The ruling on one who repents from abandoning prayer and fasting out of laziness and ignorance
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He says: If a young man, at the beginning of his life, wasted some of the prayers and abandoned them, and likewise fasting, out of ignorance and laziness, and then repented and regretted it, does he have to make up the prayers and fasting he abandoned, knowing that he cannot determine their exact number? Please advise us, may Allah reward you, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer: He does not have to make up the missed prayers, and repentance is sufficient. If he did not pray or fast, or if he had other types of disbelief, then repentance is sufficient. Allah the Exalted says: [Al-Anfal: 38], and He the Exalted says: [Az-Zumar 39:53] meaning: through shirk and sins [Az-Zumar: 53]. The scholars have agreed that the aforementioned verse is about those who repent. So if he did not pray or fast, or if he cursed the religion, or if he associated partners with Allah, calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the people of the graves, or from idols and trees, then whenever he repents with a sincere repentance, Allah will accept his repentance. Sincere repentance includes three matters: regret for the past, sincere regret; abandoning the sin or shirk and leaving it; and the sincere resolve not to return to it, desiring what is with Allah, being sincere to Him, loving Him, and honoring Him. If this is the case, this repentance erases what came before it, of all types of shirk and sins.
The first matter: regret for the past, out of fear of Allah and honoring Him.
The second matter: abandoning the sins, the disbelief and the transgressions.
The third matter: the sincere resolve not to return to it.
So whenever he does this, out of fear of Allah and honoring Him, desiring what is with Him, and being sincere to Him, the Exalted, Allah will accept his repentance and erase all his sins from him. He does not have to make up the missed prayers, nor fasting, nor anything else. Repentance wipes out what came before it. And if he has a right owed to the created beings, then the fourth matter is necessary, which is returning their rights to them, such as thefts and usurpations; he gives them their rights. Likewise, retaliation: if he killed one of them, he gives them their right through retaliation or blood money. It is necessary to perform the right for the created being, or to seek their forgiveness if they forgive and pardon him; there is no harm in that.
As for if his action was not major shirk, such as abandoning fasting only, while he prays but was negligent in some of the fasting, then he must make it up. If he prays but was negligent in some of the fasting, or in zakat, not paying it, he is not a disbeliever. Abandoning fasting is not disbelief if he believes in its obligation and that Ramadan is obligatory upon him, but he was lax and neglected some of the fasting; he must make it up. He has to make up the missed fasts and repent to Allah, and he has to pay the zakat for the past if he was not paying it, along with sincere repentance. And Allah accepts the repentance of those who repent.
As for abandoning prayer, it is major shirk, we seek refuge in Allah from that. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith:Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . So prayer is a great matter, and it is the pillar of Islam. Whoever preserves it preserves his religion, and whoever wastes it wastes his religion. We ask Allah for safety.
So it is obligatory for every Muslim to be wary of abandoning it and being lax with it. All of them, men and women, should fear Allah, and preserve the five prayers in their times, and the man should perform them in congregation. This is the obligation for all. Whoever wastes it and is negligent with it and abandons it is a disbeliever, we ask Allah for safety, according to the most correct opinion of the scholars.
As for one who denies its obligation and says: "It is not obligatory," this is disbelief according to everyone, according to the entire Ummah, according to all the scholars of knowledge. Whoever says that it is not obligatory, or that one of them is not obligatory, such as Zuhr, or Asr, or Maghrib, or Isha, or Fajr, is a disbeliever by consensus. But if he believes that it is obligatory but is lax and abandons it, or some of it, then he is a disbeliever by that, we ask Allah for safety. But if he prays, but in the house, then he is a sinner and he has to repent to Allah and pray in congregation. His prayer is valid and he does not have to repeat it, but he has to pray in congregation and repent for what has passed. If he does not pray in congregation but prays in the house, he must pray with the congregation, and repent to Allah for what has passed.
As for women, they should pray in the house. The Sunnah for them is to pray in their houses. And if a woman prays with the congregation, her prayer is valid, but the best for women is to pray in the house. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Answer: He does not have to make up the missed prayers, and repentance is sufficient. If he did not pray or fast, or if he had other types of disbelief, then repentance is sufficient. Allah the Exalted says:
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them
قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ يَنتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُمْ مَا قَدْ سَلَفَSay, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْdo not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُThe first matter: regret for the past, out of fear of Allah and honoring Him.
The second matter: abandoning the sins, the disbelief and the transgressions.
The third matter: the sincere resolve not to return to it.
So whenever he does this, out of fear of Allah and honoring Him, desiring what is with Him, and being sincere to Him, the Exalted, Allah will accept his repentance and erase all his sins from him. He does not have to make up the missed prayers, nor fasting, nor anything else. Repentance wipes out what came before it. And if he has a right owed to the created beings, then the fourth matter is necessary, which is returning their rights to them, such as thefts and usurpations; he gives them their rights. Likewise, retaliation: if he killed one of them, he gives them their right through retaliation or blood money. It is necessary to perform the right for the created being, or to seek their forgiveness if they forgive and pardon him; there is no harm in that.
As for if his action was not major shirk, such as abandoning fasting only, while he prays but was negligent in some of the fasting, then he must make it up. If he prays but was negligent in some of the fasting, or in zakat, not paying it, he is not a disbeliever. Abandoning fasting is not disbelief if he believes in its obligation and that Ramadan is obligatory upon him, but he was lax and neglected some of the fasting; he must make it up. He has to make up the missed fasts and repent to Allah, and he has to pay the zakat for the past if he was not paying it, along with sincere repentance. And Allah accepts the repentance of those who repent.
As for abandoning prayer, it is major shirk, we seek refuge in Allah from that. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith:
The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is prayer; so whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.
العهد الذي بيننا وبينهم الصلاة فمن تركها فقد كفرBetween a man and disbelief and shirk (associating partners with Allah) is the abandonment of prayer.
بين الرجل وبين الكفر والشرك ترك الصلاةSo it is obligatory for every Muslim to be wary of abandoning it and being lax with it. All of them, men and women, should fear Allah, and preserve the five prayers in their times, and the man should perform them in congregation. This is the obligation for all. Whoever wastes it and is negligent with it and abandons it is a disbeliever, we ask Allah for safety, according to the most correct opinion of the scholars.
As for one who denies its obligation and says: "It is not obligatory," this is disbelief according to everyone, according to the entire Ummah, according to all the scholars of knowledge. Whoever says that it is not obligatory, or that one of them is not obligatory, such as Zuhr, or Asr, or Maghrib, or Isha, or Fajr, is a disbeliever by consensus. But if he believes that it is obligatory but is lax and abandons it, or some of it, then he is a disbeliever by that, we ask Allah for safety. But if he prays, but in the house, then he is a sinner and he has to repent to Allah and pray in congregation. His prayer is valid and he does not have to repeat it, but he has to pray in congregation and repent for what has passed. If he does not pray in congregation but prays in the house, he must pray with the congregation, and repent to Allah for what has passed.
As for women, they should pray in the house. The Sunnah for them is to pray in their houses. And if a woman prays with the congregation, her prayer is valid, but the best for women is to pray in the house. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.