The Ruling on the One Who Abandons Prayer (and the discussion of practical disbelief and creedal disbelief)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Sahih Ibn Hibban 9:19 Do not imagine with me that every person who abandons prayer may possess two things, or may not possess two but only one. There is a person who abandons prayer and does not pray; that is one thing. The second thing is that he does not see the legitimacy of prayer. He says to you, as we hear from some of the youth, "No prayer, no fasting." This is talk from a time that has passed and ended. Now, civilization, progress, and sports, all of this makes us in need of such exercises. This is different from the first one. The first one does not pray in reality, but he believes in the legitimacy of prayer. If you say to him, "My brother, why are you not praying?" he says, "May Allah accept our repentance." Is this person a believer or a disbeliever?
The questioner : Shaykh, I told you there is a text stating he is a disbeliever...
The Shaykh : Do not deviate from the topic.
The questioner : A disbeliever, a disbeliever.
The Shaykh : No, a believer.
The questioner : Abandoning prayer, O Shaykh, so whoever abandons it...
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. You are telling me: abandoning prayer. Have you informed me of something unknown to me? I am telling you: abandoning prayer. You say abandoning prayer. May Allah guide you. Say "Ameen."
The questioner : Ameen...
The Shaykh : So both of these men are abandoners of prayer. One abandons prayer but believes in its legitimacy, and I gave you a real example. If he is told, he says, "May Allah accept our repentance." The other says, "No prayer, no fasting." So this one abandons prayer and denies the legitimacy of prayer. Are they the same? Now, I do not think you would say they are the same.
The questioner : It may be disbelief less than disbelief, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Your companion is afraid.
The questioner : There is a hypocrite in the lowest depth of the Fire, and a hypocrite...
The Shaykh : May Allah guide us and you. Say "Ameen."
The questioner : O Allah, amen.
The Shaykh : Are these two the same?
The questioner : One may be in the lowest depth of the Fire and this one...
The Shaykh : Are these two the same?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, it seems our companion is saying that they are not the same. What is the difference?
The questioner : This one denied it and denied its legitimacy, and that one abandoned it only.
The Shaykh : This does not correspond to "denied." May Allah guide you. That one abandoned it only. He abandoned it and equated himself with the other in the abandonment. But tell me the point of difference between them, for you opposed...
The questioner : This one abandoned it in denial of its legitimacy.
The Shaykh : And that one?
The questioner : And that one abandoned it while believing in its legitimacy.
The Shaykh : This is what I want from you. What did you say? What is the point of difference?
The questioner : Denial and non-denial.
The Shaykh : Denial is opposed by faith.
The questioner : Our Shaykh, I return and say that there is a text that has come.
The Shaykh: May Allah guide you.
The questioner: Amen.
The Shaykh : I know what you want to say, but we need to proceed step by step. This one is a believer and that one is a disbeliever. That one denied what is known of the religion by necessity, so he is a disbeliever with the disbelief of apostasy. This other one committed disbelief by abandoning prayer in action, but he believed in its legitimacy. So he combines faith with abandoning what he believes in. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Mishkat al-Masabih 35Hasan (Zubair `Aliza'i) What do you say about this hadith? Mishkat al-Masabih 35Hasan (Zubair `Aliza'i) You deposited a trust with a man named Zayd and returned after a period to ask for it from him, and he denied it. Is he a disbeliever or a believer?
The questioner : What sky will shade me and what earth will cover me! I do not know, I do not know.
The Shaykh : So you have entered into...
The questioner : No faith, other than disbelief, meaning when it says "no faith" for example, it may be other than disbeliefMishkat al-Masabih 35Hasan (Zubair `Aliza'i) other than Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam) .
The Shaykh: May Allah guide you.
The questioner: Amen.
The Shaykh : You do not feel now that you are speaking without knowledge.
The questioner : I am not a scholar, I am seeking a ruling from you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : I am asking you. You are deciding, you are not benefiting. I am asking you, what is your opinion of this hadith? It said:Mishkat al-Masabih 35Hasan (Zubair `Aliza'i) So he denied the trust. Is that disbelief?
The questioner : We say as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , meaning I do not know, Allah knows best.
The questioner : No complete faith because...
The Shaykh : Have you seen how you argue for this? You said to your companion, "This is frightening." It is not frightening, meaning with your knowledge. No, on the contrary, completely. You are arguing with falsehood, and your Lord says to you:[Al-Isra 17:36] You say "I do not know," but to speak like this with your illusions in which you live, because you have some knowledge, this is not permissible in the religion of Allah at all. What is the meaning of Mishkat al-Masabih 35Hasan (Zubair `Aliza'i) ?
