How to reconcile the fact that prayer restrains from indecency and wrongdoing with the presence of wrongdoing by some of those who pray?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
He says, may Allah grant you success: Some people pray, but their prayer does not restrain them from indecency and wrongdoing; you find them lying and being truthful. So how is it that[Al-'Ankabut 29:45] when it has not restrained them?
Answer:
It restrains from indecency and wrongdoing as Allah has informed us, but its restraint from indecency and wrongdoing may be incomplete and weak, or it may be strong, depending on the people. Otherwise, it does restrain from indecency and wrongdoing. But if something of indecency or wrongdoing occurs from the one who prays, that is proof that there is a defect in his prayer; there is a defect in it, yes, and there is a deficiency in it, yes.
He says, may Allah grant you success: Some people pray, but their prayer does not restrain them from indecency and wrongdoing; you find them lying and being truthful. So how is it that
prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing
الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِAnswer:
It restrains from indecency and wrongdoing as Allah has informed us, but its restraint from indecency and wrongdoing may be incomplete and weak, or it may be strong, depending on the people. Otherwise, it does restrain from indecency and wrongdoing. But if something of indecency or wrongdoing occurs from the one who prays, that is proof that there is a defect in his prayer; there is a defect in it, yes, and there is a deficiency in it, yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [3396- 4717] كيف الجمع بين كون الصلاة تنهى عن الفحشاء والمنكر وبين وجود المنكر من بعض المصلين؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.