139 – On the authority of Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said, “The best of deeds is to perform the prayer at the beginning of its time.” It was reported by al-Tirmidhī and al-Ḥākim, both of whom declared it sound, and its original form is found in the two Ṣaḥīḥs. (1)

Hadith grading:
The hadith is sound. Al-Tirmidhī and al-Ḥākim authenticated it, and al-Bukhārī (527) and Muslim (85) also transmitted it from Ibn Masʿūd with the wording, “I asked the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him), ‘Which deed is dearest to Allah?’ He replied, ‘Prayer at its proper time.’”

Vocabulary of the hadith:
– al-aʿmāl (deeds): the definite article al- indicates universality. This statement seems to conflict with the hadith, “The best of deeds is faith in Allah,” so here it is understood as referring to bodily acts, excluding the acts of the heart.
– fī awwali waqtihā (at the beginning of its time): al-Bukhārī’s version reads, “Prayer at its time,” omitting the word “beginning.” The two reports are reconciled in the same way as the lām in the verse, “fa-ṭalliqūhunna liʿiddatihinna” (so divorce them at the start of their waiting period, Qur’an 65:1), meaning “at the outset of” their waiting period.

Points derived from the hadith:

1. The finest of righteous deeds is to perform the obligatory prayer at the very start of its prescribed time.
2. The five daily prayers hold immense status; one should pay close attention to them and perform each of them at the outset of its time.
3. An exception is the prayer that is recommended to be offered toward the end of its preferred time, namely ʿIshāʾ. The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) once offered it when most of the night had passed and said, “Were it not that I would burden my community, this would indeed be its time” (Muslim 638). Likewise, there is virtue in delaying Ẓuhr on very hot days until the intense heat subsides (al-ibrād).