What is the ruling on one who prays sometimes and abandons it sometimes, then dies while still abandoning the prayer?
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Question:
The questioner asks: What is the ruling on one who prays sometimes and abandons it sometimes, and in the end dies while still abandoning the prayer, with detail, may Allah preserve you?
Answer:
Whoever abandons the prayer intentionally is a disbeliever. Whoever abandons the prayer intentionally is a disbeliever. By the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)Sunan Ibn Majah 1078Sahih (Darussalam) (peace and blessings be upon him) Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam)
Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says regarding the people of the Fire:[Al-Muddaththir 74:42] meaning, what is the reason that put you into the Fire? [Al-Muddaththir 74:43-44]. So they began by saying that they did not pray; that is the reason that put them into the Fire. Then He said at the end of the verses: "So of no avail will be the intercession of the intercessors." The one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever, because the one for whom the intercession of the intercessors is of no avail is the disbeliever, whereas for the Muslim, the intercession of the intercessors is of avail by the permission of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [At-Tawbah 9:5] [At-Tawbah 9:11] This indicates that the one who does not pray is not among our brothers in religion, and the meaning of this is that he is a disbeliever. So abandoning prayer intentionally is disbelief that takes one out of the religion.
Some of the Salaf said: It was not the case that? They held that whoever abandons the prayer has committed disbelief.
And if a person dies while not praying, he is a disbeliever; he died upon disbelief. So he is not washed, not shrouded, no prayer is performed over him, and he is not buried in the graves of the Muslims; because he died a disbeliever, may Allah protect us from that.
Whether he abandoned the prayer entirely or abandoned some of the obligatory prayers, praying some and abandoning some, the one who abandons one prayer intentionally is like the one who abandons all the prayers. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says:[Al-Baqarah 2:238] "Guard the prayers," and He did not say "guard some of the prayers." The one who abandons some of the prayers is like the one who abandons all the prayers; the ruling is the same, if he is intentional.
The questioner asks: What is the ruling on one who prays sometimes and abandons it sometimes, and in the end dies while still abandoning the prayer, with detail, may Allah preserve you?
Answer:
Whoever abandons the prayer intentionally is a disbeliever. Whoever abandons the prayer intentionally is a disbeliever. By the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)
Between a person and Kufr (disbelief) is abandoning the prayer.
بين العبد وبين الكفر ترك الصلاة.The 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.Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says regarding the people of the Fire:
[And asking them], "What put you into Saqar?"
مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ(43) They will say, "We were not of those who prayed, (44) Nor did we used to feed the poor.
قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَBut if they should repent, establish prayer
فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَand give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion
وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِSome of the Salaf said: It was not the case that
The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) held that abandoning any of the deeds is disbelief, except for the prayer.
أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يرون شيئا من الأعمال تركه كفر إلا الصلاةAnd if a person dies while not praying, he is a disbeliever; he died upon disbelief. So he is not washed, not shrouded, no prayer is performed over him, and he is not buried in the graves of the Muslims; because he died a disbeliever, may Allah protect us from that.
Whether he abandoned the prayer entirely or abandoned some of the obligatory prayers, praying some and abandoning some, the one who abandons one prayer intentionally is like the one who abandons all the prayers. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says:
Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient.
حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَىٰ وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم من يصلي أحياناً ويترك أحياناً ثم يموت وهو تارك للصلاة؟ للشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.