The Response to Those Who Cite This Hadith to Argue That One Who Abandons Prayer Does Not Become a Disbeliever
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The Shaykh : Some have cited this hadith to argue that one who abandons prayer does not become a disbeliever, because he said, “He limited himself to saying *La ilaha illa Allah* (There is no god but Allah).” So they say: If one who says *La ilaha illa Allah* and reaches Allah with that is forbidden from Paradise, then this is proof that one who abandons prayer does not become a disbeliever.
The Reader: The Fire
The Shaykh : Yes, the Fire. Allah has forbidden him from the Fire, so this is proof that one who abandons prayer does not become a disbeliever. We have two responses to this, or we have two answers regarding this:
The first answer is that this condition prevents one from abandoning prayer; rather, it prevents one from abandoning zakah, fasting, and Hajj. Because everyone who seeks something must seek to reach it by every means, by every means. Is there a path to reaching Allah by abandoning prayer? Absolutely not. If you, for example, seek wealth, do you work to obtain this wealth?
The Reader: Yes.
The Shaykh : No? You must work. The one who seeks the Face of Allah must work to reach it. And for this reason, this condition excludes one who abandons prayer. Because if one abandons prayer and claims that he seeks the Face of Allah by saying *La ilaha illa Allah*, we say to him: You have lied. If you were seeking the Face of Allah, you would have worked for it.
The second point is that we say this is a general statement, and the texts regarding abandoning prayer are specific. Meaning, he did not say this even if one abandons prayer. If he had said, “Even if he abandons prayer,” we would say yes. But this is a general statement that includes one who abandons all deeds, and it excludes one who abandons prayer by the texts indicating that abandoning it is disbelief. The one who cites this hadith is in the same predicament as others: he held a belief before he cited the evidence. And this predicament is a great one. We ask Allah to save us from it. That you hold a belief and then seek evidence. Be certain that if you hold a belief and then seek evidence, you will twist the necks of the texts to fit what you believe. But place yourself before the texts like a dead body before the washer. Do not move anything. As if you were created now for what? To adapt to anything? To the texts. Do not carry a belief, for carrying a belief may lead a person to desire, as seen in the actions of some jurists. Distinguished jurists, distinguished scholars. You find them, in order to follow one of the schools of jurisprudence, twisting the texts, twisting their necks, to agree with what they have adopted. And one of the closest results of that is that some jurists said: If a man purifies himself with the leftover water of a woman’s ablution, it is forbidden for him and his state of ritual impurity is not lifted. Do you understand me?
The Reader: Yes.
The Shaykh : For example, a woman performed wudu from a pot, then a man came after she had performed wudu and wanted to perform wudu from it. They said: It is not permissible. It is not permissible to perform wudu. Even if he performed wudu, his wudu would not be valid. Now, if a man performed wudu and then a woman came and performed wudu from his leftover water, there is no harm in that and her state of ritual impurity is lifted. What is the evidence? They said: Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What do we say?
The Reader: The woman likewise
The Shaykh : We say: And he also forbade the woman to perform wudu with the leftover water of a man’s ablution. You must either say this and that, or, yes, meaning it is obligatory for you to treat two matters equally. And the wonder is that the prohibition of a man performing wudu with the leftover water of a woman’s ablution has been contradicted by the Sunnah regarding its permissibility. The Sunnah has been transmitted regarding its permissibility, but the Sunnah has not been transmitted regarding the permissibility of a woman performing wudu with the leftover water of a man’s ablution. What is the Sunnah? The Sunnah is: So did he bathe with the leftover?
The Reader: Of the woman’s ablution
The Shaykh : Of the woman’s ablution. He bathed with the leftover water of the woman’s ablution, and this is proof of permissibility. And perhaps we say that this indicates the permissibility of a man performing wudu with the leftover water of a woman’s ablution, and the reverse as well, because his saying:Sunan Abi Dawud 68Sahih (Al-Albani) is a cause that includes both. In any case, I wanted to give you an example, and there are many examples. That some people of knowledge, when they adopt a school of jurisprudence and come upon the texts, try to change the texts in order to agree with the school. And this is a disease, we ask Allah for safety from it. And it is obligatory that a person be naive before the texts, as if he was just born, so that he follows the texts and the texts do not follow him.
