• ʿafw Allah – Allah’s pardon: it signifies the wiping away of sin, and wiping away only comes after some degree of shortcoming. Here the shortcoming is measured against those who offered the prayer at the very outset of its time.

Imam al-Shāfiʿī said, “Allah’s good pleasure is dearer to us than His pardon, for pardon seems to be reserved for those who fall short.”

Lessons derived from the hadith:

1. It is recommended to perform the obligatory prayer at the very beginning of its appointed time, in quest of Allah’s good pleasure.
2. If that is not possible, it should be performed in the middle of the time span, so as to obtain Allah’s mercy.
3. Performing it at the tail end of the time indicates laziness and heaviness toward obedience. Whoever postpones it until its last portion, Allah will pardon him and overlook his sluggishness and failure to act promptly.
4. The highest of the three ranks is Allah’s good pleasure, followed by His mercy, and then His pardon; pardon is granted only after some lapse has occurred.
5. The virtue of energy in worship, hastening to it, and approaching it with eagerness. Allah, Exalted is He, says, “O John, hold fast to the Scripture with determination” (Maryam 19:12), and He says, “Hold firmly to what We have given you” (al-Aʿrāf 7:171). He also censured the hypocrites, saying, “When they rise for prayer, they rise reluctantly, showing off before the people and remembering Allah but little” (al-Nisāʾ 4:142).