When advising him, the Prophet once told Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him: “Safeguard the commandments of Allah, you will find Him before you (i.e., to aid you). Remember Him in prosperity and He will support you in adversity.” Those who wish that Allah The Almighty would answer their supplications during hardships should supplicate to Allah The Almighty abundantly during times of ease; for Allah The Almighty certainly rescued Prophet Yoonus (Jonah), may Allah exalt his mention, from the stomach of the whale by virtue of his supplication and righteousness in the past.

  • Rescuing one from immorality and sin, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing} [Quran 29: 45]

  • Eradicating sins – this is especially in terms the performance of the five daily prayers. The Prophet once asked: “Say, if there were a river at the door of one of you in which he takes a bath five times a day, would any soil remain on him?” His Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, replied, "No soil would be left on him." Thereupon the messenger of Allah said: “That is the (example of the) five obligatory prayers. Allah obliterates all sins as a result of performing them.”

  • Resulting in a good end to the life of the slave.

Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word [i.e., the testimony that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah] in worldly life and in the Hereafter…} [Quran 14:27] The Prophet of Allah said: “Doing good to others protects one from an evil end.”

  • Making one's reckoning easier and resulting in forgiveness from Allah The Almighty. Ibn Mas’ood, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “A person from amongst the people who lived before you was called to account by Allah on the Day of Resurrection. No good deeds were found to his credit except that he, being a rich man, had (financial) dealings with people and had commanded his servants to show leniency to those who were in strained circumstances. Allah therefore waived his sins.” [Al-Bukhari].

• Entitling one to be shaded under the shade of the Throne of Allah, as is the case of those men who continuously attend the congregational prayers in the mosque.

• Purifying the heart from hypocrisy, as is the case for those who pray every obligatory prayer for forty continuous days in congregation, being present for the initial opening of the prayer “Allahu Akbar” with the Imaam (leading the congregation). The Prophet of Allah said: “He who is present at the time when the initial 'Allahu Akbar' is uttered in the congregational prayer, for forty consecutive days will receive two certificates (i.e., from Allah); a (certificate of) clearance with which one is released from Hell, and a (certificate of) clearance which frees one from hypocrisy.” [At-Tirmithi] One may argue that people travel or become sick and would thus be deprived from this reward or others, but the answer to this point lies in the narration of the Prophet when he said: “When a slave of Allah suffers from illness or sets out on a journey, he is credited with the equal of whatever good works he would do when he was healthy or at home.”

  • Being a reason for entering Paradise from its eight gates, as the Prophet said: “One who is constant in prayer will be called from the Gate of Prayer; and whoever is eager in fighting Jihaad in the cause of Allah will be called from the Gate of Jihaad; and whoever is regular in observing fasting will be called from Ar-Rayyaan Gate; (and) the one who is generous in charity will be called from the Gate of Charity.” This refers to those who continuously perform these deeds optionally because there can be no doubt that such people have already fulfilled the obligatory amount of these deeds.