The worst of thieves among people is the one who steals his prayer." He said: "How does he steal his prayer?" He said: "He does not perform its Rukū‘ or prostration perfectly

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَسْوَأُ النَّاسِ سَرَقَةً الَّذِي يَسْرِقُ صَلَاتَهُ» قَالَ: وَكَيْفَ يَسْرِقُ صَلَاتَهُ؟ قال: «لَا يُتِمُّ رُكُوعَهَا، وَلَا سُجُودَهَا».

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The worst of thieves among people is the one who steals his prayer." He said: "How does he steal his prayer?" He said: "He does not perform its Rukū‘ or prostration perfectly."

Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan · hadeethenc:65100

Grading: Authentic (as published by the source; the grader is not named)

Explanation from the source

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out that the worst thief among people is the one who steals from his prayer. This is because when a person takes the money of others, he may utilize it in worldly life, unlike this thief, who steals his share of the reward. They said: O Messenger of Allah, how does he steal from his prayer? He said: He does not perform its Rukū 'or prostration perfectly; he bows and prostrates himself in haste, so he does not perform them correctly.

The Hadīth points out the significance of prayer and the performance of its pillars with tranquility and Khushū‘ (humility and focus).
It describes the one who does not perform Rukū‘ and prostration perfectly as a thief to make us averse to this behavior and aware of its prohibition.
It is obligatory to perform the Rukū‘ and prostration during prayer and the rise from them in a perfect manner.

Topics: Method of Prayer

Source: HadeethEnc.com, published by HadeethEnc.com. Version API snapshot retrieved 2026-10-11 (the source publishes no version number) (retrieved 2026-10-11). Published by HadeethEnc.com. Shown unmodified; not reviewed by a scholar.