The Ruling on the Fasting and Worship of One Who Does Not Pray

Question: There are those who fast and perform acts of worship, but they do not pray. Is their fasting and worship accepted?

Answer: In the name of Allah, and praise is due to Allah: The correct view is that one who deliberately abandons prayer commits major shirk (associating partners with Allah) thereby, and consequently his fasting and other acts of worship are not valid until he repents to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He); based on the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) : [Al-An'am: 88] and the verses and hadiths that convey its meaning.
A group of scholars held that one does not commit major shirk (associating partners with Allah) thereby, and his fasting and worship are not invalidated if he acknowledges the obligation but abandons prayer out of negligence and laziness. However, the correct view is the first one, which is that he commits major shirk (associating partners with Allah) by abandoning it if he does so deliberately, even if he acknowledges its obligation; due to many pieces of evidence, among which is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): narrated by Muslim in his Sahih from the hadith of Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), and his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): narrated by Imam Ahmad and the people of the four Sunan collections with a sound chain from the hadith of Buraydah al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) . The scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) elaborated on this in a separate treatise on the rulings of prayer and its abandonment, which is a beneficial treatise that is good to consult and benefit from.