The Status of Prayer in Islam, Its Ruling, and the Ruling on One Who Abandons It
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The Shaykh : As for its status in Islam and its ruling, it is in the second position, for before it there is only one position, which is? Say it.
The student: The two testimonies.
The Shaykh : The two testimonies: the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. May Allah bless you.
As for its ruling, it is obligatory by the consensus of the Muslims. Whoever denies its obligation is a disbeliever, unless he is a recent convert to Islam or one who grew up in a remote desert where he knows nothing of the rulings of Islam. In that case, if he denies its obligation, he is not declared a disbeliever, but he is taught and informed. If he denies it after he has been informed and has known, he becomes a disbeliever and an apostate by that. However, the scholars differed regarding one who abandons it out of negligence and laziness. Some scholars said that he becomes a disbeliever, while others said that he does not.
Those who said that he does not become a disbeliever cited evidence, and those who said that he does become a disbeliever also cited evidence.
So what is our position regarding this dispute? Our position in this dispute is to adhere to what Allah commanded us in His Book, where He said:[An-Nisa 4:59] Complete
The student: ... .
The Shaykh :[An-Nisa 4:59].
And He said:[Ash-Shuraa 42:10]. If we return to that, to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), we find that both indicate that one who abandons prayer out of negligence is a disbeliever and an apostate whose blood is permissible to shed. If he is guided to the truth and returns to pray, that is what is required, and in that lies salvation. Otherwise, he must be killed. If he is killed, he is not washed, not shrouded, no funeral prayer is performed for him, and he is not buried with the Muslims. Rather, he is taken out to the open land, a pit is dug for him, and he is thrown into it, because he has no sanctity since he died an apostate. So what are the evidences that indicate this? We begin first with the Qur'an:
Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said regarding the polytheists: فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَنُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ . فجعل الله سبحانه وتعالى الأخوة في الدين ثابتة بهذه الشروط الثلاثة. الأول؟
الطالب : ... .
الشيخ : التوبة من الشرك أحسنت. والثاني؟
الطالب : ... .
الشيخ : والثاني إقامة الصلاة، والثالث؟
الطالب : ... .
الشيخ : إيتاء الزكاة، بارك الله فيك والمرتب على شيء لا يثبت إلا بوجود الشيء أي أن المشروط يتوقف على وجود ايش؟ الشرط وقد اشترط الله تعالى لثبوت الأخوة في الدين أن تتحق هذه الأمور الثلاثة : التوبة من الشرك، إقامة الصلاة، إيتاء الزكاة. فإن لم يتوبوا من الشرك فليسوا إخوة لنا إن تابوا من الشرك ولم يقيموا الصلاة فليسوا أخوة لنا. إن تابوا من الشرك وأقاموا الصلاة ولم يؤتوا الزكاة فليسوا أخوة لنا. ولا يمكن أن تنتفي الأخوة في الدين إلا بانتفاء الدين كله. إذ أن الاخوة في الدين لا تنتفي في أكبر الكبائر التي دون الشرك وهو قتل النفس، قتل النفس بغير حق من كبائر الذنوب قال الله تعالى في حق القاتل وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا . ومع ذلك إذا قتل الرجل رجلا معصوما فهو أخوه.
الدليل؟ أنت.
الطالب : ... .
الشيخ : الدليل قوله تعالى في آية القصاص : فمن عفي له من أخيه شيء فاتباع بالمعروف عفي له من أخيه أي المقتول فجعل الله تعالى القاتل مع الرجل أخا للمقتول أما إذا انتفت الأخوة في الدين فقد انتفى الدين كله. والآية التي قرأناها فإن تابوا وأقاموا الصلاة تدل على انتفاء الدين كله على انتفاء الأخوة في الدين إذا لم تحصل هذه الأمور الثلاثة.
