أَخْبَرَنَا عُتْبَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَی مَالِکِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ ح وَالْحَارِثُ بْنُ مِسْکِينٍ قِرَائَةً عَلَيْهِ وَأَنَا أَسْمَعُ عَنْ ابْنِ الْقَاسِمِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِکٌ عَنْ سُمَيٍّ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَوْ يَعْلَمُ النَّاسُ مَا فِي النِّدَائِ وَالصَّفِّ الْأَوَّلِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَجِدُوا إِلَّا أَنْ يَسْتَهِمُوا عَلَيْهِ لَاسْتَهَمُوا وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُ النَّاسُ مَا فِي التَّهْجِيرِ لَاسْتَبَقُوا إِلَيْهِ وَلَوْ عَلِمُوا مَا فِي الْعَتَمَةِ وَالصُّبْحِ لَأَتَوْهُمَا وَلَوْ حَبْوًا
سنن نسائی · Hadith 544
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم said: “If the people knew what (virtue) there was in the call to prayer and the first row, and they could not find any way to get to do that other than by drawing lots, they would do that. If they knew what (virtue) there was in coming early to prayer, they would compete to be first in the Masjid. If they knew what (virtue) there was in Al-’Atamah and Subh, they would come to them even if they had to crawl.” (Sahih)
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020