Narrated by Abu Hurairah
Angels take turns among you by night and by day, and they gather at the Fajr prayer and the Asr prayer. Then those who stayed with you ascend, and their Lord, who knows best, asks them: "How did you leave My servants?" They say: "We left them praying, and we came to them while they were praying."
Sahih al-Bukhari 555, Sahih Muslim 632
What this hadith teaches
The angels' report to Allah is about our Fajr and Asr. Being found in prayer at those two times means the best possible report.
Reference and grade
- Grade
- Sahih: agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim
- Narrator
- Abu Hurairah
The hadith in Arabic نص الحديث
يَتَعَاقَبُونَ فِيكُمْ مَلاَئِكَةٌ بِاللَّيْلِ وَمَلاَئِكَةٌ بِالنَّهَارِ، وَيَجْتَمِعُونَ فِي صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ وَصَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ، ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ الَّذِينَ بَاتُوا فِيكُمْ، فَيَسْأَلُهُمْ وَهْوَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ كَيْفَ تَرَكْتُمْ عِبَادِي فَيَقُولُونَ تَرَكْنَاهُمْ وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ، وَأَتَيْنَاهُمْ وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ
Arabic text of Sahih al-Bukhari 555, as given on sunnah.com.