How to reconcile the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) statement about a group who will enter Paradise without having prostrated to Allah with the hadiths regarding the disbelief of one who abandons prayer?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh: How do you reconcile the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) statement about a group who will enter Paradise without having prostrated to Allah with the hadiths regarding the disbelief of one who abandons prayer?
The Shaykh : The Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) statement that they will enter Paradise without having prostrated to Allah is understood to refer to people who were ignorant of the obligation of prayer, such as those in lands far from Islam or in a desert where they heard nothing about prayer. Alternatively, it refers to those who died immediately after embracing Islam without having prostrated to Allah. We say this because the hadith you mentioned is among the ambiguous hadiths, while the hadiths regarding the disbelief of one who abandons prayer are clear and decisive. It is obligatory for the believer, when using the Qur'an or the Sunnah as evidence, to interpret the ambiguous in light of the clear.
Following the ambiguous and discarding the clear is the way of those whose hearts are inclined toward deviation, may Allah protect us from that, as Allah the Exalted said:[Ali 'Imran 3:7].
Perhaps you have heard the story of al-Asir from the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, who went out to Uhud and was killed. His people found him on his last breath and said, "O so-and-so! What brought you here? We know that you disliked Islam. Was it because you were a hunchback among your people, or was it a desire for Islam?" He said, "No, it was a desire for Islam." Then he asked them to convey his salam to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). They informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and I think he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6607 Even though this man had not prostrated to Allah, Allah granted him a good ending. We ask Allah to grant us and you a good ending.
The Shaykh : The Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) statement that they will enter Paradise without having prostrated to Allah is understood to refer to people who were ignorant of the obligation of prayer, such as those in lands far from Islam or in a desert where they heard nothing about prayer. Alternatively, it refers to those who died immediately after embracing Islam without having prostrated to Allah. We say this because the hadith you mentioned is among the ambiguous hadiths, while the hadiths regarding the disbelief of one who abandons prayer are clear and decisive. It is obligatory for the believer, when using the Qur'an or the Sunnah as evidence, to interpret the ambiguous in light of the clear.
Following the ambiguous and discarding the clear is the way of those whose hearts are inclined toward deviation, may Allah protect us from that, as Allah the Exalted said:
It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation
هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِPerhaps you have heard the story of al-Asir from the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, who went out to Uhud and was killed. His people found him on his last breath and said, "O so-and-so! What brought you here? We know that you disliked Islam. Was it because you were a hunchback among your people, or was it a desire for Islam?" He said, "No, it was a desire for Islam." Then he asked them to convey his salam to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). They informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and I think he said: