The question is regarding the Hadith in Sahih Bukhari (correct me if I`m wrong) about the one who misses the Asr prayer that all his good deeds will be lost. I`d like to know the scholarly view on this and whether it should be taken at face value meaning in literal sense that all good that you`ve done until then will go in vain or was it just to put emphasis on the significance of the Asr prayer?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is confirmed in the Hadeeth narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet said: “Whoever misses the ‘Asr prayer, it is as if he had lost his family and his wealth.”

In another narration by Al-Bukhari and others: “Whoever abandons the ‘Asr prayer, his deeds of worship become void.”

The Hanbali School and those who are of their opinion gave the literal meaning of this Hadeeth as evidence that whoever abandons the prayer is a disbeliever.

However, the scholars have different opinions about what is meant by this threat, we will summarize them as follows:

1. The deeds becoming void are due to the reason behind abandoning the  ‘Asr prayer and not due to the mere abandonment of it, and they said that what is meant here is the one who abandons the ‘Asr prayer while denying its obligation, or that he acknowledges its obligation but he mocks and disdains whoever performs it.

2. What is meant by abandoning the ‘Asr prayer is the one who abandons it out of laziness and the threat here is a severe deterrence like the Prophet’s saying: “A fornicator [or adulterer] does not commit the sin of fornication or adultery while he is a believer…”

3. What is meant is that whoever abandons the ‘Asr prayer resembles the one whose deeds were made void, so it is a resemblance between the two.

4. Its meaning is that “his deeds are about to become void.”

5. What is meant by deeds becoming void is the decrease of one’s deeds at that particular time in which the deeds of the people are lifted to Allaah. So, what is meant by deeds is the prayer itself, meaning that he will not get the same reward as those who prayed ‘Asr, and the reward of performing it is not lifted up at that time.

6. What is meant by deeds in the Hadeeth is the deeds of this worldly life by which one is preoccupied and so he abandons the prayer, meaning that he will not benefit from it and he will not enjoy it.

Finally, Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar said: “The nearest to the truth of these interpretations is the view of those who said that the threat in this Hadeeth is a severe deterrence…”

Allaah Knows best.