During the period before I started praying, I used to read the Qur'an and listen to every recitation on the radio with humility, and I would always cry. This had an effect on my performance of the prayer.
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The questioner : He says: During the period before I started praying, I used to read the Qur'an and listen to every recitation on the radio with humility, and I would always cry. This had an effect on my performance of the prayer. I am asking now: Do I have any reward for reading the Qur'an when I was not establishing the prayer?
The Shaykh : The questioner's statement "when I was not establishing the prayer": if he means that he did not perform it completely but was deficient in some matters, then he has the reward for the recitation, because nothing occurred from him that would prevent the acceptance of his recitation despite this deficiency. He is rewarded for what he corrected of his affairs and sins for what he did wrong. It is also possible that by "establishing the prayer" he meant that he did not perform it at all before, and then he started performing it, as is apparent from the introduction of his book. If that is the case, the texts of the Book and the Sunnah state that one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever, and a disbeliever's righteous deeds are not accepted. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:[At-Tawbah 9:54] And because a condition for the validity and acceptance of worship is that the person be a Muslim. I have spoken about this repeatedly on this program, and I have paid attention to this issue, reviewing what I could of the words of the scholars in the written books, and inquiring of the scholars who contacted me about this issue. After all of that, it became clear to me that the stronger opinion is that one who abandons the prayer absolutely, meaning he does not pray any time of it, or more accurately, he does not pray any prayer of it, whether Jumu'ah or otherwise, that the stronger opinion in this is that he is a disbeliever, a disbelief that takes him out of the religion. I have mentioned the evidence and elaborated on it in more than one episode of this program, and there is no need to repeat it. So let whoever wishes refer to what he heard before.
Someone might say: The opinion that one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever, a disbelief that takes him out of the religion, is one that Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) held alone? Our answer to that is from two angles. The first angle is that Imam Ahmad did not hold this opinion alone; rather, the Companions, the Tabi'un, and those who followed them preceded him in stating it. Abdullah ibn Shaqiq, one of the trustworthy Tabi'un, reported the consensus of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) on the disbelief of one who abandons the prayer, saying: "The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider any act of worship whose abandonment is disbelief except the prayer". And Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, the famous Imam (may Allah have mercy on him), reported their consensus. So Imam Ahmad was preceded by this opinion and did not hold it alone (may Allah have mercy on him).
As for the second angle: We say that if Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) held an opinion alone that is indicated by the Book and the Sunnah and the statements of the Companions, and he held it alone against the three Imams, then this is among his virtues and merits (may Allah have mercy on him), where he followed the texts and reports in this issue. And this is obligatory for every Muslim who has clarified the truth from the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the reports coming from the Companions, to state it, even if those who oppose him oppose him. It is not permissible for anyone who has clarified the correctness of an opinion to leave it due to the blame of a blamer or the schadenfreude of a mocker. Rather, he must say what he sees to be the truth, even if those who blame him blame him or those who mock him mock him. And if the truth becomes clear, there is no room for departing from it. The ruling of declaring someone a disbeliever or not is one of the rulings of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, like the ruling of making something lawful or forbidden, obligatory or permissible. So it is not permissible for anyone to deny disbelief from one whom Allah and His Messenger have declared a disbeliever, just as it is not permissible for anyone to establish disbelief for one whom Allah and His Messenger have not declared a disbeliever.
Even if the only blessing of clarifying the truth in this issue is that many people, when they heard of this great danger while being negligent with their prayer, were deterred and turned to the prayer and to the religion, as is the case with this questioner who was for a long time not praying, but when he heard this program and what is published in it regarding one who abandons the prayer, Allah granted him guidance. I do not think that a person who has faith in his heart would hear the opinion that one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever, an opinion based on the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the statements of the Companions, and I do not think that one who has faith in his heart would abandon the prayer after this forever. Rather, he will strive with utmost effort to establish and perform it so that he does not enter into the number of the disbelievers about whom Allah said:[Al-Ahzab 33:64-66] We ask Allah for safety.
And if it becomes clear that Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) has predecessors in the opinion of declaring one who abandons the prayer a disbeliever, relying on the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then this is considered among his virtues and merits (may Allah have mercy on him). As for the Imams who said that one who abandons the prayer is not declared a disbeliever, they have exerted their effort, but not every mujtahid is correct, as established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in his saying:Sunan an-Nasa'i 5381Sahih (Darussalam) So everyone who exerts his effort to reach the truth, judging by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and then says what the evidence indicates to him, will not be disappointed. Rather, he will return with either two rewards if he was correct, or one reward if he was wrong. But the danger is for the one who states an opinion to appease someone, or out of partisanship for a school of thought, or seeking a worldly benefit he will attain. For this is the one who is in danger. We ask Allah for safety and that He make us among those who saw the truth as truth and followed it, and saw falsehood as falsehood and avoided it.
