The Meaning of the Hadith: Whoever Sleeps Through the Qur'an and the Prayer

Question:
The questioner says: Shaykh, it is mentioned regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a hadith, the meaning of which is that he passed by a group of people being punished, and among them was a man whose head was being crushed. It was said to him that he had slept through the Qur'an and slept through the prayer. Does this mean he slept through the voluntary prayers, such as standing in night prayer, and memorizing the Qur'an, or what does it mean?

Answer:
Yes, this is established in a hadith about the dream of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In the vision he saw, among other things, he saw people whose heads were being crushed with stones; every time they were crushed, they returned to their original state, and this was repeated for them. So he asked about them (peace and blessings be upon him), and it was said to him: These are the ones whose heads are heavy with regard to the Fajr prayer. This refers to the Fajr prayer, specifically being heavy with it and delaying it past its time. As for the voluntary prayers, they are not obligatory to perform. If one leaves them, he owes nothing, because they are recommended. And the recommended is that its doer is rewarded, and its leaver is not punished.