Leaving the Friday Prayer
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Fatwa No. ( 19338 )
Q: My dear Shaykh: I am a believing young man who prays and is consistent in
the prayer, but one time it happened that I missed the Friday prayer twice in a row, and we all know that the Friday prayer is obligatory for every Muslim (to pray it in the mosque), and I left it off without intent, nor was there any compelling reason. After that, I read in some books that whoever misses the Friday prayer twice in two consecutive weeks is far from Islam and the Muslims and has committed disbelief. I did not trust these books, nor the scholars' schools of thought in them, so I turned to your eminence to put my mind at ease.
A: Whoever is obligated to perform the Friday prayer and leaves it intentionally without an excuse has committed a major sin and committed a great crime, and has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger. It is obligatory for him to hasten to sincere repentance from this evil deed and not to return to it. There are warnings in the authentic hadiths regarding the severe threat for whoever leaves the Friday prayer without a legal excuse, and the severity of leaving it. Among these is what Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to a group who were lagging behind in the Friday prayer:Sahih Muslim 652 Narrated by the Imam Muslim in (his Sahih) and the Imam Ahmad in (his Musnad). And what Abu Hurayrah and Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated, that they heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say on the wooden planks of his pulpit: Sahih Muslim 865 Narrated by the Imam Muslim in
(his Sahih, Vol. 6, p. 152), see (Sahih Muslim with the commentary of al-Nawawi ). It was also narrated by the Imam Ahmad and al-Nasa'i from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar and Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them). Among these is what Abu al-Ja'd al-Damri - who was a Companion - narrated, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Narrated by the five [books]. And the Imam Ahmad brought it out in (his Musnad) and Ibn Majah in (his Sunan) similarly from the hadith of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) with the wording: Sunan Ibn Majah 1126Hasan (Darussalam) It was also narrated by al-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah and Ibn Khuzaymah and al-Hakim and al-Daraqutni . As for whoever leaves the Friday prayer while considering it permissible; he has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him); because he is denying the explicit verses and hadiths regarding the obligation of the Friday prayer. Some scholars have held that whoever leaves the Friday prayer
or any of the other five prayers out of laziness and negligence, even if he does not deny its obligation, has become a disbeliever; due to the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Narrated by Muslim in (his Sahih). And from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam) Narrated by the Imam Ahmad and the authors of the four Sunan books with a sound chain from Buraydah ibn al-Husayb (may Allah be pleased with him). And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q: My dear Shaykh: I am a believing young man who prays and is consistent in
the prayer, but one time it happened that I missed the Friday prayer twice in a row, and we all know that the Friday prayer is obligatory for every Muslim (to pray it in the mosque), and I left it off without intent, nor was there any compelling reason. After that, I read in some books that whoever misses the Friday prayer twice in two consecutive weeks is far from Islam and the Muslims and has committed disbelief. I did not trust these books, nor the scholars' schools of thought in them, so I turned to your eminence to put my mind at ease.
A: Whoever is obligated to perform the Friday prayer and leaves it intentionally without an excuse has committed a major sin and committed a great crime, and has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger. It is obligatory for him to hasten to sincere repentance from this evil deed and not to return to it. There are warnings in the authentic hadiths regarding the severe threat for whoever leaves the Friday prayer without a legal excuse, and the severity of leaving it. Among these is what Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to a group who were lagging behind in the Friday prayer:
I intend that I should command a person to lead people in prayer, and then burn those persons who absent themselves from Jumu'a prayer in their houses.
لقد هممت أن آمر رجلاً يصلي بالناس، ثم أحرق على رجال يتخلفون عن الجمعة بيوتهمPeople must cease to neglect the Friday prayer or Allah will seal their hearts and then they will be among the negligent.
لينتهين أقوام عن ودعهم الجمعات أو ليختمن الله على قلوبهم ثم ليكونن من الغافلين(his Sahih, Vol. 6, p. 152), see (Sahih Muslim with the commentary of al-Nawawi ). It was also narrated by the Imam Ahmad and al-Nasa'i from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar and Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them). Among these is what Abu al-Ja'd al-Damri - who was a Companion - narrated, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever leaves three Friday prayers out of negligence, Allah will seal his heart
من ترك ثلاث جمع تهاونًا طبع الله على قلبهWhoever abandons Friday (prayer) three times, for no necessary reason, Allah will place a seal over his heart.
من ترك الجمعة ثلاثًا من غير ضرورة طبع على قلبهor any of the other five prayers out of laziness and negligence, even if he does not deny its obligation, has become a disbeliever; due to the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Between a man and disbelief and shirk (associating partners with Allah) is the abandonment of prayer.
بين الرجل وبين الكفر والشرك ترك الصلاةThe covenant that distinguishes between us and them is prayer; so whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.
العهد الذي بيننا وبينهم الصلاة فمن تركها فقد كفر
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.