Then we return to the questioner's question regarding the reward for his recitation before he returned to the prayer. We say to him: We hope that Allah the Mighty and Majestic will reward you for this recitation, because you intended to draw near to Allah, and perhaps you did not know that the ruling for one who abandons the prayer reaches this extent. The question mentions that the prayer is the fundamental pillar of Islam. There is no doubt that the prayer is a fundamental pillar of the pillars of Islam, and it is the second fundamental pillar after the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And we ask for our brother the questioner steadfastness upon the religion of Allah and death upon it, and that He make us among the guiding and guided, the righteous and reforming. Indeed, He is Generous and Bountiful.
The questioner : He also asks, saying:
The Shaykh : The questioner's statement "when I was not establishing the prayer": if he means that he did not perform it completely but was deficient in some matters, then he has the reward for the recitation, because nothing occurred from him that would prevent the acceptance of his recitation despite this deficiency. He is rewarded for what he corrected of his affairs and sins for what he did wrong. It is also possible that by "establishing the prayer" he meant that he did not perform it at all before, and then he started performing it, as is apparent from the introduction of his book. If that is the case, the texts of the Book and the Sunnah state that one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever, and a disbeliever's righteous deeds are not accepted. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And what prevents their expenditures from being accepted from them but that they have disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger
وَمَا مَنَعَهُمْ أَنْ تُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ نَفَقَاتُهُمْ إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِSomeone might say: The opinion that one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever, a disbelief that takes him out of the religion, is one that Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) held alone? Our answer to that is from two angles. The first angle is that Imam Ahmad did not hold this opinion alone; rather, the Companions, the Tabi'un, and those who followed them preceded him in stating it. Abdullah ibn Shaqiq, one of the trustworthy Tabi'un, reported the consensus of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) on the disbelief of one who abandons the prayer, saying: "The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider any act of worship whose abandonment is disbelief except the prayer". And Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, the famous Imam (may Allah have mercy on him), reported their consensus. So Imam Ahmad was preceded by this opinion and did not hold it alone (may Allah have mercy on him).
As for the second angle: We say that if Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) held an opinion alone that is indicated by the Book and the Sunnah and the statements of the Companions, and he held it alone against the three Imams, then this is among his virtues and merits (may Allah have mercy on him), where he followed the texts and reports in this issue. And this is obligatory for every Muslim who has clarified the truth from the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the reports coming from the Companions, to state it, even if those who oppose him oppose him. It is not permissible for anyone who has clarified the correctness of an opinion to leave it due to the blame of a blamer or the schadenfreude of a mocker. Rather, he must say what he sees to be the truth, even if those who blame him blame him or those who mock him mock him. And if the truth becomes clear, there is no room for departing from it. The ruling of declaring someone a disbeliever or not is one of the rulings of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, like the ruling of making something lawful or forbidden, obligatory or permissible. So it is not permissible for anyone to deny disbelief from one whom Allah and His Messenger have declared a disbeliever, just as it is not permissible for anyone to establish disbelief for one whom Allah and His Messenger have not declared a disbeliever.
Even if the only blessing of clarifying the truth in this issue is that many people, when they heard of this great danger while being negligent with their prayer, were deterred and turned to the prayer and to the religion, as is the case with this questioner who was for a long time not praying, but when he heard this program and what is published in it regarding one who abandons the prayer, Allah granted him guidance. I do not think that a person who has faith in his heart would hear the opinion that one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever, an opinion based on the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the statements of the Companions, and I do not think that one who has faith in his heart would abandon the prayer after this forever. Rather, he will strive with utmost effort to establish and perform it so that he does not enter into the number of the disbelievers about whom Allah said:
(64) Indeed, Allah has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a Blaze. (65) Abiding therein forever, they will not find a protector or a helper. (66) The Day their faces will be turned about in the Fire, they will say, "How we wish we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger."
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَعَنَ الْكَافِرِينَ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ سَعِيرًا * خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَداً لا يَجِدُونَ وَلِيّاً وَلا نَصِيراً * يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَا لَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولاAnd if it becomes clear that Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) has predecessors in the opinion of declaring one who abandons the prayer a disbeliever, relying on the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then this is considered among his virtues and merits (may Allah have mercy on him). As for the Imams who said that one who abandons the prayer is not declared a disbeliever, they have exerted their effort, but not every mujtahid is correct, as established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in his saying:
If a judge passes judgment and strives to reach the right conclusion and gets it right, he will have two rewards; if he strives to reach the right conclusion but gets it wrong, he will still have one reward.
إذا حكم الحاكم فاجتهد فأصاب فله أجران، وإن أخطأ فله أجرThen we return to the questioner's question regarding the reward for his recitation before he returned to the prayer. We say to him: We hope that Allah the Mighty and Majestic will reward you for this recitation, because you intended to draw near to Allah, and perhaps you did not know that the ruling for one who abandons the prayer reaches this extent. The question mentions that the prayer is the fundamental pillar of Islam. There is no doubt that the prayer is a fundamental pillar of the pillars of Islam, and it is the second fundamental pillar after the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And we ask for our brother the questioner steadfastness upon the religion of Allah and death upon it, and that He make us among the guiding and guided, the righteous and reforming. Indeed, He is Generous and Bountiful.
The questioner : He also asks, saying: