The ruling on one who delays the prayer due to obsessive thoughts
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
And is it not the case that Satan (may Allah have mercy on him), if he afflicts a person with obsessive thoughts and causes him to delay the prayer until after the time has passed, might make him remember it in a way he would not have remembered it had he not delayed the prayer?
Answer:
No, he does not become a disbeliever, because this person is excused. This is an illness, and he is excused on account of it. It is not by his own choice, is it? A person does not become a disbeliever unless he commits a type of apostasy by his own choice. As for if he does it without his choice, he does not become a disbeliever. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nahl 16:106]. So the one who is coerced has no excuse, and likewise illness; this is an illness. Yes.
And is it not the case that Satan (may Allah have mercy on him), if he afflicts a person with obsessive thoughts and causes him to delay the prayer until after the time has passed, might make him remember it in a way he would not have remembered it had he not delayed the prayer?
Answer:
No, he does not become a disbeliever, because this person is excused. This is an illness, and he is excused on account of it. It is not by his own choice, is it? A person does not become a disbeliever unless he commits a type of apostasy by his own choice. As for if he does it without his choice, he does not become a disbeliever. Allah the Exalted said:
Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief... except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is secure in faith
مَن كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِن بَعْدِ إِيمَانِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْإِيمَانِ
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، تابع باب الوضوء - 6 — islamhouse.com (17:24)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.