Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard from Amir ibn Sad ibn Abi Waqqas that his father said, "There were two brothers, one of whom died forty nights before the other. The merit of the first was being mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he said, 'Wasn't the other one a muslim?' They said, 'Of course, Messenger of Allah, and there was no harm in him.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'What will make you realise what his prayer has brought him. The prayer is like a deep river of sweet water running by your door into which you plunge five times a day. How much of your dirtiness do you think that will leave? You do not realise what his prayer has brought him.' "  

أَنَّهُ قَالَ كَانَ رَجُلاَنِ أَخَوَانِ فَهَلَكَ أَحَدُهُمَا قَبْلَ صَاحِبِهِ بِأَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً فَذُكِرَتْ فَضِيلَةُ الأَوَّلِ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَلَمْ يَكُنِ الآخَرُ مُسْلِمًا قَالُوا بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَكَانَ لاَ بَأْسَ بِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَمَا يُدْرِيكُمْ مَا بَلَغَتْ بِهِ صَلاَتُهُ إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الصَّلاَةِ كَمَثَلِ نَهْرٍ غَمْرٍ عَذْبٍ بِبَابِ أَحَدِكُمْ يَقْتَحِمُ فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَمْسَ مَرَّاتٍ فَمَا تَرَوْنَ ذَلِكَ يُبْقِي مِنْ دَرَنِهِ فَإِنَّكُمْ لاَ تَدْرُونَ مَا بَلَغَتْ بِهِ صَلاَتُهُ  

[Machine] Abdullah and I heard him, I myself heard Abdulah bin Wahb narrating from Makhrama, from his father, from Aamir bin Saad bin Abi Waqqas who said: I heard Saad and some of the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, "There were two brothers during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and one of them was better than the other. The one who was better passed away, then the other one lived for forty nights, then he also passed away. So the excellence of the first one over the other was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he said, "Didn't he used to pray?" They said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." So there was nothing wrong with him. Then he said, "How do you know what his prayer has reached?" Then he said at that point, "Verily, the example of prayer is like a river flowing by a house with sweet and pure water, and a person enters it five times a day. So what do you think that will leave of his dirt?"  

عَبْدُ اللهِ وَسَمِعْتُهُ أَنَا مِنْ هَارُونَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ حَدَّثَنِي مَخْرَمَةُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سَعْدًا وَنَاسًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُونَ كَانَ رَجُلانِ أَخَوَانِ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَكَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَفْضَلَ مِنَ الآخَرِ فَتُوُفِّيَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَفْضَلُهُمَا ثُمَّ عُمِّرَ الْآخَرُ بَعْدَهُ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ تُوُفِّيَ فَذُكِرَ لِرَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَضْلُ الْأَوَّلِ عَلَى الْآخَرِ فَقَالَ أَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُصَلِّي؟ فَقَالُوا بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ فَكَانَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ فَقَالَ مَا يُدْرِيكُمْ مَاذَا بَلَغَتْ بِهِ صَلاتُهُ؟ ثُمَّ قَالَ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الصَّلَاة كَمَثَلِ نَهَرٍ جَارٍ بِبَابِ رَجُلٍ غَمْرٍ عَذْبٍ يَقْتَحِمُ فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَمْسَ مَرَّاتٍ فَمَاذا تُرَوْنَ يُبْقِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ دَرَنِهِ؟  

[Machine] "I heard Sa'd and some of the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'There were two brothers during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , and one of them was better than the other. The one who was better passed away, and the other brother lived for forty more days before he also passed away. So they mentioned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the virtue of the first over the second. He said, 'Was the second one not praying?' They replied, 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah, he was praying and there was no problem with his prayer.' So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'What do you think the value of his prayers reached? The example of prayer is like a river flowing at the gate of a man's house, and he immerses himself in it five times a day. So what do you think remains of his dirt?' You do not know how far his prayers reached."  

سَمِعْتُ سَعْدًا وَنَاسًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُونَ كَانَ رَجُلَانِ أَخَوَانِ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَكَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَفْضَلَ مِنَ الْآخَرِ فَتُوُفِّيَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَفْضَلُهُمَا ثُمَّ عُمِّرَ الْآخَرُ بَعْدَهُ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا ثُمَّ تُوُفِّيَ فَذَكَرُوا لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَضِيلَةَ الْأَوَّلِ عَلَى الْآخَرِ فَقَالَ «أَلَمْ يَكُنِ الْآخَرُ يُصَلِّي؟» قَالُوا بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَكَانَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «فَمَا يُدْرِيكُمْ مَاذَا بَلَغَتْ بِهِ صَلَوَاتُهُ إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الصَّلَاةِ كَمَثَلِ نَهْرٍ جَارٍ بِبَابِ رَجُلٍ غَمْرٍ عَذْبٍ يَقْتَحِمُ فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَمْسَ مَرَّاتٍ فَمَاذَا تَرَوْنَ يَبْقَى مِنْ دَرَنِهِ؟ لَا تَدْرُونَ مَاذَا بَلَغَتْ بِهِ صَلَاتُهُ»