Neglecting the prayer out of laziness
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Neglecting the prayer out of laziness
Question: My father (may Allah have mercy on him) passed away after suffering from a long-term mental illness. During his illness, he did not fast or pray. Even before his illness, he was often lazy about praying. I fear the punishment of Allah for him. Therefore, I constantly invoke Allah for him in my prayer. But is it permissible for me to pray on his behalf, or to fast on his behalf to make up for the fasting or prayer he left behind in his life?
Answer: If your father deliberately left off the prayer and continued in this state until he died, then his case is serious, and he is to be feared of disbelief. Because whoever leaves the prayer while denying its obligation is a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims. And whoever leaves it out of laziness while
acknowledging its obligation, is also a disbeliever according to the correct view. If your father left off the prayer and continued in this state until he died, either leaving it off entirely, or praying at times and leaving it off at others, then his condition is serious. It is not permissible to invoke Allah for him if he died in this state.
As for making up the prayer, the prayer is not made up, and no one prays on behalf of another. It is obligatory for the Muslim to preserve his prayer, and to preserve the rest of his religion without being lax in it, fearing that death may overtake him while he is negligent in his religion and neglecting his prayer. If he dies in this state, nothing will benefit him, neither supplication nor charity, may Allah protect us from that; because he has neglected the pillar of Islam and been lazy about the most emphatic of the pillars of Islam after the testimonies of faith.
In conclusion: If the person mentioned died in that state, his condition is bad, may Allah protect us from that. It is not permissible for you to invoke Allah for him, as long as he died while neglecting the prayer. Making up the prayer on his behalf does not suffice for him, and what is done for him does not benefit him, because he died on other than the religion, if it was as you described, and he continued in it and did not repent before death. And Allah is the One to be sought for help.
Question: The questioner says: He suffered from a mental illness and died as a result of it. Was his condition, which you described as leaving off the prayer and fasting or being lazy about them, before he was afflicted with this illness?
Answer: This means that he left it off deliberately without an excuse. Mental illness does not prevent one from praying. A person prays while having an illness. So his leaving off the prayer indicates that he had no desire for it.
Question: But if in this illness there was a loss of consciousness, for example, would he be excused?
Answer: If the illness reached the point of loss of consciousness, and loss of reason and feeling, then he is excused;As he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1423Hasan (Darussalam) and among them was mentioned: , but she mentioned that he left off the prayer before he was afflicted with this illness, and she did not mention after his affliction that this removed his feeling, and that it removed his reason.
Question: Also, is making up the fasting not valid?
Answer: There is a difference of opinion regarding making up the fasting, but in this case it is not valid; because he is one who left off the prayer. However, if he had been preserving the prayer, and left off days of Ramadan due to illness or a legal excuse, and then died, then in this situation there is a difference of opinion among the scholars, and the correct view is that it is made up on his behalf;As he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1147 .
Question: My father (may Allah have mercy on him) passed away after suffering from a long-term mental illness. During his illness, he did not fast or pray. Even before his illness, he was often lazy about praying. I fear the punishment of Allah for him. Therefore, I constantly invoke Allah for him in my prayer. But is it permissible for me to pray on his behalf, or to fast on his behalf to make up for the fasting or prayer he left behind in his life?
Answer: If your father deliberately left off the prayer and continued in this state until he died, then his case is serious, and he is to be feared of disbelief. Because whoever leaves the prayer while denying its obligation is a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims. And whoever leaves it out of laziness while
acknowledging its obligation, is also a disbeliever according to the correct view. If your father left off the prayer and continued in this state until he died, either leaving it off entirely, or praying at times and leaving it off at others, then his condition is serious. It is not permissible to invoke Allah for him if he died in this state.
As for making up the prayer, the prayer is not made up, and no one prays on behalf of another. It is obligatory for the Muslim to preserve his prayer, and to preserve the rest of his religion without being lax in it, fearing that death may overtake him while he is negligent in his religion and neglecting his prayer. If he dies in this state, nothing will benefit him, neither supplication nor charity, may Allah protect us from that; because he has neglected the pillar of Islam and been lazy about the most emphatic of the pillars of Islam after the testimonies of faith.
In conclusion: If the person mentioned died in that state, his condition is bad, may Allah protect us from that. It is not permissible for you to invoke Allah for him, as long as he died while neglecting the prayer. Making up the prayer on his behalf does not suffice for him, and what is done for him does not benefit him, because he died on other than the religion, if it was as you described, and he continued in it and did not repent before death. And Allah is the One to be sought for help.
Question: The questioner says: He suffered from a mental illness and died as a result of it. Was his condition, which you described as leaving off the prayer and fasting or being lazy about them, before he was afflicted with this illness?
Answer: This means that he left it off deliberately without an excuse. Mental illness does not prevent one from praying. A person prays while having an illness. So his leaving off the prayer indicates that he had no desire for it.
Question: But if in this illness there was a loss of consciousness, for example, would he be excused?
Answer: If the illness reached the point of loss of consciousness, and loss of reason and feeling, then he is excused;As he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The pen has been lifted from three
رفع القلم عن ثلاثةThe one of unsound mind until he regains his reason
المعتوه حتى يعقلQuestion: Also, is making up the fasting not valid?
Answer: There is a difference of opinion regarding making up the fasting, but in this case it is not valid; because he is one who left off the prayer. However, if he had been preserving the prayer, and left off days of Ramadan due to illness or a legal excuse, and then died, then in this situation there is a difference of opinion among the scholars, and the correct view is that it is made up on his behalf;As he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: