My father passed away twenty years ago, and he had abandoned the prayer and died in that state. Is it permissible for me to supplicate for him for forgiveness and mercy?
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The questioner : My father passed away twenty years ago, and he was one who abandoned the prayer. He would sometimes break his fast during Ramadan, as my mother told me, and she would advise him against it. However, regarding breaking the fast in Ramadan, he refrained from it. But as for the prayer, he abandoned it until he died. Is it permissible for me to supplicate for him for forgiveness and mercy?
The Shaykh : Your father, who abandoned the prayer and did not pray until he died, is not permitted for you to ask Allah for forgiveness and mercy for him. This is because he died in a state of disbelief. And Allah the Exalted said:[At-Tawbah 9:113-114].
We have ruled that your father committed disbelief by abandoning the prayer, based on the evidence of the Book and the Sunnah, the statements of the Companions, and correct reasoning and consideration regarding the disbelief of one who abandons the prayer.
As for the evidence from the Book of Allah, among it is His saying about the polytheists:[At-Tawbah 9:11] The aspect of the indication from this verse is that Allah did not establish brotherhood in religion except with these three descriptions: repentance from shirk (associating partners with Allah), establishing the prayer, and giving zakah (the obligatory alms). When a condition is attached to multiple descriptions, it is necessary for this condition to be realized with all its descriptions. Accordingly, if they repent from shirk but do not establish the prayer, they are not our brothers in religion. And brotherhood in religion is not negated except by kufr (disbelief), because sins, however great, do not take a person out of the religion if they do not reach the level of kufr, nor do they take him out of brotherhood in faith. Look at the case of intentionally killing a believer; intentionally killing a believer is among the greatest major sins below shirk, and yet it does not take the killer out of brotherhood in religion, as Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah 2:178] Thus, Allah made the killer a brother to the one killed, even though he committed a sin from among the greatest sins after shirk, which is killing a believer. And Allah the Exalted said regarding the two warring factions of believers: [Al-Hujurat 49:9-10] Thus, Allah the Mighty and Majestic made these two warring factions brothers to the faction that reconciles between them, saying: [Al-Hujurat 49:10] Even though fighting a believer is among the major sins. If this is known, it becomes clear that the negation of brotherhood in religion does not occur except with kufr that takes one out of the religion. Accordingly, if a polytheist repents from his shirk but does not establish the prayer, he does not become a brother to us in religion, and thus he is not a believer, but rather a disbeliever who has exited the religion of Islam.
If you say: This is refuted by the giving of zakah. Do you say that one who does not give zakah is a disbeliever who has exited the religion?
The answer is that some scholars said that one who abandons zakah with negligence commits kufr and exits the religion. However, the stronger position is that he does not commit kufr, based on the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, established in *Sahih Muslim*, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 987a The fact that it is possible for him to see a path for himself to Paradise indicates that he is not a disbeliever, since a disbeliever cannot see a path for himself to Paradise. And thus, the giving of zakah, which the verse indicates by its implication to be a condition for brotherhood in religion, is opposed by the explicit wording of the hadith. It is known from the principles of jurisprudence that the explicit wording takes precedence over the implication. We will mention the remaining evidence in a future session, if Allah wills.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Your father, who abandoned the prayer and did not pray until he died, is not permitted for you to ask Allah for forgiveness and mercy for him. This is because he died in a state of disbelief. And Allah the Exalted said:
(113) It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire. (114) And the request of forgiveness of Abraham for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became apparent to Abraham that his father was an enemy to Allah, he disassociated himself from him. Indeed was Abraham compassionate and patient.
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُوا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا أُوْلِي قُرْبَى مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ * وَمَا كَانَ اسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلَّا عَنْ مَوْعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَا إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ لِلَّهِ تَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لَأَوَّاهٌ حَلِيمٌWe have ruled that your father committed disbelief by abandoning the prayer, based on the evidence of the Book and the Sunnah, the statements of the Companions, and correct reasoning and consideration regarding the disbelief of one who abandons the prayer.
As for the evidence from the Book of Allah, among it is His saying about the polytheists:
But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion; and We detail the verses for a people who know.
فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَنُفَصِّلُ الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَO you who have believed, prescribed for you is legal retribution for those murdered - the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. But whoever overlooks from his brother anything, then there should be a suitable
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِصَاصُ فِي الْقَتْلَى الْحُرُّ بِالْحُرِّ وَالْعَبْدُ بِالْعَبْدِ وَالأُنثَى بِالأُنثَى فَمَنْ عُفِيَ لَهُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَيْءٌ فَاتِّبَاعٌ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ(9) And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allah. And if it returns, then make settlement between them in justice and act justly. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. (10) The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.
وَإِنْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِنْ بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الأُخْرَى فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّى تَفِيءَ إِلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ فَاءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ * إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْThe believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْIf you say: This is refuted by the giving of zakah. Do you say that one who does not give zakah is a disbeliever who has exited the religion?
The answer is that some scholars said that one who abandons zakah with negligence commits kufr and exits the religion. However, the stronger position is that he does not commit kufr, based on the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, established in *Sahih Muslim*, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
If any owner of gold or silver does not pay what is due on him, when the Day of Resurrection would come, plates of fire would be beaten out for him; these would then be heated in the fire of Hell and his sides, his forehead and his back would be cauterized with them. Whenever these cool down, (the process is) repeated during a day the extent of which would be fifty thousand years, until judgment is pronounced among servants, and he sees whether his path is to take him to Paradise or to Hell.
ما من صاحب ذهب ولا فضة لا يؤدي منها حقها إلا إذا كان يوم القيامة صفحت له صفائح من نار، وأحمي عليها في نار جهنم فيكوى بها جنبه وجبينه وظهره كلما بردت أعيدت في يوم كان مقداره خمسين ألف سنة، حتى يقضى بين العباد، ثم يرى سبيله إما إلى الجنة وإما إلى النارThe questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh.