The ruling on attending a feast held by one who abandons prayer, or held in his honor

Question:
There is a custom. When a student or employee sent abroad on a mission returns to his family, there are successive meals hosted by relatives. This person sent abroad may or may not pray. Is it permissible to hold these meals for him? And should we attend these meals if we are invited? Please explain to us in detail, may Allah grant you success. Knowing that the father of this person sent abroad does not pray, do we sin if we attend, or not?

Answer:
This is an important and significant issue. If the visitor prays, there is no harm in inviting him and holding meals for him in celebration of his arrival and his safety. However, if he does not pray, it is not permissible to accept his invitation, nor the invitation of those who honor and exalt him by holding a feast for him. This is because one who does not pray is a disbeliever, so it is obligatory to boycott him and to be hostile to him for the sake of Allah, after he has been advised, directed to good, and informed that this is a serious matter and that it is obligatory for him to pray as Allah has commanded him. If he persists in that, then it is obligatory to boycott him. This matter is not hidden from people; the ruling on prayer is well known. So the one who does not pray is boycotted, and his invitation is not accepted. It is not befitting to attend with those who are present in the right of the one who was invited to honor him, because it is obligatory for everyone to boycott him until he behaves properly and returns to the truth and the right. There is no objection to advising him along with that; he is advised, directed to good, warned against falsehood, and people are informed that abandoning prayer is disbelief, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So abandoning it is disbelief in Allah, we seek refuge in Allah. It is major shirk (associating partners with Allah) according to the most correct of the scholars' opinions. So it is obligatory for one who knows this to boycott the one who commits this great evil, and not to accept his invitation, and not to attend the feast that was held for him. Yes.