فإن قال قائل : أن قولكم هذا يستلزم أن من منع الزكاة بخلا فهو كافر كمن لم يصلي فهل تلتزمون به؟
الجواب : نعم نلتزم به لولا أن السنة منعت من ذلك وإلا لكان منع الزكاة كترك الصلاة لكن السنة منعت أن يكون مانع الزكاة كافرا. ما هي السنة التي منعت؟ استمع اليها. في حديث أبي هريرة : مَا مِنْ صَاحِبِ ذَهَبٍ، وَلَا فِضَّةٍ لَا يُؤَدِّي مِنْهَا حَقَّهَا ، إِلَّا إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ صُفِّحَتْ لَهُ صَفَائِحُ مِنْ نَارٍ، فَأُحْمِيَ عَلَيْهَا فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ، فَيُكْوَى بِهَا جَنْبُهُ، وَجَبِينُهُ، وَظَهْرُهُ، كُلَّمَا بَرَدَتْ أُعِيدَتْ لَهُ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ، حَتَّى يُقْضَى بَيْنَ الْعِبَادِ، فَيَرَى سَبِيلَهُ ، إِمَّا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، وَإِمَّا إِلَى النَّارِ . فهذا الوعيد فيه منع الزكاة ومع ذلك قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم ايش؟ يرى سبيله إما إلى الجنة وإما إلى النار . ومن المعلوم أنه لو كان كافرا لم يكن له سبيل إلى الجنة فلولا هذا الحديث لقلنا إن مانع الزكاة يكفر. وقد قال به بعض العلماء أي قال بأن مانع الزكاة يكفر وهو رواية عن الإمام أحمد وعلل ذلك بأن الزكاة قرينة الصلاة في كتاب الله عز وجل هذا دليل منين على كفر تارك الصلاة دليل من أي شيء؟ من القرآن.
الدليل من السنة : ما رواه مسلم في صحيحه عن جابر بن عبد الله رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : بين الرجل وبين الشرك والكفر ترك الصلاة والبينية تقتضي المفاصلة بين المتباينين فتقتضي أن من ترك الصلاة فليس معه شيء من الإيمان لأنه يكون حينئذ ايش؟ كافرا.
وروى أهل السنن عن بريدة بن الحصيب أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : العهد الذي بيننا وبينهم الصلاة فمن تركها فقد كفر .
وقوله : بيننا وبينهم يعني ايش ؟ من ؟ بيننا وبينهم أي الكفار الصلاة فمن تركها فقد كفر.
هذان دليلان من السنة ومؤِيدان ومؤَيدان أيضا بالقرآن الكريم.
الدليل الثالث : أقوال الصحابة رضي الله عنهم فقد قال أمير المؤمنين عمر بن الخطاب : لا حظ في الإسلام لمن ترك الصلاة . ولا نافية للجنس تقتضي انتفاء هذا الوصف انتفاء كاملا. وأن من ترك الصلاة فلا حظ له في الإسلام وقد حكى بعض العلماء إجماع الصحابة على أن من ترك الصلاة فهو كافر ومنهم التابعي المشهور عبد الله بن شقيق رحمه الله حيث قال : كان أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لا يرون شيئا من الأعمال تركه كفر إلا الصلاة .
فهذه أدلة ثلاثة الكتاب والسنة وأقوال الصحابة رضي الله عنهم الذي حكي إجماعا.
أما النظر الصحيح فهو أيضا دال على كفر تارك الصلاة الأخ.
الطالب : ... .
