Text copied Link copied

Al-Fatawa – home

﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

Scholar
Search mode

What is the obligation toward relatives who abandon prayer?

Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Your Eminence! If a person is afflicted with someone like those mentioned in the letters, a mother who does not pray, or a sister, or even relatives or brothers, how should he act?
Answer: The obligation is to advise them and warn them of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), cautioning them against the consequences of their evil deeds. If they repent, praise be to Allah; otherwise, it is obligatory to boycott them. They are not to be visited, their invitations are not to be accepted, and they are not to be invited to a wedding feast or anything else. Rather, they are to be boycotted until they repent to Allah. This is what the scholars have stated. It is obligatory to boycott them because they have committed a great evil, until Allah grants success to the rulers to establish the punishment upon them by calling them to repentance. If they repent, well and good; otherwise, it is obligatory for the ruler to execute them. There is no doubt in this, and it is the position of the majority of the scholars that one who does not repent is executed. If he abandons prayer and is called to repent but does not repent, he is executed. This is based on the saying of the Exalted:
But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their wayفَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ
[Surah al-Tawbah: 5], which indicates that one who does not pray is not left alone. And based on his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying:
I have been prohibited from killing people who pray.إني نهيت عن قتل المصلين
Sunan Abi Dawud 4928Sahih (Al-Albani)
, which indicates that one who does not pray is not left alone but is executed if he does not repent. There are many proofs indicating this meaning. Yes.
As for the mother, she has a special status. The mother and the father have a special status. One must strive to advise them, but one does not boycott them. The parents have a great right, even if they are disbelievers. Because Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said regarding disbelieving parents:
But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey themوَإِنْ جَاهَدَاكَ عَلى أَنْ تُشْرِكَ بِي مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلا تُطِعْهُمَا
[Luqman 31:15]
Then He said after that:
but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindnessوَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا
[Surah Luqman: 15]. So He commanded to accompany them in this world with kindness, even though they are disbelievers. This is only because of the greatness of the parents' right. So if a son's father does not pray or commits another act of disbelief, or if his mother is the same, he should advise them frequently and not cut them off, but rather be good to them. He should strive to call them to good, Islam, and righteousness, perhaps Allah will guide them through His means. In any case, he should be gentle with them, be good to them, and call them to good, until they die or Allah guides them. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

Similar fatwas