Four Fortunate People

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed: ‘May Allah have mercy on this person

Every person has a desire for someone great to pray for them, and people spend their entire lives trying to receive prayers from their elders, parents, or any pious servant of Allah. When someone receives a prayer from a respected individual, they feel immense joy and remember it for the rest of their life, often saying, “So-and-so prayed for me; their prayer is with me.” Indeed, this is a great honor. However, there are certain actions that, when performed, can earn us the prayer of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). No one’s prayer can be compared to that of the Prophet (ﷺ). Therefore, if we wish to receive the prayer of the Prophet (ﷺ), we should strive to perform these actions. One such action is:

“Rise for Tahajjud (night prayer) and after performing it, wake up your wife as well. If she does not wake up, then sprinkle water on her. Similarly, if a woman is performing Tahajjud, she should wake her husband, and if he does not wake up, she should sprinkle water on him.”

Because both of them are worshiping Allah, and when a husband and wife worship Allah together in this way, Allah is very pleased with them, and they also become deserving of the prayer of the Prophet (ﷺ). As mentioned in a hadith from Sunan an-Nasa’i:

Sayyidina Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“May Allah have mercy on the man who gets up at night and prays, and then wakes his wife, so she (also) prays. If she does not wake up, he sprinkles water on her face.
And may Allah have mercy on the woman who gets up at night and performs Tahajjud, and then wakes her husband so he (also) performs Tahajjud. If he does not wake up, she sprinkles water on his face.”
(Sunan an-Nasa’i 1611)

The Second Fortunate One

May Allah have mercy on him (Allah have mercy on this person). Hence, in one hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “May Allah have mercy on the person who is gentle when selling something, or when buying, or when demanding something.” When a person is selling something and is gentle with the customer, for example, if the customer asks to reduce the price, they lower it slightly. Similarly, if someone is buying something, they should deal gently with the seller and even offer some extra money from their side. Likewise, if someone owes a debt, and this person demands it back, they should do so gently and give them some grace period. In one narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever gives respite to someone in difficulty or forgives their debt, Allah, the Lord of Glory, will grant them the shade of His Throne.”

The third fortunate person, who is deserving of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) supplication “May Allah have mercy on him,” is the one who is diligent in offering the prayers that Allah (SWT) has prescribed upon His servants. Among these, some units (rak’ahs) are obligatory, with 17 rak’ahs being obligatory during the day and night. The ruling for obligatory prayers is that they are never to be missed under any circumstance, and it is essential to perform them. In addition to these, there are 12 emphasized sunnah (Sunnah Mu’akkadah) rak’ahs. The ruling for these is that they should be performed and should not be omitted without a valid reason.

However, in situations like travel or illness, these may be omitted, and there is no harm if they are occasionally missed. But one should not develop the habit of permanently omitting them. The Sunnah Mu’akkadah are those which the Prophet (ﷺ) has emphasized and consistently performed. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever performs 12 rak’ahs (Sunnah Mu’akkadah), Allah will build a palace for them in Paradise.”

These include:

Two rak’ahs of Fajr

Six rak’ahs of Zuhr

Two rak’ahs of Maghrib

Two rak’ahs of Isha

Besides these, there are also some non-emphasized sunnah (Sunnah Ghair Mu’akkadah) rak’ahs. Among these, the most virtuous are the four rak’ahs before Asr. The Prophet (ﷺ) made a supplication, “May Allah have mercy on the person who performs four rak’ahs before Asr,” meaning by performing these four rak’ahs, one becomes deserving of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) supplication.

The best way to perform these sunnah rak’ahs is to sit in the sitting position (qadah) after two rak’ahs, recite the tashahhud, and after finishing, recite the durood and supplication, then stand up and start with the thana (opening supplication) and Surah Al-Fatiha. If one wishes, they can also perform them in the usual manner like other sunnah prayers, but the first method is more virtuous. May Allah grant us the ability to give special attention to performing the sunnah prayers before Asr, Ameen.

The fourth fortunate person for whom the Prophet (ﷺ) made this supplication, “May Allah have mercy on him,” is the person who shaves their head after performing Hajj or Umrah, meaning they get their head completely shaved. In the hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) made supplications for these individuals three times, “O Allah, have mercy on those who shave their heads.” The companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), pray for those who trim their hair as well.” The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, “O Allah, have mercy on those who shave their heads.” The companions again requested, “O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), pray for those who trim their hair as well.” The Prophet (ﷺ) once again said, “O Allah, have mercy on those who shave their heads.” The companions asked for the third time, “O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), pray for those who trim their hair as well.” Finally, the Prophet (ﷺ) made supplication for them, “O Allah, have mercy on those who trim their hair as well.”

When a person completes Hajj or Umrah, it is obligatory for them to either shave their head or trim their hair. If the hair is longer than a fingertip, then it is permissible to trim it. However, if the hair is less than a fingertip’s length, then shaving the head is obligatory, and without this, the Ihram (state of pilgrimage) is not lifted. Some individuals in our society only get a small portion of hair trimmed from one side of their head; this does not end their Ihram. Rather, it is necessary to shave the entire head. However, if the hair is long, then trimming it by a fingertip’s length is sufficient to lift the Ihram. For women, collecting all their hair and cutting it by a fingertip’s length from the back is sufficient to lift the Ihram. May Allah (SWT) grant all of us the opportunity to visit His House repeatedly in an accepted manner. Ameen.