he said: «He who prays the morning prayer is under the protection of Allah».
The Fajr prayer is among the reasons for salvation from Hellfire.
In it is the glad tidings of entering Paradise; it has been reported from the Prophet - peace be upon him - that he said: «He who prays the two cool prayers will enter Paradise», agreed upon, and the two cool prayers mentioned here are the morning ('Fajr) and afternoon ('Asr) prayers, and there is encouragement to perform the morning prayer in congregation.
It is a guarantee for the Muslim - by adhering to the Fajr prayer - that he remains in the rank of faith and is safe from hypocrisy.
It shields from the punishment, wrath, and chastisement of Allah.
The supplication after it is answered.
The time of the Fajr prayer
It has been reported about the time of the Fajr prayer for each of the five obligatory prayers has a specific time in which it is not appropriate for the servant to delay, and if he does so, he would be neglecting Allah's rights upon him, and he will be held accountable for that.
The time for the Fajr prayer begins from the true dawn -which is the spread of white light across the horizon from north to south-, and the end time for the Fajr prayer is at sunrise, thus the Fajr prayer before sunrise is valid by unanimous agreement, though there was disagreement in determining the best time for the Fajr prayer; the Hanafis see the time of preference is at clear dawn, when the darkness is lifted and light appears, while the majority of scholars believe that the preferred time is during darkness, before dawn.
The ruling on someone overwhelmed by sleep missing the Fajr prayer
It was reported about the ruling on someone overwhelmed by sleep missing the Fajr prayer. Sleeping and abandoning the Fajr prayer or otherwise neglecting the morning prayer deprives a person from great divine virtues and blessings, and sleeping through the Fajr prayer can be sinful in one particular case.
Dr. Ali Gomaa, former Grand Mufti of the Republic and a member of Al-Azhar's Senior Scholars Authority, stated regarding the ruling on someone overwhelmed by sleep missing the Fajr prayer, that if a Muslim fails to perform the Fajr prayer or other acts of worship because of sleep, then it is not considered sinful unless it was intentional.
And he clarified in his response to the question: "If a Muslim misses the Fajr prayer because sleep overcame him, is it considered intentional?", that if sleep overcame the person and he missed the Fajr prayer and other prayers, then he is not considered intentional and the pen is lifted from him - since it is lifted from those asleep -, and it is not considered sinful as long as this is not a habitual lifestyle. However, if someone's routine is to sleep at the time of the Fajr call to prayer and wake up after noon daily, then the pen is not lifted from him, because he will never pray Fajr under the pretext that he is asleep; this is wrong and is not permissible by Sharia.
The Fajr prayer
The Fajr prayer or morning prayer is the first of the five obligatory prayers required of all Muslims, and it is an audible prayer consisting of two obligatory units (Rak'ah) and two units of Sunnah before it, called the Sunnah of Fajr or Fajr Rak'ah and it is a confirmed Sunnah that the Prophet - peace be upon him - consistently performed.
And the Fajr prayer is named after its time during the morning, which dispels darkness and spreads light across the horizons as it was called Fajr due to the bursting forth of light and the disappearance of darkness and night.
The ruling of the Fajr prayer
It is stated therein that the Fajr prayer is an individual obligation on every Muslim, whether male or female, adult and sane; this is indicated by what is mentioned in the Book in verses and in the Sunnah in many narrations that indicate the ruling of the Fajr prayer and that it is an individual obligation.
And Allah Almighty said: "So establish prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times", and the Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "Islam is built on five pillars; the testimony that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, establishing the prayer, giving zakat, performing the pilgrimage to the House, and fasting Ramadan".
