The Ruling on One Who Says to His Friend Who Does Not Pray, “You Are a Disbeliever”

Q: A conversation took place between me and a friend of mine regarding Islam, in which this friend stated that he does not pray at all. I told him, “You are a disbeliever,” because Allah the Exalted says: [al-Baqarah: 85]. He replied to me, “You are also like that,” and mentioned to me the saying: “Whoever declares a Muslim to be a disbeliever has himself become a disbeliever.” After that, I left him and went away so that the discussion would not heat up beyond where it had reached. What is the ruling on our conversation that took place between us, and do we sin for it?

A: The correct view is that one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever, even if he does not deny its obligation. This is the preferred and stronger opinion among the precise scholars of knowledge, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the authentic hadith: Narrated by Imam Ahmad and the people of the Sunan from Buraydah ibn al-Husayb (may Allah be pleased with him) with a sound chain; and based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih; and based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Narrated by Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on both of them) with a sound chain from Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) ; and based on other hadiths that came in this chapter.
It is obligatory for one who abandons prayer to repent to Allah, to hasten to perform it, to feel remorse for his past negligence, and to resolve not to return to it. This is what is obligatory for him.
Some scholars held that he is a sinner committing a major sin, and they classified this as minor shirk (associating partners with Allah). They argued with what came in the authentic hadiths regarding the virtue of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and that whoever dies upon it is among the people of Paradise, and the like of this. However, these do not indicate what is required, for what came regarding the virtue of tawhid and that whoever dies upon it is among the people of Paradise is only through his adherence to the matters of Islam, and among those is the matter of prayer. Whoever adheres to it obtains what was promised to the righteous, and whoever refuses obtains what was threatened for the unrighteous.
If a person says, “There is no god but Allah,” and affirms the oneness of Allah, but then denies the obligation of prayer, he is a disbeliever, and his saying “There is no god but Allah” or his affirmation of the oneness of Allah does not benefit him while he denies the obligation of prayer. Similarly, one who abandons it out of negligence, intentionally, and with little regard, his ruling is the ruling of one who denies its obligation in the correct of the scholars' opinions, and his testimony that there is no god but Allah does not benefit him, because he abandoned its right, for among its rights is that a person must perform the prayer.
Similarly, if one affirms the oneness of Allah and acknowledges that there is no god but Allah, but he mocks something of the religion of Allah, he becomes a disbeliever, as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: : Do not make excuses; you have become disbelievers after your faith [al-Tawbah: 65-66]. Similarly, if one says, “There is no god but Allah,” and affirms the oneness of Allah, but denies the obligation of zakah, or denies the obligation of fasting Ramadan, or denies the obligation of Hajj with the ability to perform it, or denies the prohibition of zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), or denies the prohibition of theft, or denies the prohibition of liwat (sodomy), or the like of that, then whoever denies their obligation is a disbeliever by consensus, even if he prays and fasts, and even if he says, “There is no god but Allah,” because these nullifiers corrupt his religion and make him free of Islam through these nullifiers. The believer should be aware of this matter.
Similarly, one who abandons prayer and is negligent with it is a disbeliever, even if he does not deny its obligation, in the most correct of the scholars' opinions, due to the aforementioned hadiths and what came in their meaning. So we ask Allah to rectify the conditions of the Muslims, and to return their disbelievers and sinners among the people to repentance, and among them is one who abandons prayer. So we ask Allah to guide him to Islam, and to return him to what Allah has obligated upon him of establishing prayer, and to grant him sincere and earnest repentance.
As for the hadith: , the intended meaning is: if the declaration of disbelief is in an inappropriate place, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: But this one who said, “You are a disbeliever” due to abandoning prayer, has spoken in its proper place, so the declaration of disbelief does not return to the speaker, and the speaker does not become a disbeliever, because the speaker has carried out the command of Allah, fulfilled the right of Allah, and clarified what Allah has obligated of declaring this type of people to be disbelievers. So he is rewarded and is not a disbeliever, because his words were in their proper place, and the disbeliever is the one who abandoned prayer and was stubborn and defiant.
We ask Allah for well-being for us and for all Muslims.