The Worst Thief

Bismillah.

عَن أَبِي قَتَادَةَ قالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَسْوَأُ النَّاسِ سَرِقَةً الَّذِي يَسْرِقُ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ
قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَكَيْفَ يَسْرِقُ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ قَالَ لَا يُتِمُّ رُكُوعَهَا وَلَا سُجُودَهَا

أخرجه أحمد

It is narrated by Abu Qatadah [RA] that the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said, “The worst kind of thief is one who steals from his prayer.” The companions said, “O Prophet of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ how can someone steal from their prayers?” He صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said, “He does not fulfill the ruku of the prayer nor its sujood. “

[Reported by Imam Ahmad]

Vocabulary from the Hadith

The word used by the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ to describe the deficiency in the prayer is يُتِمُّ (yutimmu). The past-present-verbal noun sequence of this verb is: أَتَمَّ يُتِمُّ إتمام (atamma–yutimmu–itmaam). Some of the meanings carried by this verb are: completion, fulfillment, perfection, execution. So a more complete translation would be “he does not fullfill/complete/perfect the ruku of the prayer nor its sujood“.

Lessons

The worst kind of thief is one who steals from his prayer because:

– he is stealing while he is standing in front of his Lord
– he is stealing from his prayer which renders the prayer deficient, and if the prayer is deficient on the Day of Judgement then all deeds will be deficient
– the thief who steals other things can extract some benefit from his/her theft, whereas there is nothing but loss in this theft

WAllahu alam. May Allah make us of those who complete and perfect their prayers.