Did the Companions disagree on the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer?

The questioner : Did the Companions disagree on the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer out of laziness?

The Shaykh : Regarding the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer?
The Shaykh : Yes, out of laziness?

The Shaykh : If you mean by disbelief apostasy, because disbelief has categories: there is disbelief of the heart, there is verbal disbelief, there is doctrinal disbelief, and there is practical disbelief. If you mean by your question whether they disagreed on the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer, and if you mean disbelief in the sense of doctrinal disbelief that equates to leaving the religion, then the Companions have no statement on this issue with this level of detail. However, it is reported from the Companions that they considered the abandonment of prayer to be disbelief. And the abandonment of prayer cannot be interpreted in a single way as equating to apostasy. Otherwise, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): is a stronger argument than citing the statements of some of the Companions. But just as his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) "he has disbelieved" can be interpreted in one of the ways we mentioned earlier, so too the statement or opinion of the Companions that the one who abandons prayer has disbelieved—this report from the Companions does not exceed the hadith we mentioned earlier, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . Therefore, it is not sufficient for the student of knowledge to stop at a narration containing the word "disbelief," whether it is traced to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or attributed to a Companion or the Companions, because this word, "disbelief," carries several meanings as we mentioned earlier. Consequently, the majority of scholars who came after the Companions, who examined that report you are referring to, as well as the hadiths I mentioned some of, stated that the one who abandons prayer is in one of two states: if the one who abandons prayer denies it, he is a disbeliever, and if he dies, he is not buried in the Muslim cemeteries. But if he abandons it while believing in it and acknowledging its obligation, but he disobeys the command of Allah regarding it, just as many sinners disobey the commands of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), such as those who consume riba (usury or interest) in multiples or less, or thieves, or those who commit zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), and the like, all these are disobedient to the commands of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Nevertheless, the Muslims do not declare them disbelievers unless they deny the legitimacy of what they are disobeying. So if the one who abandons prayer denies prayer, he is a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims. But if he believes in its legitimacy, he is a believer and is not declared a disbeliever, except in one case: if the one who abandons prayer is presented with the sword, meaning the Muslim ruler says to him, "Either you pray or you will be killed," and he prefers killing over prayer, in this case he is killed for apostasy, and he is not buried in the Muslim cemeteries, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) and others stated.

The questioner : On the same topic...

The Shaykh : There is no need to raise your hands, just raise your hands, please.