The questioner : I told you, I do not know the details of the hadith...
The Shaykh : Well, likewise you do not know what the meaning of is. You do not know, because you have not grasped the evidence related to the topic of practical disbelief and creedal disbelief.
Whoever abandons prayer has committed disbelief.
من ترك الصلاة فقد كفرThe questioner : Shaykh, I told you there is a text stating he is a disbeliever...
The Shaykh : Do not deviate from the topic.
The questioner : A disbeliever, a disbeliever.
The Shaykh : No, a believer.
The questioner : Abandoning prayer, O Shaykh, so whoever abandons it...
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. You are telling me: abandoning prayer. Have you informed me of something unknown to me? I am telling you: abandoning prayer. You say abandoning prayer. May Allah guide you. Say "Ameen."
The questioner : Ameen...
The Shaykh : So both of these men are abandoners of prayer. One abandons prayer but believes in its legitimacy, and I gave you a real example. If he is told, he says, "May Allah accept our repentance." The other says, "No prayer, no fasting." So this one abandons prayer and denies the legitimacy of prayer. Are they the same? Now, I do not think you would say they are the same.
The questioner : It may be disbelief less than disbelief, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Your companion is afraid.
The questioner : There is a hypocrite in the lowest depth of the Fire, and a hypocrite...
The Shaykh : May Allah guide us and you. Say "Ameen."
The questioner : O Allah, amen.
The Shaykh : Are these two the same?
The questioner : One may be in the lowest depth of the Fire and this one...
The Shaykh : Are these two the same?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, it seems our companion is saying that they are not the same. What is the difference?
The questioner : This one denied it and denied its legitimacy, and that one abandoned it only.
The Shaykh : This does not correspond to "denied." May Allah guide you. That one abandoned it only. He abandoned it and equated himself with the other in the abandonment. But tell me the point of difference between them, for you opposed...
The questioner : This one abandoned it in denial of its legitimacy.
The Shaykh : And that one?
The questioner : And that one abandoned it while believing in its legitimacy.
The Shaykh : This is what I want from you. What did you say? What is the point of difference?
The questioner : Denial and non-denial.
The Shaykh : Denial is opposed by faith.
The questioner : Our Shaykh, I return and say that there is a text that has come.
The Shaykh: May Allah guide you.
The questioner: Amen.
The Shaykh : I know what you want to say, but we need to proceed step by step. This one is a believer and that one is a disbeliever. That one denied what is known of the religion by necessity, so he is a disbeliever with the disbelief of apostasy. This other one committed disbelief by abandoning prayer in action, but he believed in its legitimacy. So he combines faith with abandoning what he believes in. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He who is not trustworthy has no faith, and he who does not keep his covenant has no religion.
لا إيمان لمن لا أمانةً له ، ولا دين لمن لا عهد لهHe who is not trustworthy has no faith
لا إيمان لمن لا أمانةً لهThe questioner : What sky will shade me and what earth will cover me! I do not know, I do not know.
The Shaykh : So you have entered into...
The questioner : No faith, other than disbelief, meaning when it says "no faith" for example, it may be other than disbelief
He who is not trustworthy has no faith
لا إيمان لمن لا أمانةً لهso whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.
من تركها فقد كفرThe Shaykh: May Allah guide you.
The questioner: Amen.
The Shaykh : You do not feel now that you are speaking without knowledge.
The questioner : I am not a scholar, I am seeking a ruling from you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : I am asking you. You are deciding, you are not benefiting. I am asking you, what is your opinion of this hadith? It said:
He who is not trustworthy has no faith
لا إيمان لمن لا أمانةً لهThe questioner : We say as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
There is no faith for him.
لا إيمان لهThe questioner : No complete faith because...
The Shaykh : Have you seen how you argue for this? You said to your companion, "This is frightening." It is not frightening, meaning with your knowledge. No, on the contrary, completely. You are arguing with falsehood, and your Lord says to you:
And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those [one] will be questioned.
ولا تقف ما ليس لك به علم إن السمع والبصر والفؤاد كل أولئك كان عنه مسئولاand he who does not keep his covenant has no religion
ولا دين لمن لا عهد لهThe questioner : I told you, I do not know the details of the hadith...
The Shaykh : Well, likewise you do not know what the meaning of
Between disbelief and the man is abandoning prayer.
بين الكفر والرجل ترك الصلاة
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.