What is the ruling on one who denies matters that are known from the religion by necessity, such as one who denies the resurrection and the punishment and bliss of the grave, and others? And how should one deal with him?

The questioner : The question is based on the fact that we know that one who denies something known from the religion by necessity—meaning, we have reviewed this matter with many shaykhs, may Allah reward them with good—but, meaning, may Allah reward you with good, clarify it for us. One who denies something known from the religion by necessity, and a ruling from Allah has come down that one who does that is a disbeliever. For example: an authentic hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim came to you, stating that between a man and disbelief is leaving the prayer, from the one who leaves it.

The Shaykh : .

The questioner : And it was also reported that the resurrection is obligatory to believe in, and it was reported that, for example, there are mass-transmitted hadiths regarding the punishment of the grave, the Dajjal, and so on... and so forth. So, if one denies any of these matters known by necessity, what is his ruling? Or how do we deal with him? Does he not become a disbeliever by this statement? Does he not become a disbeliever?

The Shaykh : You have mixed up matters of belief with practical matters. For example, you linked denying the resurrection and the rising with leaving the prayer. And you know that leaving the prayer is an action accompanied by an intention, whereas the resurrection is merely a faith that is settled in the heart or has left the heart. So the rulings, the rulings of worship and transactions, cannot be linked with the unseen matters. So now, specify your statement so that the answer becomes clear to you. Are you in the subject of the unseen matters of faith, such as the resurrection and the rising and the like? Or are you in the practical matters, such as the prayer and zakah and the like?

The questioner : I specified my question, O Shaykh. I said: matters known from the religion by necessity, matters known from the religion by necessity.

The Shaykh : Okay, known from the religion by necessity. The prayer, for example, is known from the religion by necessity. Is your question that he denied it, or that he left it?

The questioner : He left it.

The Shaykh : And did he not deny it?

The questioner : He did not deny it.

The Shaykh : Okay, the known from the religion by necessity—do the scholars present it in the context of the unseen matters or the rulings?

The questioner : We want the detail from you?

The Shaykh : The detail is from me. When the scholars say the phrase, they mean that one who denies something known from the religion by necessity is a disbeliever. One who denies, not one who leaves the action. So you must distinguish.

The questioner : A text was reported, O Shaykh, that one who leaves it...

The Shaykh : You must distinguish, may Allah guide you. We are now looking into the terminology of the scholars and who is a disbeliever in their view, and we are not looking into the specific case of the one who leaves the prayer. That is a separate room, a separate study. So, one who denies something known from the religion by necessity is the one the scholars declare a disbeliever. As for one who leaves something known from the religion by necessity while he believes that it is from the religion by necessity, this does not fall under the rule "one who denies something known from the religion by necessity has committed disbelief," because he does not deny. Meaning, now you have brought up the subject of the prayer, because it is the subject of the hour, and the shaykhs of Saudi Arabia are always singing about this issue. Leave the subject of the prayer temporarily now, and take the one who does not fast. Did he deny something known from the religion by necessity?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : Okay, is he a disbeliever while he does not fast?

The questioner : No, no text has come to us regarding him, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Do not say, my brother, that no text has come.

The questioner : A text was reported that the one who leaves the prayer is a disbeliever.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you, be patient.

The questioner: Go ahead.

The Shaykh : Now we are removing obstacles so that a person does not fall into misunderstanding. One of them is that we know what the scholars mean by "one who denies what is known from the religion by necessity." So, fasting is among the rulings known from the religion by necessity. So, one who denies the legitimacy of fasting, like one who denies the legitimacy of the prayer, both are disbelievers. Indeed, one who denies what is less than that, such as one who denies the prohibition of intoxicants, is a disbeliever. And the examples are in the tens, if not in the hundreds and thousands. So now, it is clear to you what is meant by the rule "what is known from the religion by necessity." But I think your subject is just that Sha'ban got mixed up with Ramadan. Your subject is that the one who leaves the prayer has a text regarding him: And that is why this appeared from you more than once, especially when you came with the example of fasting. You said that nothing came regarding the one who leaves fasting. I am saying now: So your subject is, what is the ruling on the one who leaves the prayer?

The questioner : But may Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh, I meant the other matters. May Allah reward you with good, you have detailed my question.

The Shaykh : So are we done with it?

The questioner : Yes, we are done with it now.

The Shaykh : So we are now in the prayer.

The questioner : Yes, we enter now into the prayer, may Allah reward you with good.