This is his second question, in which he states that some people say that every act of worship is independent in itself, and they justify their abandonment of some of the obligatory duties while they perform others. For example, we find a man who prays but does not fast, or a woman who prays but does not cover her face with the khimar. If you ask her why she prays but does not observe the hijab, she says, "Everything is separate, and Allah will hold me accountable for the prayer alone and for the khimar alone." Some of them say, "I know it is obligatory, but the circumstances do not allow me to do it." What is your opinion on this? Is this not of the same kind as believing in part of the Book and disbelieving in part? And is the prayer of a woman who goes out uncovered a valid and acceptable prayer? And what is the ruling if it is her husband who prevents her from wearing the hijab?
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The questioner : This is his second question, in which he states that some people say that every act of worship is independent in itself, and they justify their abandonment of some of the obligatory duties while they perform others. For example, we find a man who prays but does not fast, or a woman who prays but does not cover her face with the khimar. If you ask her why she prays but does not observe the hijab, she says, "Everything is separate, and Allah will hold me accountable for the prayer alone and for the khimar alone." Some of them say, "I know it is obligatory, but the circumstances do not allow me to do it." What is your opinion on this? Is this not of the same kind as believing in part of the Book and disbelieving in part? And is the prayer of a woman who goes out uncovered a valid and acceptable prayer? And what is the ruling if it is her husband who prevents her from wearing the hijab?
The Shaykh : There is no doubt that acts of worship are divisible, and that each act of worship is independent in itself. This is prayer, this is charity, this is fasting, this is Hajj, and this is dutifulness to parents, and each has its own ruling. Each one is accepted from a person even if he is negligent in another, except for one act of worship, which is the prayer. If he abandons it, no other act of worship is accepted from him, because abandoning the prayer is disbelief that takes one out of the religion. And if it is a disbelief that takes one out of the religion, then no act of worship is accepted from a disbeliever, as Allah the Exalted said:[At-Tawbah 9:54] As for anything other than the prayer, if he abandons an act of worship and performs another act of worship, then the one he performed is accepted from him if it is done in the manner prescribed by the Shari'ah, even if he is negligent in the second act of worship, unless his abandonment of the second act of worship is an abandonment based on denial and rejection, which is something that takes one out of the religion by its rejection. In that case, no other acts of worship are accepted from him, as we mentioned a moment ago. As for the woman who prays while not observing the Shari'ah hijab, and the Shari'ah hijab is covering the face, the hands, and the places of temptation on the woman, then her prayer is valid, but she is sinful for abandoning the Shari'ah hijab. And if her husband orders her not to observe the hijab, then there is no obedience for him, and she must disobey him in obedience to Allah, because there is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to the Creator. [At-Tawbah 9:62] In this case, if she disobeys him, it is not permissible for him to be short in any of her obligations on the basis of this disobedience, claiming that she has shown marital defiance by disobeying him, because this is not marital defiance. Indeed, a woman's disobedience to her husband in obedience to Allah the Exalted and Sublime is not marital defiance in any way. Rather, a man should increase the value of his wife in his heart if she disobeys him in obedience to Allah the Exalted and Sublime, that is, for the sake of obeying Allah. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. This is a question from a female listener, a girl from Zarqa, Jordan.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt that acts of worship are divisible, and that each act of worship is independent in itself. This is prayer, this is charity, this is fasting, this is Hajj, and this is dutifulness to parents, and each has its own ruling. Each one is accepted from a person even if he is negligent in another, except for one act of worship, which is the prayer. If he abandons it, no other act of worship is accepted from him, because abandoning the prayer is disbelief that takes one out of the religion. And if it is a disbelief that takes one out of the religion, then no act of worship is accepted from a disbeliever, as Allah the Exalted said:
And what prevents their expenditures from being accepted from them but that they have disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger
وَمَا مَنَعَهُمْ أن تُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ نَفَقَاتُهُمْ إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِBut Allah and His Messenger are more worthy for them to satisfy, if they should be believers.
وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ يُرْضُوهُ إِنْ كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَThe questioner : May Allah reward you. This is a question from a female listener, a girl from Zarqa, Jordan.