adhere to what the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—had practised during the lifetime of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

Indeed, in our own times people have begun to treat the very prayer itself lightly, not merely the congregational prayer. Some do not pray at all; others pray for a while and then abandon it; still others postpone the prayer beyond its appointed time. All of these are matters some people consider trivial, yet in the days of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—they were counted among the destructive sins.

Cheating is another example. In the Prophet’s time he declared, “Whoever cheats is not one of me.” Yet look at people today: cheating is, in their eyes, among the least of matters. Worse still—Allah forbid—some even regard cheating in buying, selling, and contracts as a sign of shrewdness, cleverness, and sharp wit. We ask Allah for safety, even though the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, disavowed anyone who cheats others.

The same applies to lying. In the era of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, lying was considered a grave, ruinous sin, but many people now see it as something insignificant. You find a person lying without the slightest concern, even though the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “A man continues to lie and persist in lying until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.” He may even lie about more serious matters: denying what he owes others, or claiming what