If a person dies while having completely abandoned prayer out of laziness, is he considered a disbeliever because he left this world abandoning it?
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The questioner : I have a hadith: Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam)!
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner :Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam) .
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And we do not want to exercise independent legal reasoning on the text!
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questionerSunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam): Now, our scholars, or the scholars before us, said: abandoning prayer out of laziness, laziness does not mean that it is disbelief.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : But abandoning prayer out of denial and belief means that it is in the category of disbelief!
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : So what is the interpretation of the hadith, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : We mentioned this; it appears you were not with us?!
The questioner : No, absolutely not, I mean, I mean, do we not consider a person who abandons prayer out of laziness, I mean, he abandoned it until he died!
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : He abandoned it until he died out of laziness, so does this mean that the hadith is:?!
The Shaykh : Like if he abandoned prayer for a year or two, and then what happened, he started praying!
The questioner : He started praying!
The Shaykh : Was he a disbeliever?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : Okay, and like if he prayed for twenty years, and just a year before he died!
The questioner : He abandoned prayer!
The Shaykh : He abandoned prayer, did he become a disbeliever?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Why?
The questioner : Because he abandoned prayer.
The Shaykh : And the first one was abandoning prayer, did you forget the first example?
The questioner : He did the action of the disbelievers, answer the Shaykh!!
The Shaykh : We did not answer, my brother, the meaning of:Sahih Ibn Hibban 9:19: is practical disbelief, meaning he did the action of the disbelievers. The disbelievers do not pray, so he did their action. This is when the question is: abandoning prayer out of laziness. But if he abandons prayer out of denial, denial has a connection to the heart, in that case his disbelief is practical disbelief.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Look now, I said earlier: yesterday we spoke in detail in this session, where were we?! In al-Rusayfah.
The questioner : In al-Rusayfah!
The Shaykh : In al-Rusayfah, okay, we said: the disbeliever denies the legitimacy of prayer, so the previous verse is:[Al-Muddaththir 74:43].
The questioner :[Al-Muddaththir 74:43] .
The Shaykh[Al-Muddaththir 74:43], [Al-Muddaththir 74:44], [Al-Muddaththir 74:45], : this is from the disbelievers in belief. Now, you do not doubt, and no one doubts, that the Christians, the Jews, and the atheists, all of them do not believe in the legitimacy of all of Islam. Do they believe in the legitimacy of prayer?
The questioner : Of course not.
The Shaykh : No, so they deny the legitimacy of prayer, correct?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So they are disbelievers in two ways: disbelief in belief, and practical disbelief, did you get that?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, a Muslim man comes who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and he believes in everything Allah has legislated, including prayer. So in his belief in the legitimacy of prayer, he differs from the disbeliever, correct?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The disbeliever does not believe, this one believes, but this belief he believes in does not lead him to the realm of action and application.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So practically, he did the action of the disbelievers.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : In terms of belief, he differed from the disbelievers, so it is not permissible to wrong this person and say: this is a disbeliever like that disbeliever, that one does not believe in prayer!
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This one believes in prayer, and our Lord says:[Al-Qalam 68:35-36], this is a Muslim who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and so on, he believes in the pillars, he believes in the pillars of Islam, but Allah guided him to abandon prayer. Here is where the detail we entered into earlier remains!!
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : He used not to pray and then started praying, and he used to pray and then stopped praying, and so on. The important thing is to note these two points: a point related to the heart, which is faith or disbelief, and a point related to the limbs and body, which is action. A disbeliever who does not believe in the legitimacy of prayer, and consequently does not pray, so he combines the two disbeliefs: disbelief in belief and practical disbelief. A Muslim who believes in prayer and everything that came in Islam, so he differed from the disbeliever in his belief.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But he resembled the disbeliever in his action, so he does not pray. Therefore, when he - peace and blessings be upon him - said:Sahih Ibn Hibban 9:19, meaning he did the action of the disbelievers. The disbelievers, first: by the text of the Qur'an, and second: by observing reality, do not pray, because they do not believe in prayer, and they do not believe in all of Islam. As for this Muslim who abandons prayer, he is not like that one in terms of belief. And therefore, the evidence from the previous verse is in its place: , this is a Muslim , those are criminals, disbelievers, how do you judge?! How do you judge?! It is not permissible for a Muslim to equate a disbeliever who is a disbeliever in belief and practice, with a Muslim who believes and is a disbeliever in practice. They are not equal in example; and therefore the meaning of the hadith is very clear, as I summarized the answer at the beginning of the speech when it was said: .
