Negligence in the congregational prayer and its remedy
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I have a friend who does not pray with me in congregation in the mosque for some of the obligatory prayers. This is due to negligence in sleep, as he is usually absent from the congregational prayer for Fajr and 'Asr. He does not take the measures that would help him wake up, as he locks his room door on himself.And after advising him, he says: He does not intentionally sleep, even though his sleep exceeds the normal limit.And the question, O Shaykh: Should we continue to advise this friend, or should we distance ourselves from him and boycott him for a certain period so that he may be deterred? And is this friend considered a good companion, given that he possesses many good moral traits and masculine virtues, or is he considered a bad companion from whom one should distance oneself? We observe, O Shaykh, that not a day passes for this man without him missing one, two, or three obligatory prayers.
There is no doubt that this man is among those about whom Allah said: [Surah al-Tawbah: 102] Rather, the first description is lacking, for he has not admitted the sin;Because he says: "I am sleeping, and a sleeper is not held accountable." But he must take the means to wake up, such as an alarm clock, or a friend who calls him on the phone when the time comes, or his family. As for him locking the door on himself while knowing he will not wake up, this is intentional abandonment of the congregation.And his statement: "I am sleeping" is not an excuse; because he has someone to wake him up. So you should continue to sit with him while advising him and saying to him: If you do not do this, we will boycott you. Threaten him with this punishment, for perhaps he will be upright when threatened, if Allah wills.
The questioner: O Shaykh, he has an alarm clock in his room. Does that mean we should excuse him for this?He says: I have something that pleases me, but I want to lock the door on myself.
The Shaykh: The private matter is perhaps why he wants to lock the door on himself; because he has the boys.
The questioner: No.
He lives in the university housing, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Meaning, he has no one to disturb him.
The questioner: He does not have a roommate in the same room, and he has an alarm, but he locks the door.
The Shaykh: If he has an alarm, why did he not wake up?The questioner: He does not wake up to it; because he is a heavy sleeper.
The Shaykh: If he does not wake up to it, it means: its presence is like its absence.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: If he does not wake up to this alarm -Meaning: its presence is like its absence - then he must open the door, or give a friend of his the key to the door and lock himself in, and then when his friend comes, he opens the door for him.
And tell him: If he does this -Meaning: gives his friend a key and locks the door - then he should remove the key from the lock; because if it remains, no one will be able to open it.
There is no doubt that this man is among those about whom Allah said:
And [there are] others who have acknowledged their sins. They had mixed a righteous deed with another that was bad
وَآخَرُونَ اعْتَرَفُوا بِذُنُوبِهِمْ خَلَطُوا عَمَلاً صَالِحاً وَآخَرَ سَيِّئاًThe questioner: O Shaykh, he has an alarm clock in his room. Does that mean we should excuse him for this?He says: I have something that pleases me, but I want to lock the door on myself.
The Shaykh: The private matter is perhaps why he wants to lock the door on himself; because he has the boys.
The questioner: No.
He lives in the university housing, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Meaning, he has no one to disturb him.
The questioner: He does not have a roommate in the same room, and he has an alarm, but he locks the door.
The Shaykh: If he has an alarm, why did he not wake up?The questioner: He does not wake up to it; because he is a heavy sleeper.
The Shaykh: If he does not wake up to it, it means: its presence is like its absence.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: If he does not wake up to this alarm -Meaning: its presence is like its absence - then he must open the door, or give a friend of his the key to the door and lock himself in, and then when his friend comes, he opens the door for him.
And tell him: If he does this -Meaning: gives his friend a key and locks the door - then he should remove the key from the lock; because if it remains, no one will be able to open it.