The Reader: The Fire
The Shaykh : Yes, the Fire. Allah has forbidden him from the Fire, so this is proof that one who abandons prayer does not become a disbeliever. We have two responses to this, or we have two answers regarding this:
The first answer is that this condition prevents one from abandoning prayer; rather, it prevents one from abandoning zakah, fasting, and Hajj. Because everyone who seeks something must seek to reach it by every means, by every means. Is there a path to reaching Allah by abandoning prayer? Absolutely not. If you, for example, seek wealth, do you work to obtain this wealth?
The Reader: Yes.
The Shaykh : No? You must work. The one who seeks the Face of Allah must work to reach it. And for this reason, this condition excludes one who abandons prayer. Because if one abandons prayer and claims that he seeks the Face of Allah by saying *La ilaha illa Allah*, we say to him: You have lied. If you were seeking the Face of Allah, you would have worked for it.
The second point is that we say this is a general statement, and the texts regarding abandoning prayer are specific. Meaning, he did not say this even if one abandons prayer. If he had said, “Even if he abandons prayer,” we would say yes. But this is a general statement that includes one who abandons all deeds, and it excludes one who abandons prayer by the texts indicating that abandoning it is disbelief. The one who cites this hadith is in the same predicament as others: he held a belief before he cited the evidence. And this predicament is a great one. We ask Allah to save us from it. That you hold a belief and then seek evidence. Be certain that if you hold a belief and then seek evidence, you will twist the necks of the texts to fit what you believe. But place yourself before the texts like a dead body before the washer. Do not move anything. As if you were created now for what? To adapt to anything? To the texts. Do not carry a belief, for carrying a belief may lead a person to desire, as seen in the actions of some jurists. Distinguished jurists, distinguished scholars. You find them, in order to follow one of the schools of jurisprudence, twisting the texts, twisting their necks, to agree with what they have adopted. And one of the closest results of that is that some jurists said: If a man purifies himself with the leftover water of a woman’s ablution, it is forbidden for him and his state of ritual impurity is not lifted. Do you understand me?
The Reader: Yes.
The Shaykh : For example, a woman performed wudu from a pot, then a man came after she had performed wudu and wanted to perform wudu from it. They said: It is not permissible. It is not permissible to perform wudu. Even if he performed wudu, his wudu would not be valid. Now, if a man performed wudu and then a woman came and performed wudu from his leftover water, there is no harm in that and her state of ritual impurity is lifted. What is the evidence? They said: Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
A man does not perform wudu with the leftover water of a woman’s ablution, nor does a woman perform wudu with the leftover water of a man’s ablution
لايتوضأ الرجل بفضل طهور المرأة ولا المرأة بفضل طهور الرجلThe Reader: The woman likewise
The Shaykh : We say: And he also forbade the woman to perform wudu with the leftover water of a man’s ablution. You must either say this and that, or, yes, meaning it is obligatory for you to treat two matters equally. And the wonder is that the prohibition of a man performing wudu with the leftover water of a woman’s ablution has been contradicted by the Sunnah regarding its permissibility. The Sunnah has been transmitted regarding its permissibility, but the Sunnah has not been transmitted regarding the permissibility of a woman performing wudu with the leftover water of a man’s ablution. What is the Sunnah? The Sunnah is:
That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to perform wudu from a large vessel, and some of his wives had bathed in it, so he wanted to bathe in it. So some of his wives said to him: I was in a state of major ritual impurity and bathed in it. He said: Water does not become a cause of major ritual impurity, and he bathed in it
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أراد أن يتوضأ من جفنة _جفنة يعني : إناء كبير _ وكانت قد اغتسلت به منه بعض نسائه ، فأراد أن يغتسل منه ، فقالت له بعض نسائه إني كنت جنباً واغتسلت منه ، قال : إن الماء لا يُجنِب واغتسل منهThe Reader: Of the woman’s ablution
The Shaykh : Of the woman’s ablution. He bathed with the leftover water of the woman’s ablution, and this is proof of permissibility. And perhaps we say that this indicates the permissibility of a man performing wudu with the leftover water of a woman’s ablution, and the reverse as well, because his saying: