The Ruling on the One Who Abandons Prayer

The Shaykh : Prayer. Therefore, if a person abandons prayer, he is a disbeliever, a disbelief that takes him out of the religion. Even if he believes that it is obligatory. If a person says, "Yes, I testify that the five prayers are obligatory," but he is not praying, he has abandoned them, we say this man is a disbeliever, an apostate. We do not approve of the Jew remaining on his religion, but we do not approve of this; we do not approve of this; we kill him. Why? Because he is a disbeliever. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: This is a change of his religion; he moved from Islam to disbelief. The texts regarding the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer are well known from the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the statements of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and the correct view. More than one scholar has transmitted the consensus of the Companions on the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer, such as Ishaq ibn Rahawayh. And Abdullah ibn Shaqiq (may Allah have mercy on him), who is one of the famous Tabi'un, said: "The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not consider any act of worship whose abandonment is disbelief except prayer." And the one who knows the Shari'ah of Allah best, who is the most sincere in advising the servants of Allah, the most eloquent in speech, and the most pure in intention, said: And he said: What? O Glory be to Allah! This is what the Messenger says? We say, "He is not a disbeliever"? Glory be to You, Glory be to Allah. Rather, we say he is a disbeliever.
If someone were to say, "If you say this, it would follow that you must kill half the people," we say, "May Allah kill you! Half the people do not pray." He says, "I concede that a third of the people do not pray." A third of the people do not pray. Even if he said that one out of a million does not pray, you kill him. We say, if we kill one person for abandoning prayer, how many people will repent? Answer, everyone. If we kill one person because he abandoned prayer, the one who does not pray will come before the adhan is called. Do you understand, man? Okay, listen to the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). When He mentioned it, when He said (Mighty and Majestic): meaning the killer is killed. He said: He did not say "die" because if you kill the killer, he will refrain from killing. A scholar heard one person, I heard one person from one of the neighboring countries, who was arguing about cutting off the hand of the thief. He said, "How do we cut off the hand of the thief? The right hand is also the one with which he writes, takes, gives, and counts money, and does everything. How do we kill... If we cut off the hand of the thief," he said in these words, "If we cut off the hand of the thief, half the people would be disabled, having no right hand." His companion, who was debating with him, said to him, "You have now admitted that half of your people are thieves, right or not? Since you say this, 'If we cut off the hand of the thief, half the people would be disabled, their hands cut off,' you have now admitted that half of your people are thieves." And we say to you, if you cut off the hand of a thief, no thief will be found in the people. It is not that half the people are thieves. Is it clear or not clear? Clear. Okay, let us return.
What is the wisdom behind the obligation of fasting? Taqwa, the mindfulness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), by the indication of the Noble Qur'an and the pure Prophetic Sunnah. This fasting is the fasting of those who know Allah (Mighty and Majestic), those who understand the Shari'ah of Allah, those who have insight into the religion of Allah. As for the fasting of the common people, it is merely abstaining.