Does the one who abandons prayer leave the religion? I mean the one who abandons it out of negligence and laziness. Does he leave the religion or not? And if he leaves the religion, what
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The questioner : In fact, his second question is the listener's question, RMR from Riyadh, Imam University. It is a question we have raised many times with the honorable scholars, and given its importance, we will pose it to the honorable Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen.
His second question says: Does the one who abandons prayer leave the religion? I mean the one who abandons it out of negligence and laziness. Does he leave the religion or not? And if he leaves the religion, what are the consequences? Is this agreed upon by the scholars, or is there someone who opposed this and said that he does not leave the religion?
The Shaykh : Yes. The stronger opinion among the opinions of the scholars is that the one who abandons prayer out of laziness and negligence is a disbeliever, a disbelief that takes him out of the religion. We have mentioned from this pulpit the evidence for this in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the words of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and the correct meaning appropriate to the ruling.
And if we say it is disbelief, then worldly and hereafter matters follow from it. As for the worldly matters, his guardianship over his children and his family is removed and lifted, and he has no guardianship over them because he is a disbeliever[An-Nisa 4:141].
Likewise, his marriage is not valid, so the marriage contract is not concluded for him as long as he is abandoning prayer. And if he abandons it after the contract is completed, then the marriage is annulled, unless he repents to Allah and returns to Islam. And if one of his relatives dies, he does not inherit from him, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Sunan Abi Dawud 2909Sahih (Al-Albani) meaning, if a man who does not pray dies and he has a son and an uncle, then the son's inheritance goes to his uncle and not to his father, because his father is a disbeliever since he does not pray, and his uncle is a Muslim, so the inheritance belongs to him. And as for the hereafter, the rulings of the hereafter, it is not permissible to wash him, shroud him, pray over him, or bury him with the Muslims. Rather, he is taken out to the open land and a hole is dug for him to be buried in without the usual funeral rites for Muslims. And in the hereafter, he will be with Pharaoh, Haman, Qarun, and Abu Jahl, the leaders of disbelief, may Allah protect us from that.
The questioner : We seek refuge in Allah.
The Shaykh : As came in that hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for the questioner's question whether there is disagreement on this or it is agreed upon, we say that there is disagreement among the later scholars on this issue. As for the Companions, the apparent report of Abdullah ibn Shaqiq is that they were agreed that he is a disbeliever, based on his saying, meaning Abdullah ibn Shaqiq, "The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider any act of worship whose abandonment is disbelief except prayer". Imam Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, who is well known, transmitted the consensus of the people on this. But the later scholars differed after this regarding the one who abandons prayer, and no one who opposed it brought evidence. I examined their evidence and found it in four categories: some does not indicate the absence of disbelief at all; some is restricted by a condition that prevents one from abandoning prayer; some is restricted by a state in which one is excused for abandoning prayer; and some is general but specified by the evidence indicating the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer. And it did not come in the Book of Allah or in the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that the one who abandons prayer is a believer, or that the one who abandons prayer is in Paradise, or anything similar to that which would require us to interpret the disbelief mentioned regarding the one who abandons prayer as meaning the disbelief of grace. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you for this clarification.
His second question says: Does the one who abandons prayer leave the religion? I mean the one who abandons it out of negligence and laziness. Does he leave the religion or not? And if he leaves the religion, what are the consequences? Is this agreed upon by the scholars, or is there someone who opposed this and said that he does not leave the religion?
The Shaykh : Yes. The stronger opinion among the opinions of the scholars is that the one who abandons prayer out of laziness and negligence is a disbeliever, a disbelief that takes him out of the religion. We have mentioned from this pulpit the evidence for this in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the words of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and the correct meaning appropriate to the ruling.
And if we say it is disbelief, then worldly and hereafter matters follow from it. As for the worldly matters, his guardianship over his children and his family is removed and lifted, and he has no guardianship over them because he is a disbeliever
and never will Allah give the disbelievers over the believers a way [to overcome them].
ولن يجعل الله للكافرين على المؤمنين سبيلاLikewise, his marriage is not valid, so the marriage contract is not concluded for him as long as he is abandoning prayer. And if he abandons it after the contract is completed, then the marriage is annulled, unless he repents to Allah and returns to Islam. And if one of his relatives dies, he does not inherit from him, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
A Muslim may not inherit from an infidel nor an infidel from a Muslim.
لا يرث المسلم الكافر ولا الكافر المسلمThe questioner : We seek refuge in Allah.
The Shaykh : As came in that hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for the questioner's question whether there is disagreement on this or it is agreed upon, we say that there is disagreement among the later scholars on this issue. As for the Companions, the apparent report of Abdullah ibn Shaqiq is that they were agreed that he is a disbeliever, based on his saying, meaning Abdullah ibn Shaqiq, "The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider any act of worship whose abandonment is disbelief except prayer". Imam Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, who is well known, transmitted the consensus of the people on this. But the later scholars differed after this regarding the one who abandons prayer, and no one who opposed it brought evidence. I examined their evidence and found it in four categories: some does not indicate the absence of disbelief at all; some is restricted by a condition that prevents one from abandoning prayer; some is restricted by a state in which one is excused for abandoning prayer; and some is general but specified by the evidence indicating the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer. And it did not come in the Book of Allah or in the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that the one who abandons prayer is a believer, or that the one who abandons prayer is in Paradise, or anything similar to that which would require us to interpret the disbelief mentioned regarding the one who abandons prayer as meaning the disbelief of grace. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you for this clarification.