I knew a person twenty years ago, and we parted ways after that period. He did not pray from the time I knew him until he passed away. I do not know whether I should pray for his forgiveness or not.
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. This questioner from Sudan says: I knew a person twenty years ago, and we parted ways after that period. He did not pray from the time I knew him until he passed away. I do not know whether I should pray for his forgiveness or not?
The Shaykh : Do not pray for his forgiveness as long as he died while not praying, because if he dies while not praying, he dies a disbeliever, may Allah protect us from that, as indicated by the texts of the Book and the Sunnah and the statements of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them):
Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said in the noble Qur'an:[At-Tawbah 9:11] He made three conditions for the establishment of brotherhood in religion:
The first condition: repentance from shirk (associating partners with Allah).
The second: establishing the prayer.
The third: giving zakah (the obligatory alms).
It is well known that the condition is not fulfilled without the conditioned thing, and if brotherhood in religion is absent, religion is absent. This is from the Qur'an.
As for the Sunnah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam) And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 82b.
As for the statements of the Companions, more than one scholar has transmitted their consensus that they agreed on the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer. They are the forefront of the Ummah and the most knowledgeable of the Ummah regarding the Shari'ah of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). No hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly states that the one who abandons prayer is a believer and not a disbeliever; rather, general hadiths were reported, which are specific to the hadiths regarding the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer.
So, if a person dies while not praying, it is not permissible to wash him, shroud him, pray over him, or bury him with the Muslims, nor to pray for his forgiveness and mercy. Rather, he is taken out to a desolate area of land, where a hole is dug for him and he is thrown in, because he has no sanctity.
Were it not for the fear of people being harmed by his smell and his family being affected by it, we would have said he should be thrown on the ground like other carrion, as some scholars said regarding the innovators whose innovation is a major sin of disbelief.
In summary, the answer is: this companion who died while not praying, it is not permissible for his companion or anyone else to pray for his forgiveness and mercy.
The Shaykh : Do not pray for his forgiveness as long as he died while not praying, because if he dies while not praying, he dies a disbeliever, may Allah protect us from that, as indicated by the texts of the Book and the Sunnah and the statements of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them):
Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said in the noble Qur'an:
But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion
فإن تابوا وأقاموا الصلاة وآتوا الزكاة فإخوانكم في الدينThe first condition: repentance from shirk (associating partners with Allah).
The second: establishing the prayer.
The third: giving zakah (the obligatory alms).
It is well known that the condition is not fulfilled without the conditioned thing, and if brotherhood in religion is absent, religion is absent. This is from the Qur'an.
As for the Sunnah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is prayer; so whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.
العهد الذي بيننا وبينهم الصلاة فمن تركها فقد كفرBetween man and polytheism and unbelief is the abandonment of salat.
بين الرجل وبين الشرك والكفر ترك الصلاةAs for the statements of the Companions, more than one scholar has transmitted their consensus that they agreed on the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer. They are the forefront of the Ummah and the most knowledgeable of the Ummah regarding the Shari'ah of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). No hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly states that the one who abandons prayer is a believer and not a disbeliever; rather, general hadiths were reported, which are specific to the hadiths regarding the disbelief of the one who abandons prayer.
So, if a person dies while not praying, it is not permissible to wash him, shroud him, pray over him, or bury him with the Muslims, nor to pray for his forgiveness and mercy. Rather, he is taken out to a desolate area of land, where a hole is dug for him and he is thrown in, because he has no sanctity.
Were it not for the fear of people being harmed by his smell and his family being affected by it, we would have said he should be thrown on the ground like other carrion, as some scholars said regarding the innovators whose innovation is a major sin of disbelief.
In summary, the answer is: this companion who died while not praying, it is not permissible for his companion or anyone else to pray for his forgiveness and mercy.