الشيخ : النظر الصحيح دال على كفر تارك الصلاة. وجه ذلك : أن من حافظ على ترك الصلاة مع علمه بوجوبها وأهميتها وعناية الله تعالى به ومحافظة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عليها وهذا محافظ على تركها لا يصليها فإنه كيف يكون معه إيمان لا يمكن أن يكون معه إيمان وهو يعرف أهمية الصلاة وبذلك تتم الأدلة الأربعة الكتاب والسنة وإجماع الصحابة والرابع ايش ؟ النظر الصحيح. استرح. If they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion. And We make the verses clear for a people who know. So Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, established brotherhood in religion with these three conditions. The first? The student: ... The Shaykh: Repentance from shirk. Well done. And the second? The student: ... The Shaykh: And the second is establishing prayer. And the third? The student: ... The Shaykh: Giving zakah. May Allah bless you. And that which is contingent upon something does not become established except by the existence of that thing; that is, the conditioned thing depends on the existence of what? The condition. And Allah the Exalted conditioned the establishment of brotherhood in religion upon the realization of these three things: repentance from shirk, establishing prayer, and giving zakah. If they do not repent from shirk, they are not our brothers. If they repent from shirk but do not establish prayer, they are not our brothers. If they repent from shirk and establish prayer but do not give zakah, they are not our brothers. And it is not possible for brotherhood in religion to be negated except by the negation of the entire religion. For brotherhood in religion is not negated in the greatest of the major sins other than shirk, which is killing the soul. Killing the soul without right is among the major sins. Allah the Exalted said regarding the killer: And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hellfire, to dwell therein forever, and the anger of Allah and His curse are upon him, and He has prepared for him a great punishment. And yet, if a man kills a protected man, he is his brother. What is the evidence? You. The student: ... The Shaykh: The evidence is His saying, the Exalted, in the verse of retaliation: So whoever is pardoned by his brother, then let there be follow-up in the proper way. Pardoned by his brother, meaning the one who was killed. So Allah the Exalted made the killer a brother to the one who was killed. But if brotherhood in religion is negated, then the entire religion is negated. And the verse we read, If they repent and establish prayer, indicates the negation of the entire religion, the negation of brotherhood in religion, if these three things do not occur. If someone says: Does your statement imply that one who withholds zakah out of stinginess is a disbeliever, like one who does not pray? Do you adhere to that? The answer: Yes, we adhere to it, were it not that the Sunnah prevented that. Otherwise, withholding zakah would be like abandoning prayer. But the Sunnah prevented the one who withholds zakah from being considered a disbeliever. What is the Sunnah that prevented this? Listen to it. In the hadith of Abu Hurayrah: There is no one who possesses gold or silver and does not pay its right, except that on the Day of Resurrection, plates of fire will be made for him, and they will be heated in the Fire of Hell, and his side, his forehead, and his back will be branded with them. Every time they cool, they will be returned to him on a day whose measure is fifty thousand years, until judgment is passed between the servants, and he will see his way, either to Paradise or to the Fire. This threat includes withholding zakah, and yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, then what? He will see his way, either to Paradise or to the Fire. And it is known that if he were a disbeliever, he would have no way to Paradise. So were it not for this hadith, we would have said that the one who withholds zakah becomes a disbeliever. And some scholars said so, meaning they said that the one who withholds zakah becomes a disbeliever. This is a narration from Imam Ahmad, and he reasoned that zakah is a companion of prayer in the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. This is evidence from where? From the Qur'an, regarding the disbelief of one who abandons prayer. What is the evidence from the Sunnah? What Muslim narrated in his Sahih from Jabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Between a man and shirk and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer. And the "between" implies separation between the two different things, so it implies that one who abandons prayer has nothing of faith with him, because he would then be what? A disbeliever. And the people of the Sunan narrated from Buraydah ibn al-Husayb that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The covenant between us and them is prayer, so whoever abandons it has disbelieved. And his saying: Between us and them, means what? Who? Between us and them, meaning the disbelievers, is prayer, so whoever abandons it has disbelieved. These are two evidences from the Sunnah, and they are corroborated, and also corroborated by the Noble Qur'an. The third evidence: The statements of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). For the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, said: There is no share in Islam for one who abandons prayer. And "no" is a negation of the genus, implying the complete negation of this description. And that one who abandons prayer has no share in Islam. And some scholars reported the consensus of the Companions that one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever. Among them is the famous Tabi'i, 'Abdullah ibn Shaqiq (may Allah have mercy on him), who said: The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider any of the deeds whose abandonment is disbelief except prayer. So these are three evidences: the Book, the Sunnah, and the statements of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), which was reported as a consensus. As for correct reasoning, it also indicates the disbelief of one who abandons prayer. Brother. The student: ... The Shaykh: Correct reasoning indicates the disbelief of one who abandons prayer. The point is this: One who persists in abandoning prayer while knowing its obligation and its importance, and Allah's, Glorified and Exalted is He, care for it, and the care of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for it, and this person persists in abandoning it and does not pray it, how can he have faith? It is not possible for him to have faith while he knows the importance of prayer. And with that, the four evidences are complete: the Book, the Sunnah, the consensus of the Companions, and the fourth is what? Correct reasoning. Rest.
The student: The two testimonies.
The Shaykh : The two testimonies: the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. May Allah bless you.
As for its ruling, it is obligatory by the consensus of the Muslims. Whoever denies its obligation is a disbeliever, unless he is a recent convert to Islam or one who grew up in a remote desert where he knows nothing of the rulings of Islam. In that case, if he denies its obligation, he is not declared a disbeliever, but he is taught and informed. If he denies it after he has been informed and has known, he becomes a disbeliever and an apostate by that. However, the scholars differed regarding one who abandons it out of negligence and laziness. Some scholars said that he becomes a disbeliever, while others said that he does not.
Those who said that he does not become a disbeliever cited evidence, and those who said that he does become a disbeliever also cited evidence.
So what is our position regarding this dispute? Our position in this dispute is to adhere to what Allah commanded us in His Book, where He said:
And if you disagree over anything
فإن تنازعتم في شيءThe student: ... .
The Shaykh :
refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.
فردوه إلى الله والرسول إن كنتم تؤمنون بالله واليوم الآخر ذلك خير وأحسن تأويلاAnd He said:
And in anything over which you disagree - its ruling is [to be referred] to Allah.
وما اختلفتم فيه من شيء فحكمه إلى اللهAllah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said regarding the polytheists: فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَنُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ . فجعل الله سبحانه وتعالى الأخوة في الدين ثابتة بهذه الشروط الثلاثة. الأول؟
الطالب : ... .
الشيخ : التوبة من الشرك أحسنت. والثاني؟
الطالب : ... .
الشيخ : والثاني إقامة الصلاة، والثالث؟
الطالب : ... .
الشيخ : إيتاء الزكاة، بارك الله فيك والمرتب على شيء لا يثبت إلا بوجود الشيء أي أن المشروط يتوقف على وجود ايش؟ الشرط وقد اشترط الله تعالى لثبوت الأخوة في الدين أن تتحق هذه الأمور الثلاثة : التوبة من الشرك، إقامة الصلاة، إيتاء الزكاة. فإن لم يتوبوا من الشرك فليسوا إخوة لنا إن تابوا من الشرك ولم يقيموا الصلاة فليسوا أخوة لنا. إن تابوا من الشرك وأقاموا الصلاة ولم يؤتوا الزكاة فليسوا أخوة لنا. ولا يمكن أن تنتفي الأخوة في الدين إلا بانتفاء الدين كله. إذ أن الاخوة في الدين لا تنتفي في أكبر الكبائر التي دون الشرك وهو قتل النفس، قتل النفس بغير حق من كبائر الذنوب قال الله تعالى في حق القاتل وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا . ومع ذلك إذا قتل الرجل رجلا معصوما فهو أخوه.
الدليل؟ أنت.
الطالب : ... .
الشيخ : الدليل قوله تعالى في آية القصاص : فمن عفي له من أخيه شيء فاتباع بالمعروف عفي له من أخيه أي المقتول فجعل الله تعالى القاتل مع الرجل أخا للمقتول أما إذا انتفت الأخوة في الدين فقد انتفى الدين كله. والآية التي قرأناها فإن تابوا وأقاموا الصلاة تدل على انتفاء الدين كله على انتفاء الأخوة في الدين إذا لم تحصل هذه الأمور الثلاثة.
