The Ruling on Abandoning Prayer While Acknowledging Its Obligation
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Question:
A man acknowledges that prayer is obligatory, but he does not pray. Is it permissible to eat with him and sit with him?
Answer:
If he acknowledges that prayer is obligatory but does not pray, the scholars have differed on this: does he become a disbeliever by major shirk, or is his disbelief minor shirk? There are two opinions.
What is known from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is that he is a disbeliever by major shirk, not minor, and that it is not permissible to marry him or greet him with salam. Rather, he must be boycotted, and he must be asked to repent. If he repents, well and good; otherwise, he is killed as a disbeliever.
Others said: It is a disbelief less than disbelief, and it is greater than zina, greater than drinking intoxicants, and the like, but it is not major shirk if he acknowledges that it is obligatory upon him, but his desires overcame him and he abandoned it. Many of them said: It is minor shirk, but it is above zina, above drinking intoxicants, and above the rest of sins. However, he is washed when he dies and prayed over. This is what a group of scholars said.
The correct view is the first opinion, and the stronger opinion is the first one: that it is major shirk, and that as long as he does not pray, he is considered a disbeliever. He must be asked to repent, and if he repents, well and good; otherwise, he is killed as a disbeliever. He is separated from his family, and he is not washed, nor buried in the graves of Muslims, nor does his Muslim relatives inherit from him. Rather, his wealth belongs to the public treasury if he has any wealth.
The evidence for this is hadiths, or rather, verses from Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He). He informed us in His great Book about the prayer, its status, commanded it, and encouraged it in many places, as He said : [al-Baqarah:43] [al-Baqarah:238], among others. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that it is the pillar of Islam. He said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2616Hasan (Darussalam) And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam) It was narrated by the people of the Sunan with a sound chain.
And Muslim narrated it in the Sahih from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: And when it was said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the rulers in whom good and evil are known, meaning they have mixed them, they said: O Messenger of Allah, should we not fight them? He said: Sahih Muslim 1855a And in another narration he said: So open disbelief was explained as not establishing the prayer. Therefore, whoever does not establish the prayer and does not pray has committed open disbelief, we seek refuge in Allah.
A man acknowledges that prayer is obligatory, but he does not pray. Is it permissible to eat with him and sit with him?
Answer:
If he acknowledges that prayer is obligatory but does not pray, the scholars have differed on this: does he become a disbeliever by major shirk, or is his disbelief minor shirk? There are two opinions.
What is known from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is that he is a disbeliever by major shirk, not minor, and that it is not permissible to marry him or greet him with salam. Rather, he must be boycotted, and he must be asked to repent. If he repents, well and good; otherwise, he is killed as a disbeliever.
Others said: It is a disbelief less than disbelief, and it is greater than zina, greater than drinking intoxicants, and the like, but it is not major shirk if he acknowledges that it is obligatory upon him, but his desires overcame him and he abandoned it. Many of them said: It is minor shirk, but it is above zina, above drinking intoxicants, and above the rest of sins. However, he is washed when he dies and prayed over. This is what a group of scholars said.
The correct view is the first opinion, and the stronger opinion is the first one: that it is major shirk, and that as long as he does not pray, he is considered a disbeliever. He must be asked to repent, and if he repents, well and good; otherwise, he is killed as a disbeliever. He is separated from his family, and he is not washed, nor buried in the graves of Muslims, nor does his Muslim relatives inherit from him. Rather, his wealth belongs to the public treasury if he has any wealth.
The evidence for this is hadiths, or rather, verses from Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He). He informed us in His great Book about the prayer, its status, commanded it, and encouraged it in many places, as He said :
And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience].
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَMaintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer
حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَىThe head of the matter is Islam, and its pillar is the Salat
رأس الأمر الإسلام، وعموده الصلاةThe 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 كفرAnd Muslim narrated it in the Sahih from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Between a man and disbelief and shirk (associating partners with Allah) is the abandonment of prayer
بين الرجل، وبين الكفر، والشرك ترك الصلاةNo, as long as they establish prayer among you.
لا ما أقاموا فيكم الصلاةUnless you see open disbelief.
ما لم تروا كفرًا بواحًا
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.