What is the ruling on the one who abandons prayer but affirms the oneness of Allah?
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Question:
The questioner says: A man says, "There is no god but Allah," but he does not pray. Will this phrase benefit him on the Day of Resurrection?
Answer:
No, this phrase will not benefit him. If he says, "There is no god but Allah," he must pray. If he does not pray, then "There is no god but Allah" will not benefit him, because it is not merely a phrase to be uttered; rather, action is required, and the first of actions is prayer. Note that the first of the actions is prayer, after the two testimonies. Prayer is the second pillar.
The two testimonies are the first pillar, and prayer is the second pillar. Therefore, the one who does not pray is not a Muslim, even if he says, "There is no god but Allah," because he said it with his tongue but did not act upon it, and the first of actions is prayer. If he abandons prayer, he abandons the rest of the acts a fortiori. For prayer, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-'Ankabut 29:45]. The one who does not pray is not a Muslim, even if he testifies that there is no god but Allah. He testifies that there is no god but Allah and does not worship Allah? How is that? If he testifies that there is no god but Allah, he must worship Allah the Exalted, and the first of worship is prayer. Yes.
The questioner says: A man says, "There is no god but Allah," but he does not pray. Will this phrase benefit him on the Day of Resurrection?
Answer:
No, this phrase will not benefit him. If he says, "There is no god but Allah," he must pray. If he does not pray, then "There is no god but Allah" will not benefit him, because it is not merely a phrase to be uttered; rather, action is required, and the first of actions is prayer. Note that the first of the actions is prayer, after the two testimonies. Prayer is the second pillar.
The two testimonies are the first pillar, and prayer is the second pillar. Therefore, the one who does not pray is not a Muslim, even if he says, "There is no god but Allah," because he said it with his tongue but did not act upon it, and the first of actions is prayer. If he abandons prayer, he abandons the rest of the acts a fortiori. For prayer, as Allah the Exalted said:
and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater.
وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما الحكم في تارك الصلاة الموحد بالله؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.