The Punishment for Those Who Absent Themselves from the Congregational Prayer and the Fajr Prayer
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The questioner:
And other than the honor of preserving you, may Allah preserve you, is the absence from the congregational prayer, especially the Fajr prayer. The mosques are full and full, so what is the ruling on forcing them to attend? Are they to be imprisoned, or are they to remain there? And if they delay regarding the absence, is it permissible to force them to attend the Maghrib prayer? We ask you to clarify this issue.
The Shaykh:
There is no doubt that those who absent themselves from the Fajr prayer have abandoned a great obligation and have been characterized by the traits of the hypocrites, may Allah protect us from that, based on half of the hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). They deserve punishment from the one in authority without a doubt. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to burn the houses of those who lag behind in prayer with fire. This is a severe punishment.
The person who has authority and the ability must compel them to pray. As for the person who has no authority, he should advise them and warn them of Allah. If they comply, that is well; otherwise, he should report them to the headquarters of the authority. If he reports them to the headquarters of the authority, his duty is fulfilled, if Allah wills, because he has performed the obligatory duty. Yes.
And other than the honor of preserving you, may Allah preserve you, is the absence from the congregational prayer, especially the Fajr prayer. The mosques are full and full, so what is the ruling on forcing them to attend? Are they to be imprisoned, or are they to remain there? And if they delay regarding the absence, is it permissible to force them to attend the Maghrib prayer? We ask you to clarify this issue.
The Shaykh:
There is no doubt that those who absent themselves from the Fajr prayer have abandoned a great obligation and have been characterized by the traits of the hypocrites, may Allah protect us from that, based on half of the hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). They deserve punishment from the one in authority without a doubt. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to burn the houses of those who lag behind in prayer with fire. This is a severe punishment.
The person who has authority and the ability must compel them to pray. As for the person who has no authority, he should advise them and warn them of Allah. If they comply, that is well; otherwise, he should report them to the headquarters of the authority. If he reports them to the headquarters of the authority, his duty is fulfilled, if Allah wills, because he has performed the obligatory duty. Yes.
Source
شرح العقيدة الواسطية [ صالح الفوزان ] [ الشرح القديم ]، بداية من قوله : يأمرون بالمعروف وينهون عن المنكر — islamhouse.com (1:06:00)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.