On the hadith: “Between a man and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer.”

The questioner: In another question that touches on the topic; regarding the hadith: ?

The Shaykh: Yes, this is a long discussion, but its summary is: Between a man... Yes? , Disbelief is of two types: doctrinal disbelief and practical disbelief. If the Muslim, the one we know to be a Muslim, testifies that there is no god but Allah, and he may pray once, fast Ramadan, but does not pray on most days—if his abandonment of prayer is based on belief, meaning he leaves it believing that it is not obligatory and not a duty—then his disbelief is doctrinal disbelief; because he has settled in his heart a belief that is not the belief of Muslims, but rather the belief of disbelievers who will regret on the Day of Resurrection, and they will say: And . But if his abandonment of prayer is due to laziness while he believes in its obligation and duty... that is from Allah (Mighty and Majestic)—then his disbelief is practical disbelief, not doctrinal disbelief. The meaning of practical disbelief is that he performs the actions of disbelievers; for disbelievers do not pray; so any Muslim who does not pray has undoubtedly performed the action of disbelievers. If this action is accompanied by their belief, he becomes one of them one hundred percent, and his disbelief at that time is both doctrinal and practical disbelief. But if he differs from them in belief—they do not believe in prayer or its legitimacy, whereas he believes in it and its legitimacy, but he leaves it following his desires and being deceived... and the like—then his disbelief is practical disbelief; meaning he performs the action of disbelievers. As long as his belief differs from the belief of disbelievers, it is clear and obvious injustice to rule that he is a disbeliever; because he contradicts the disbelievers. Disbelievers do not believe in the legitimacy of prayer and do not worship Allah with it, whereas this person is a believer and a verifier. And in many cases... between him and his Lord he says: My Lord, guide me; My Lord, forgive me. So it is not permissible to say that the one who abandons prayer out of laziness is a disbeliever with doctrinal disbelief. Therefore, what is in his heart contradicts his belief; he believes that prayer is prescribed, and the disbeliever does not believe that, so they differ in this respect; that is, in the respect of belief. The disbeliever denies and disbelieves in the legitimacy of prayer, while the Muslim believes in it and verifies it... But this Muslim open sinner, when he abandons prayer, meets the disbeliever in the practical aspect. Therefore , he has undoubtedly disbelieved, but this disbelief is sometimes interpreted as open sinfulness... regarding prayer, as is the case with some of the deviant youth today, and sometimes this disbelief is interpreted as practical disbelief and not doctrinal disbelief. This is specific to those who share with all Muslims in faith and the application of the legitimacy of this prayer, but he contradicts them by not praying with them; either permanently—may Allah forbid!—or at times. If this person denies the legitimacy of prayer, his disbelief becomes doctrinal and practical disbelief, and at that time the hadith applies to him in its apparent sense . So whoever abandons prayer in action and belief has disbelieved with doctrinal disbelief, and whoever abandons prayer while believing in it but only in form, his disbelief is practical disbelief and not doctrinal disbelief. This is our answer in brief, and this discussion has been repeated by us many times with some detail. We hope that it will be preserved so that a person does not fall into the trap of interpreting some hadiths in the manner of the Khawarij, both in the past and the present. And this is a calamity that we have fallen into today in some Islamic countries...
This phrase also must be interpreted in the previous manner, otherwise the hadith would contradict the verse, . The point is that each of the two fighting groups is one that transgresses; each of them was described by our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) as believing. How can they be believing when the hadith says: ? The previous interpretation applies: if he considers killing them permissible, then his belief and action align him with the disbelievers. And if he admits that he is wrong in fighting them but follows others, then his disbelief is practical disbelief and not doctrinal disbelief.
And peace be upon you.