as the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever shows no mercy to people, Allah will show him no mercy,” and, “The merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful,” and, “Allah shows mercy only to His merciful servants,” and similar reports. Thus, when a person is distressed by the crying of infants out of compassion for them, this is undoubtedly a praiseworthy trait, for it embodies mercy toward these little ones who most deserve it. Allah is the One who grants success.

The author—may Allah have mercy on him—then cited the ḥadīth of Jundub ibn ʿAbd-Allāh (Allah be pleased with him): “Whoever performs the Fajr (dawn) Prayer is under Allah’s protection.” Some scholars regard Fajr as the first of the five prescribed prayers, while others maintain that the first is Ẓuhr (noon). The stronger view is that the first is Fajr, the second Ẓuhr, the third ʿAṣr (afternoon)—which is the middle prayer—the fourth Maghrib (sunset), and the fifth ʿIshāʾ (night).

Fajr arrives while many people are still asleep, which is why the hypocrites are sluggish about attending it. The Prophet ﷺ said, “The heaviest prayers upon the hypocrites are ʿIshāʾ and Fajr; if they knew the reward contained in them, they would come even if they had to crawl.”

Fajr and ʿAṣr are the best of the five prayers, for the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever performs the two cool prayers will enter Paradise.” The two cool prayers are Fajr and ʿAṣr, for Fajr brings the coolness of the night, and ʿAṣr brings the coolness—