Is it taken from the statement of the Imam (may Allah have mercy on him), “And I do not declare any of the Muslims a disbeliever for a sin,” that one does not declare the one who abandons prayer a disbeliever, for example?

Question:
Is it taken from the statement of the Imam (may Allah have mercy on him), “And I do not declare any of the Muslims a disbeliever for a sin,” that one does not declare the one who abandons prayer a disbeliever, for example?

Answer:
I do not know of any statement by the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding the one who abandons prayer. However, if the one who abandons prayer does so intentionally, he is a disbeliever by consensus. As for if he is lazy, that is a matter of scholarly disagreement. He is a disbeliever, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The covenant between us and them is prayer, so whoever abandons it has disbelieved. So it is necessary that he disbelieves. But is it major shirk (associating partners with Allah) that takes him out of the religion, or is it minor shirk? It is certainly disbelief. The majority hold that it is minor shirk, minor shirk that does not take one out of the religion. The distinguished scholars of knowledge, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal—Imam Ahmad before Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and those who follow their opinion—hold that it is major shirk that takes one out of the religion. This is because if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says “this is disbelief” with the indefinite article, it is minor. But if he says “this is the disbelief” with the definite article, it is understood to be major, between the servant and disbelief. As for his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): “Cursing a Muslim is ,” this is not major shirk because it is described as open sinfulness, so it is minor shirk. Yes.