The ruling on one who fasts Ramadan while neglecting prayer
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Question:
Some young men, may Allah guide them, are lazy about prayer in Ramadan and other times, but they maintain their fasting in Ramadan and endure thirst and hunger. So what do you advise them, and what is the ruling on their fasting?
Answer:
My advice to these people is to think carefully about their situation, and to know that prayer is the most important pillar of Islam after the two testimonies. And whoever does not pray and neglects prayer, then according to the stronger opinion in my view, which is supported by the evidence of the Book and the Sunnah, he becomes a disbeliever with a disbelief that takes him out of the religion, an apostate from Islam. So the matter is not light, because a disbeliever who has apostatized from Islam is not accepted for him any fasting, nor charity, nor any deed; because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Tawbah: 54].
So Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) made clear that their expenditures, although they are of benefit to others, are not accepted from them because of their disbelief. And He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Al-Furqan: 23]. And these people who fast and do not pray, their fasting is not accepted; rather, it is returned to them, as long as we say that they are disbelievers, as indicated by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
So my advice to them is to fear Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and to maintain prayer and perform it at its times with the congregation of the Muslims. And I guarantee them, with the help of Allah, that if they do that, they will find in their hearts a strong desire in Ramadan and after Ramadan to perform prayer at its times with the congregation of the Muslims.
If a person repents to his Lord and turns to Him and repents to Him with sincere repentance, then he may be better after the repentance than he was before it. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) mentioned regarding Adam (peace be upon him) that after what happened to him of eating from the tree, Allah the Exalted said: [Ta-Ha: 122].
Some young men, may Allah guide them, are lazy about prayer in Ramadan and other times, but they maintain their fasting in Ramadan and endure thirst and hunger. So what do you advise them, and what is the ruling on their fasting?
Answer:
My advice to these people is to think carefully about their situation, and to know that prayer is the most important pillar of Islam after the two testimonies. And whoever does not pray and neglects prayer, then according to the stronger opinion in my view, which is supported by the evidence of the Book and the Sunnah, he becomes a disbeliever with a disbelief that takes him out of the religion, an apostate from Islam. So the matter is not light, because a disbeliever who has apostatized from Islam is not accepted for him any fasting, nor charity, nor any deed; because of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And what prevents their expenditures from being accepted from them but that they have disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger and that they come not to prayer except while they are lazy and that they do not spend except while they are unwilling.
وَمَا مَنَعَهُمْ أَنْ تُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ نَفَقَاتُهُمْ إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِ وَلَا يَأْتُونَ الصَّلَاةَ إِلَّا وَهُمْ كُسَالَى وَلَا يُنْفِقُونَ إِلَّا وَهُمْ كَارِهُونَSo Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) made clear that their expenditures, although they are of benefit to others, are not accepted from them because of their disbelief. And He said (Glorified and Exalted is He):
And We will regard what they have done of deeds and make them as dust dispersed.
وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَى مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَنْثُورًاSo my advice to them is to fear Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and to maintain prayer and perform it at its times with the congregation of the Muslims. And I guarantee them, with the help of Allah, that if they do that, they will find in their hearts a strong desire in Ramadan and after Ramadan to perform prayer at its times with the congregation of the Muslims.
If a person repents to his Lord and turns to Him and repents to Him with sincere repentance, then he may be better after the repentance than he was before it. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) mentioned regarding Adam (peace be upon him) that after what happened to him of eating from the tree, Allah the Exalted said:
Then his Lord chose him and turned to him in forgiveness and guided [him].
ثُمَّ اجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ وَهَدَى
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.