فإن قال قائل : أن قولكم هذا يستلزم أن من منع الزكاة بخلا فهو كافر كمن لم يصلي فهل تلتزمون به؟
الجواب : نعم نلتزم به لولا أن السنة منعت من ذلك وإلا لكان منع الزكاة كترك الصلاة لكن السنة منعت أن يكون مانع الزكاة كافرا. ما هي السنة التي منعت؟ استمع اليها. في حديث أبي هريرة : مَا مِنْ صَاحِبِ ذَهَبٍ، وَلَا فِضَّةٍ لَا يُؤَدِّي مِنْهَا حَقَّهَا ، إِلَّا إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ صُفِّحَتْ لَهُ صَفَائِحُ مِنْ نَارٍ، فَأُحْمِيَ عَلَيْهَا فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ، فَيُكْوَى بِهَا جَنْبُهُ، وَجَبِينُهُ، وَظَهْرُهُ، كُلَّمَا بَرَدَتْ أُعِيدَتْ لَهُ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ، حَتَّى يُقْضَى بَيْنَ الْعِبَادِ، فَيَرَى سَبِيلَهُ ، إِمَّا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، وَإِمَّا إِلَى النَّارِ . فهذا الوعيد فيه منع الزكاة ومع ذلك قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم ايش؟ يرى سبيله إما إلى الجنة وإما إلى النار . ومن المعلوم أنه لو كان كافرا لم يكن له سبيل إلى الجنة فلولا هذا الحديث لقلنا إن مانع الزكاة يكفر. وقد قال به بعض العلماء أي قال بأن مانع الزكاة يكفر وهو رواية عن الإمام أحمد وعلل ذلك بأن الزكاة قرينة الصلاة في كتاب الله عز وجل هذا دليل منين على كفر تارك الصلاة دليل من أي شيء؟ من القرآن.
الدليل من السنة : ما رواه مسلم في صحيحه عن جابر بن عبد الله رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : بين الرجل وبين الشرك والكفر ترك الصلاة والبينية تقتضي المفاصلة بين المتباينين فتقتضي أن من ترك الصلاة فليس معه شيء من الإيمان لأنه يكون حينئذ ايش؟ كافرا.
وروى أهل السنن عن بريدة بن الحصيب أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : العهد الذي بيننا وبينهم الصلاة فمن تركها فقد كفر .
وقوله : بيننا وبينهم يعني ايش ؟ من ؟ بيننا وبينهم أي الكفار الصلاة فمن تركها فقد كفر.
هذان دليلان من السنة ومؤِيدان ومؤَيدان أيضا بالقرآن الكريم.
الدليل الثالث : أقوال الصحابة رضي الله عنهم فقد قال أمير المؤمنين عمر بن الخطاب : لا حظ في الإسلام لمن ترك الصلاة . ولا نافية للجنس تقتضي انتفاء هذا الوصف انتفاء كاملا. وأن من ترك الصلاة فلا حظ له في الإسلام وقد حكى بعض العلماء إجماع الصحابة على أن من ترك الصلاة فهو كافر ومنهم التابعي المشهور عبد الله بن شقيق رحمه الله حيث قال : كان أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لا يرون شيئا من الأعمال تركه كفر إلا الصلاة .
فهذه أدلة ثلاثة الكتاب والسنة وأقوال الصحابة رضي الله عنهم الذي حكي إجماعا.
أما النظر الصحيح فهو أيضا دال على كفر تارك الصلاة الأخ.
الطالب : ... .
