he said: a tenth of it.” Reported by Abū Dāwūd. Accepted prayer is a cause of reward, and accepted prayer is that which is recorded for the person who performs it. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, explained that some worshippers have only part of their prayer recorded for them. Such a worshipper is therefore not entitled to the reward earned by someone whose prayer Allah accepts and records in full. On this understanding, scarcely anyone would fall within the scope of the hadith except those of consummate truthfulness and a few others—and among women, too, are those of consummate truthfulness.

It is also possible that someone whose voluntary prayers make up for deficiencies in his obligatory prayers falls within the scope of the hadith, as stated in the hadith reported by Abū Hurayrah from the Prophet:

“Voluntary prayers will make up for deficiencies in obligatory prayers on the Day of Resurrection.”

On this understanding, most worshippers who faithfully observe their prayers would qualify, and these would be the highest-ranking inhabitants of Paradise. For most of Muhammad’s community, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, do not faithfully observe the prayers: some delay certain prayers beyond their appointed times; some omit certain obligatory elements of their prayers; and some abandon certain prayers altogether. The other nations before us had no share in these two prayers.

Even if it were said that everyone who performs these two prayers and enters Paradise, whatever his condition, having been forgiven, receives this reward, that would be within Allah’s power, and the hadith would not rule it out. For the most it says is that such a person is among the highest-ranking inhabitants of Paradise. Being higher or lower is relative. Thus, the inhabitants of the three Gardens may rightly be described as ranking above the inhabitants of the remaining five Gardens. The same may also be said