Are good deeds and acts of worship not accepted from one who abandons prayer?
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The questioner : Shaykh, in a question we hope, if Allah wills, that you will clarify for us. We heard a statement from Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah preserve him) that one who abandons prayer has no accepted deed, whether charity, Hajj, or any other good deed. What is your opinion on this matter?
The Shaykh : This, my brother, is a statement that arose from the creed of Ibn Baz and others, because one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever, and a disbeliever, without doubt, by the text of the Noble Qur'an, has no good deed, as He (Mighty and Majestic) said:[Al-Furqan 25:23], and He (the Exalted) said, educating the Ummah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his person (peace be upon him): [Az-Zumar 39:65], [Az-Zumar 39:65]. From this standpoint, Shaykh Ibn Baz and those like him say what I mentioned earlier, that he has no good deed, on the basis that he is a disbeliever. But the truth, in which I have no doubt, is that what is built upon a defective foundation is itself defective. So the claim that a Muslim who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and believes in everything Allah has revealed—may He bestow His favor—he believes in everything Allah has revealed, that he becomes a disbeliever for abandoning a pillar of faith or Islam, there is absolutely no evidence for this. And if we want to be precise in our expression, we say that at least there is no decisive evidence for it, but rather it is a suspicion, because Sahih Ibn Hibban 9:19. This is not a decisive text that it means apostasy and disbelief that entails exiting the religion. This is a fact that no scholar or student of knowledge can argue with, so it is like, for example,
The student: Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh: And upon you peace.
The student : How are you, Shaykh?
The Shaykh: Welcome, how are you?
The student : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : May you be well.
The student : a glass of milk.
The Shaykh : that is not cold, just.
The student : cold.
The Shaykh : This, my brother, is a statement that arose from the creed of Ibn Baz and others, because one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever, and a disbeliever, without doubt, by the text of the Noble Qur'an, has no good deed, as He (Mighty and Majestic) said:
And We will regard what they have done of deeds and make them as dust dispersed.
وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَى مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَنْثُورًاif you should associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become worthless
لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَif you should associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become worthless
لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَWhoever abandons prayer has committed disbelief
مَن ترك الصلاة فقد كفرThe student: Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh: And upon you peace.
The student : How are you, Shaykh?
The Shaykh: Welcome, how are you?
The student : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : May you be well.
The student : a glass of milk.
The Shaykh : that is not cold, just.
The student : cold.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.