أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ عَنْ مَالِکٍ عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنْ الْأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ يَتَعَاقَبُونَ فِيکُمْ مَلَائِکَةٌ بِاللَّيْلِ وَمَلَائِکَةٌ بِالنَّهَارِ وَيَجْتَمِعُونَ فِي صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ وَصَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ الَّذِينَ بَاتُوا فِيکُمْ فَيَسْأَلُهُمْ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ کَيْفَ تَرَکْتُمْ عِبَادِي فَيَقُولُونَ تَرَکْنَاهُمْ وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ وَأَتَيْنَاهُمْ وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ
سنن نسائی · Hadith 488
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم said: “Angels come to you in succession by night and day, and they meet at Fajr prayer and ‘Asr prayer. Then those who spent the night among you ascend, and He (Allah) will ask them, although He knows best: ‘In what condition did you leave My slaves.’ They will say: ‘We left them when they were praying and we came to them when they were praying.” (Sahih)
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020