الشيخ : النظر الصحيح دال على كفر تارك الصلاة. وجه ذلك : أن من حافظ على ترك الصلاة مع علمه بوجوبها وأهميتها وعناية الله تعالى به ومحافظة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عليها وهذا محافظ على تركها لا يصليها فإنه كيف يكون معه إيمان لا يمكن أن يكون معه إيمان وهو يعرف أهمية الصلاة وبذلك تتم الأدلة الأربعة الكتاب والسنة وإجماع الصحابة والرابع ايش ؟ النظر الصحيح. استرح. If they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion. And We make the verses clear for a people who know. So Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, established brotherhood in religion with these three conditions. The first? The student: ... The Shaykh: Repentance from shirk. Well done. And the second? The student: ... The Shaykh: And the second is establishing prayer. And the third? The student: ... The Shaykh: Giving zakah. May Allah bless you. And that which is contingent upon something does not become established except by the existence of that thing; that is, the conditioned thing depends on the existence of what? The condition. And Allah the Exalted conditioned the establishment of brotherhood in religion upon the realization of these three things: repentance from shirk, establishing prayer, and giving zakah. If they do not repent from shirk, they are not our brothers. If they repent from shirk but do not establish prayer, they are not our brothers. If they repent from shirk and establish prayer but do not give zakah, they are not our brothers. And it is not possible for brotherhood in religion to be negated except by the negation of the entire religion. For brotherhood in religion is not negated in the greatest of the major sins other than shirk, which is killing the soul. Killing the soul without right is among the major sins. Allah the Exalted said regarding the killer: And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hellfire, to dwell therein forever, and the anger of Allah and His curse are upon him, and He has prepared for him a great punishment. And yet, if a man kills a protected man, he is his brother. What is the evidence? You. The student: ... The Shaykh: The evidence is His saying, the Exalted, in the verse of retaliation: So whoever is pardoned by his brother, then let there be follow-up in the proper way. Pardoned by his brother, meaning the one who was killed. So Allah the Exalted made the killer a brother to the one who was killed. But if brotherhood in religion is negated, then the entire religion is negated. And the verse we read, If they repent and establish prayer, indicates the negation of the entire religion, the negation of brotherhood in religion, if these three things do not occur. If someone says: Does your statement imply that one who withholds zakah out of stinginess is a disbeliever, like one who does not pray? Do you adhere to that? The answer: Yes, we adhere to it, were it not that the Sunnah prevented that. Otherwise, withholding zakah would be like abandoning prayer. But the Sunnah prevented the one who withholds zakah from being considered a disbeliever. What is the Sunnah that prevented this? Listen to it. In the hadith of Abu Hurayrah: There is no one who possesses gold or silver and does not pay its right, except that on the Day of Resurrection, plates of fire will be made for him, and they will be heated in the Fire of Hell, and his side, his forehead, and his back will be branded with them. Every time they cool, they will be returned to him on a day whose measure is fifty thousand years, until judgment is passed between the servants, and he will see his way, either to Paradise or to the Fire. This threat includes withholding zakah, and yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, then what? He will see his way, either to Paradise or to the Fire. And it is known that if he were a disbeliever, he would have no way to Paradise. So were it not for this hadith, we would have said that the one who withholds zakah becomes a disbeliever. And some scholars said so, meaning they said that the one who withholds zakah becomes a disbeliever. This is a narration from Imam Ahmad, and he reasoned that zakah is a companion of prayer in the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. This is evidence from where? From the Qur'an, regarding the disbelief of one who abandons prayer. What is the evidence from the Sunnah? What Muslim narrated in his Sahih from Jabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Between a man and shirk and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer. And the "between" implies separation between the two different things, so it implies that one who abandons prayer has nothing of faith with him, because he would then be what? A disbeliever. And the people of the Sunan narrated from Buraydah ibn al-Husayb that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The covenant between us and them is prayer, so whoever abandons it has disbelieved. And his saying: Between us and them, means what? Who? Between us and them, meaning the disbelievers, is prayer, so whoever abandons it has disbelieved. These are two evidences from the Sunnah, and they are corroborated, and also corroborated by the Noble Qur'an. The third evidence: The statements of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). For the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, said: There is no share in Islam for one who abandons prayer. And "no" is a negation of the genus, implying the complete negation of this description. And that one who abandons prayer has no share in Islam. And some scholars reported the consensus of the Companions that one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever. Among them is the famous Tabi'i, 'Abdullah ibn Shaqiq (may Allah have mercy on him), who said: The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider any of the deeds whose abandonment is disbelief except prayer. So these are three evidences: the Book, the Sunnah, and the statements of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), which was reported as a consensus. As for correct reasoning, it also indicates the disbelief of one who abandons prayer. Brother. The student: ... The Shaykh: Correct reasoning indicates the disbelief of one who abandons prayer. The point is this: One who persists in abandoning prayer while knowing its obligation and its importance, and Allah's, Glorified and Exalted is He, care for it, and the care of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for it, and this person persists in abandoning it and does not pray it, how can he have faith? It is not possible for him to have faith while he knows the importance of prayer. And with that, the four evidences are complete: the Book, the Sunnah, the consensus of the Companions, and the fourth is what? Correct reasoning. Rest.