of the day.

His words, “Whoever performs the Fajr Prayer,” outwardly include anyone who offers it, whether in congregation or alone.

The phrase, “is under Allah’s protection,” means he is within Allah’s covenant; he has entered into Allah’s pledge, as though bound to Him that no one is to harm him. Hence the Prophet ﷺ said, “So let not Allah call you to account concerning His protection for anything,” that is, do not violate the covenant that rests upon the one who has prayed Fajr, for he is within Allah’s protection and pledge. Beware, then, lest Allah ask you about anything related to His protection, “for whoever He calls to account concerning His protection, He will surely overtake him and then cast him face-first into the Fire.”

This proves that Muslims who confirm the truth of their Islam by observing the Fajr Prayer must be shown respect, for only a believer prays Fajr. The hypocrites neither attend the congregation nor pray Fajr at all; they pray merely to be seen by people, and when no one notices them, they simply do not pray.

Moreover, the dawn in the Prophet’s time ﷺ was not like the dawn of our day. In his era the night was pitch-black; people could come and go without being recognized. Today—praise be to Allah—our nights are like our days thanks to the blessing of electric lighting. In the Prophet’s time, however, because of the darkness and hardship, the hypocrites would not attend the congregational prayers of Fajr and ʿIshāʾ.

The upshot is that this ḥadīth demonstrates the obligation to honor those Muslims who have proven their Islam by performing the Fajr Prayer, and that it is impermissible for anyone to aggress against them.