Hazrat Ikrimah bin Khalid bin As narrates to Sayyiduna Tawus that a man said to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), "Will you not perform Jihad?" So Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) replied, "Indeed, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Islam is built upon five things: bearing witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakat, fasting in Ramadan, and performing Hajj to the House of Allah.'"

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace be upon him) said: "Islam is built upon five things: bearing witness that there is no true deity except Allah and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakat, performing Hajj to the Sacred House, and fasting in the blessed month of Ramadan." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from his teacher Muhammad bin Yahya, with his chain, from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and narrated as in the aforementioned narration. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I have mentioned the chains of this hadith in the Book of Faith.

Hazrat Amir bin Sa’d bin Waqas (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that I heard from Sayyiduna Sa’d and the companions of the Messenger (may Allah be pleased with them), they used to say that in the blessed era of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), there were two men who were brothers. One of them was superior and better than the other (in religion). Then the superior one among them passed away. After that, the other one died forty nights later. So, in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the virtue of the first brother over the second was mentioned. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Did (the second brother) not used to pray?”The companions replied,“Why not, O Messenger of Allah, he was a good Muslim.”The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Then what do you know to what rank his prayer has elevated him? Indeed, the example of prayer is like a river full of sweet water flowing at the door of a person, in which he enters five times a day (to bathe). What do you think, will any dirt remain on him? What do you know to what splendid rank his prayer has elevated him?”

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I have committed a hadd offense, so establish the hadd punishment upon me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from him. Then the prayer was established, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the prayer, and when he finished with salam, that man said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have committed a hadd offense, so establish it upon me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "When you came, had you performed ablution?" He said, "Yes." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Go, indeed Allah Almighty has forgiven you."

And the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) informed him that Allah, the Exalted, had forgiven him due to his ablution and performance of prayer; it was a sin less than adultery which necessitates the prescribed punishment.

Because every act from which Allah Almighty has strictly forbidden is subject to the application of a hadd (legal limit); hadd is not only for those sins which make whipping, stoning, or cutting of hands and feet obligatory. Allah Almighty, mentioning the divorced woman, said: «‏‏‏‏لَا تُخْرِجُوهُنَّ مِن بُيُوتِهِنَّ .... فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة الطلاق ] "Do not expel them from their houses, nor should they leave on their own, unless they commit a clear immorality. These are the limits set by Allah. Whoever transgresses the limits of Allah has certainly wronged himself." And the statement of Allah Almighty is: «‏‏‏‏تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَعْتَدُوهَا» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة البقرة ] "These are the limits set by Allah, so do not transgress them." Therefore, the act from which Allah Almighty has rebuked is subject to the application of a hadd, because Allah Almighty has commanded to stay within those limits, so one should not transgress or go beyond them.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and informed him that he had kissed a woman, or touched her with his hand, or done something else. It was as if he was asking the Prophet (peace be upon him) about its expiation. He says that Allah Almighty then revealed this verse «‏‏‏‏وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ ۚ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ذِكْرَىٰ لِلذَّاكِرِينَ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة هود ] "Establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds remove bad deeds. That is a reminder for those who remember." He says that the man asked, "Is this only for me?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, "It is for every member of my Ummah who acts upon it." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated, through the chain of Sulaiman Tamimi, a narration similar to the one mentioned above. In it, it is stated that he kissed a woman, and there are no words of doubt mentioned in it, nor are the words narrated that it was as if he was asking about its expiation.

Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I met a woman in a garden, so I embraced her, showed affection to her, kissed her, and did everything with her except intercourse." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) remained silent, then this noble verse was revealed: "Indeed, good deeds erase bad deeds. That is a reminder for those who take heed." So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called him and recited this verse to him. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) submitted, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is this ruling specific to him or for all people?" He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, "Rather, it is for all people."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The five obligatory prayers and from one Friday to the next Friday are an expiation for the sins committed in between, as long as major sins are not committed."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he ascended the pulpit and then said: "By the One in Whose hand is my soul." He said this three times. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) fell silent, and each one of us lowered his head and began to weep out of grief due to the oath of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs the five obligatory prayers, fasts in the blessed month of Ramadan, and avoids the seven major sins, for him the gates of Paradise will be opened on the Day of Resurrection until those gates (out of joy) will be shaking." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: «‏‏‏‏إِن تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة النساء ] "If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins."