The Ruling on One Who Deliberately Neglects Prayer Out of Negligence and the Ruling on Declaring Him a Disbeliever

The questioner: Finally, he asks and says: A conversation took place between me and a friend of mine about Islam, in which this friend said: “I do not pray at all.” So I said to him: “You are a disbeliever; because Allah the Exalted says: [al-Baqarah:85],” and he said to me: “You are also like that,” and he mentioned to me the saying: After that, I left him and went away so that the discussion would not heat up beyond what it had reached. What is the ruling on this conversation that took place between us? And do we sin for it?
The answer: The correct view is that one who neglects 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; due to 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), and due to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his companions): narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih, and due to 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 (may Allah be pleased with him), and other hadiths that came in this chapter. So it is obligatory for one who neglects prayer to repent to Allah, to hasten to perform it, to feel regret 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 disbelief as minor shirk, citing what came in the authentic hadiths regarding the virtue of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and that whoever dies upon it is from 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 from the people of Paradise is only through his adherence to the matters of Islam, and among them is the matter of prayer. So whoever adheres to it obtains what the righteous were promised, and whoever refuses obtains what the non-righteous were threatened with. If a person said: “There is no god but Allah” and affirmed the oneness of Allah, but then denied the obligation of prayer, he would be a disbeliever, and his saying “There is no god but Allah” or his affirmation of the oneness of Allah would not benefit him while he denies the obligation of prayer. Similarly, one who neglects it out of negligence and deliberately, with little concern, his ruling is the ruling of one who denies its obligation in the correct view, and his testimony that there is no god but Allah does not benefit him; because he neglected the right of this word, for the right of it is that he performs prayer. Similarly, if he affirmed the oneness of Allah and acknowledged that there is no god but Allah, but he mocked something of the religion of Allah, he would be a disbeliever, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [al-Tawbah:65-66]. Similarly, if he said: “There is no god but Allah” and affirmed the oneness of Allah, but denied the obligation of zakah, or denied the obligation of fasting Ramadan, or denied Hajj despite having the ability, or denied the prohibition of zina, or denied the prohibition of theft, or denied the prohibition of sodomy, or the like of that, then whoever denies these matters 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 alert to this matter. So similarly, one who neglects prayer and is negligent with it is a disbeliever, even if he does not deny its obligation, in the most correct of the two opinions of the scholars, 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 to repentance, and among them is one who neglects prayer. We ask Allah to guide him to Islam and return him to what Allah has obligated upon him of establishing prayer, and to grant him sincere and earnest repentance. And Allah is the Helper. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you, our Shaykh, I do not know if this questioner mentioned that he declared this specific person a disbeliever, meaning: he pronounced disbelief upon him, and this was a response to him with a saying. I do not know what the ruling is in this?
The Shaykh: Yes, his saying: This is if the takfir (declaring someone a disbeliever) is in an inappropriate place, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: But this one who said to him: “You are a disbeliever” regarding the neglect of prayer, his takfir occurred in its proper place. So this returns to the one who said it, so the one who said it is not a disbeliever. Rather, the one who said it has carried out the command of Allah and fulfilled the right of Allah and clarified what Allah has obligated of declaring this type of people disbelievers. So he is rewarded and is not a disbeliever. And the disbeliever is the one who neglected prayer and was stubborn and arrogant. We ask Allah for safety.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.