The questioner : Praise be to Allah!
Another questioner : May Allah have mercy on you!
The ShaykhSahih Ibn Hibban 9:19, practical disbelief, but you memorize this word, it will save you from confusion and turmoil.
The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is prayer
العهد الذي بيننا وبينهم الصلاةThe Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner :
so whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.
فَمَن تركَها فقد كفرThe Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And we do not want to exercise independent legal reasoning on the text!
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner
so whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.
فَمَن تركَها فقد كفرThe Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : But abandoning prayer out of denial and belief means that it is in the category of disbelief!
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : So what is the interpretation of the hadith, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : We mentioned this; it appears you were not with us?!
The questioner : No, absolutely not, I mean, I mean, do we not consider a person who abandons prayer out of laziness, I mean, he abandoned it until he died!
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : He abandoned it until he died out of laziness, so does this mean that the hadith is:
He has committed disbelief
فقد كفرThe Shaykh : Like if he abandoned prayer for a year or two, and then what happened, he started praying!
The questioner : He started praying!
The Shaykh : Was he a disbeliever?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : Okay, and like if he prayed for twenty years, and just a year before he died!
The questioner : He abandoned prayer!
The Shaykh : He abandoned prayer, did he become a disbeliever?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Why?
The questioner : Because he abandoned prayer.
The Shaykh : And the first one was abandoning prayer, did you forget the first example?
The questioner : He did the action of the disbelievers, answer the Shaykh!!
The Shaykh : We did not answer, my brother, the meaning of:
Abandoning prayer is disbelief
ترك الصلاة فقد كفرThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Look now, I said earlier: yesterday we spoke in detail in this session, where were we?! In al-Rusayfah.
The questioner : In al-Rusayfah!
The Shaykh : In al-Rusayfah, okay, we said: the disbeliever denies the legitimacy of prayer, so the previous verse is:
We were not of those who prayed,
لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَThe questioner :
They will say, "We were not of those who prayed,
قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَThe Shaykh
We were not of those who prayed,
لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَNor did we used to feed the poor.
وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَAnd we used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged [in it],
وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ الْخَائِضِينَuntil the certainty came to us
حَتَّى أَتَانَا الْيَقِينُThe questioner : Of course not.
The Shaykh : No, so they deny the legitimacy of prayer, correct?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So they are disbelievers in two ways: disbelief in belief, and practical disbelief, did you get that?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, a Muslim man comes who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and he believes in everything Allah has legislated, including prayer. So in his belief in the legitimacy of prayer, he differs from the disbeliever, correct?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The disbeliever does not believe, this one believes, but this belief he believes in does not lead him to the realm of action and application.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So practically, he did the action of the disbelievers.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : In terms of belief, he differed from the disbelievers, so it is not permissible to wrong this person and say: this is a disbeliever like that disbeliever, that one does not believe in prayer!
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This one believes in prayer, and our Lord says:
(35) Then will We treat the Muslims like the criminals? (36) What is [the matter] with you? How do you judge?
أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ * مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : He used not to pray and then started praying, and he used to pray and then stopped praying, and so on. The important thing is to note these two points: a point related to the heart, which is faith or disbelief, and a point related to the limbs and body, which is action. A disbeliever who does not believe in the legitimacy of prayer, and consequently does not pray, so he combines the two disbeliefs: disbelief in belief and practical disbelief. A Muslim who believes in prayer and everything that came in Islam, so he differed from the disbeliever in his belief.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But he resembled the disbeliever in his action, so he does not pray. Therefore, when he - peace and blessings be upon him - said:
Whoever abandons the prayer has committed disbelief
فَمَن ترك الصلاة فقد كفرShall We then treat the Muslims
أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَas the criminals
كَالْمُجْرِمِينَThe questioner : Praise be to Allah!
Another questioner : May Allah have mercy on you!
The Shaykh
Whoever abandons prayer has committed disbelief
مَن ترك الصلاة فقد كفر
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.