Warning Against Abandoning Prayer and Repenting from It

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Question:
One of the brothers says: Your Eminence the Shaykh, when I learned that Your Eminence would be attending this mosque, I decided to come, and I have never prayed. So I ask you to frighten me and make me pray.

Answer:
You must fear Allah and watch over your relationship with Him, and you must hasten to make a sincere repentance for what has passed, and you must hasten to pray in the future at all times. Whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance. Allah the Exalted said:

And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that

وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ

[An-Nur 24:31]

. Repent, and beware of dying in that state, for then you will be among the people of the Fire. Allah the Exalted said:

But there came after them

فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ

[Maryam 19:59]

from

successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil -

خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا

[Maryam 19:59]

. Some scholars explained this as a valley in Hellfire; we ask Allah for safety. Its taste is foul, so its water is foul in taste; we ask Allah for safety. Therefore, the Muslim must beware of the causes of destruction and the causes of Allah’s anger. You were created to worship Allah

And I did not create the jinn and mankind

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ

[Adh-Dhariyat 51:56]

. They will not worship the prophets. Prayer is the most important and greatest of the acts of worship after the two testimonies. So beware of sitting in places where you are not covered, and beware of your soul that commands evil; guard against that. And hasten to pray in congregation and to maintain prayer wherever you are, whether traveling or resident, at all times. Allah the Exalted said:

Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what

قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِن يَنتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُم مَّا

[Al-Anfal 8:38]

. They washed, so whoever repents, Allah forgives him what he did. May Allah reward you. Your Eminence, father, may Allah preserve and protect you.

Source فتاوى الصلاة — islamhouse.com (57:24)

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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