The Ruling on One Who Denies That Deeds Are Part of Faith

Question:
A questioner says: One who denies that deeds are included in the term "faith" says, "We do not declare the one who abandons prayer to be a disbeliever, so we do not declare the one who abandons deeds entirely to be a disbeliever." Is their statement correct?

Answer:
This is ignorance and confusion; this is ignorance and confusion. Deeds are part of faith. However, some deeds, when abandoned, cause faith to be lost entirely, while others, when abandoned, cause faith to decrease but not be lost completely. Deeds are not all on the same level. There are deeds that, when abandoned, result in the loss of all faith, such as prayer. The one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever, as established by authentic hadiths. We are not concerned with sophistry; he is a disbeliever, as established by authentic hadiths. The Qur'an also mentions the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer. So, this is a deed that, when abandoned, results in the loss of faith. And there are deeds that, when abandoned, result in a decrease in faith but not its complete loss. This is the position of the people of the Sunnah: faith decreases with sins. It decreases. They did not say it results in disbelief. They said it decreases with sins. It increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience. If we say that deeds are part of faith, it does not mean that abandoning a deed necessarily results in absolute disbelief. Rather, one may become a disbeliever if evidence indicates his disbelief, as is the case with prayer, or his faith may decrease without him becoming a disbeliever.