What is the ruling on one who fights in jihad while not praying, if he dies in that jihad?

Abu Malik: You mentioned in the course of your speech that some of those who fight and say that we are fighting in the path of Allah do not pray.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
Abu Malik: So here a question arises, which is: if there is jihad in the path of Allah under the banner of "There is no god but Allah," and the Muslims go out responding to the call of jihad, and among them is one who does not pray, and he strives to attain martyrdom, and he intends by his fighting or his jihad to exalt the word of Allah, and it is written for him that he will be killed in this battle while he is directed toward exalting the word of Allah, but he does not pray, what is said about him?

The Shaykh : It is said about him that the one who abandons prayer, as is known to all Muslim scholars, is either declared a disbeliever and expelled from the religion, or declared an open sinner, and it is feared that he may die upon other than the religion. So I do not imagine such a person to be a mujahid, because I do not imagine a person—for a very clear material example—if a person is told, "Do this, lift this light weight," and he says, "I want to lift what is heavier than that and beyond the capacity of an ordinary person," this is not believable. This is said to him: "Lift this light weight," so that we believe beforehand that you may be able to lift the heavy weight. So we cannot imagine a Muslim who has lived, if Allah wills, for a long or short time—at the very least he has reached the age of the five prayers—and he is on the battlefield, yet he does not pray. How can this be a mujahid in the path of Allah! And he does not fight his desire in obedience to Allah in what is easier for the soul that commands evil than to place, as it is said in some lands, his blood in his hand on his hand. And therefore, I do not imagine that one who is openly abandoning prayer is a true mujahid in the path of Allah. These are two opposites that never meet. And if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and debt has rulings in some circumstances that our Lord performs on his behalf, how can the state be of this one who abandons prayer, and Allah Mighty and Majestic inspired His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in another matter to say Therefore, I do not imagine the existence of a true mujahid in the path of Allah who is, in contrast, one who abandons prayer for Allah. This is an unimaginable matter.