The ruling on leaving off what is prescribed in the Shari'ah as a recommendation
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He said in the abridgment of al-Shatibi's book al-I'tisam: Is the one who leaves off what is prescribed in the Shari'ah, whether as a recommendation or an obligation, called an innovator or not?
That the one who leaves off what is prescribed is of two types: One of the two cases is that he leaves it off for reasons other than religious conviction, such as laziness, negligence, or similar psychological motives. This type of case amounts to disobedience of the command. If it concerns an obligation, it is a sin—and here is the question, O Shaykh. If it concerns a recommendation, it is not a sin if the leaving off is partial, but if it is total, it is a sin, according to what you have clarified regarding the principles?Answer: No,It is in any case the word: (If it is total, it is a sin) there is some deliberation in this; but it seems, and Allah knows best, that he took it from the statement of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him): (Whoever leaves off the witr prayer is a bad man, and his testimony should not be accepted) even though the witr prayer is a recommended practice according to the position of Imam Ahmad,And the scholars of Imam Ahmad also said: whoever leaves off the regular voluntary prayers, even though they are not obligatory, his testimony is not accepted, and the distinction he made is good,For example: If a person leaves off the recommended acts as an act of worship, meaning he worships Allah by leaving them off, he becomes an innovator; because leaving off with intention is like doing it. But if he leaves it off due to negligence, laziness, or carelessness, or if he says: the obligatory is the obligatory, and what is not obligatory is not obligatory, then he owes nothing, whether the leaving off is total or partial.
He said in the abridgment of al-Shatibi's book al-I'tisam: Is the one who leaves off what is prescribed in the Shari'ah, whether as a recommendation or an obligation, called an innovator or not?
That the one who leaves off what is prescribed is of two types: One of the two cases is that he leaves it off for reasons other than religious conviction, such as laziness, negligence, or similar psychological motives. This type of case amounts to disobedience of the command. If it concerns an obligation, it is a sin—and here is the question, O Shaykh. If it concerns a recommendation, it is not a sin if the leaving off is partial, but if it is total, it is a sin, according to what you have clarified regarding the principles?Answer: No,It is in any case the word: (If it is total, it is a sin) there is some deliberation in this; but it seems, and Allah knows best, that he took it from the statement of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him): (Whoever leaves off the witr prayer is a bad man, and his testimony should not be accepted) even though the witr prayer is a recommended practice according to the position of Imam Ahmad,And the scholars of Imam Ahmad also said: whoever leaves off the regular voluntary prayers, even though they are not obligatory, his testimony is not accepted, and the distinction he made is good,For example: If a person leaves off the recommended acts as an act of worship, meaning he worships Allah by leaving them off, he becomes an innovator; because leaving off with intention is like doing it. But if he leaves it off due to negligence, laziness, or carelessness, or if he says: the obligatory is the obligatory, and what is not obligatory is not obligatory, then he owes nothing, whether the leaving off is total or partial.