What do you do with a husband who does not pray in the mosque or prays after the time for prayer has passed?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The summary of what is in this letter is that her husband does not pray in the mosque, and he usually prays the Fajr prayer after the sunrise. She is very sad about this situation, and she is fulfilling her duty, but she has not succeeded yet. So what is your guidance? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh:
This husband has committed two great errors. The first error is his abandoning of prayer in the mosque, and this is a great error; because prayer in congregation is obligatory upon individuals, upon every Muslim who is able to attend. He must pray in congregation in the mosque. If he prays alone in his home without an excuse, then he has committed a great sin; because he is abandoning a great obligation. The Companions, indeed, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) considered the one who lags behind in prayer without an excuse to be a hypocrite. He said:Bulugh al-Maram 2:306 And the Companions likewise considered the one who lags behind in congregational prayer to be a hypocrite. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I have seen, and Sahih Muslim 654b."
It is obligatory for this husband to repent to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and to pray in congregation in the mosque, because he is a Muslim. The second error is that he delays the Fajr prayer until it is outside its time, and he does not pray it except after its time has passed. This is greater than the first, greater than the first error; because delaying the prayer until it is outside its time is a waste of it. Allah the Exalted said:[Maryam 19:59] [Maryam 19:59], and wasting the prayer is delaying it until it is outside its time. And Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He, says: [An-Nisa 4:103], and some of the most precise scholars among the people of knowledge hold that if one delays the prayer until it is outside its time intentionally, then his prayer is not valid and is not accepted by Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. So the danger in this is very great. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good,
The questioner:
What is obligatory for this poor, wretched woman?
The Shaykh:
It is obligatory for her to advise him, to disapprove of his action, and to repeat this to him until he repents to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. If she continues in her struggle with him? And she will be rewarded.
The summary of what is in this letter is that her husband does not pray in the mosque, and he usually prays the Fajr prayer after the sunrise. She is very sad about this situation, and she is fulfilling her duty, but she has not succeeded yet. So what is your guidance? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh:
This husband has committed two great errors. The first error is his abandoning of prayer in the mosque, and this is a great error; because prayer in congregation is obligatory upon individuals, upon every Muslim who is able to attend. He must pray in congregation in the mosque. If he prays alone in his home without an excuse, then he has committed a great sin; because he is abandoning a great obligation. The Companions, indeed, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) considered the one who lags behind in prayer without an excuse to be a hypocrite. He said:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "The most burdensome prayers for hypocrites are the 'Isha' and the Fajr prayers
صلى الله عليه وسلم أَثْقَلُ اَلصَّلَاةِ عَلَى اَلْمُنَافِقِينَ صَلَاةُ اَلْعِشَاءِ وَصَلَاةُ اَلْفَجْرِ.except a hypocrite, who was well known for his hypocrisy, whereas a man would be brought swaying (due to weakness) between two men till he was set up in a row.
وما يتخلف عنها إلا منافق معلوم النفاق. ولقد كان الرجل يؤتى به يهادى بين الرجلين حتى يقام في الصفIt is obligatory for this husband to repent to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and to pray in congregation in the mosque, because he is a Muslim. The second error is that he delays the Fajr prayer until it is outside its time, and he does not pray it except after its time has passed. This is greater than the first, greater than the first error; because delaying the prayer until it is outside its time is a waste of it. Allah the Exalted said:
But there came after them successors who neglected prayer
فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَand pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil -
وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّاIndeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًاThe presenter:
May Allah reward you with good,
The questioner:
What is obligatory for this poor, wretched woman?
The Shaykh:
It is obligatory for her to advise him, to disapprove of his action, and to repeat this to him until he repents to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. If she continues in her struggle with him? And she will be rewarded.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ماذا تفعل مع زوجها الذي لا يصلي في المسجد أو يصلي بعد خروج وقت الصلاة؟ الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.