The ruling on a wife who does not pray or does not know how to recite al-Fatihah
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He says: I am married to two women, but neither of them prays; they only fast in the month of Ramadan. I have ordered them to pray more than once. One of them prayed for a few days, but when I returned from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, I found that she had abandoned prayer. The other says that she does not know anything of the Qur'an, not even al-Fatihah. Please advise us on what we should do?
Answer: You must seek their repentance and explain to them the great importance of prayer, that it is the pillar of Islam, and that abandoning it is disbelief. If they repent, praise be to Allah, they will remain with you. If they do not repent, it is obligatory for you to separate from them, and Allah will give you something better than them. Whoever abandons something for the sake of Allah, Allah will replace it with something better. Allah the Exalted says: [Al-Talaq: 2-3] And He the Exalted says: [Al-Talaq: 4]. The ignorant one should learn al-Fatihah and the short surahs at appropriate times when her heart is empty and present. She should learn it and strive in that, and you will have a great reward. If she is unable to recite al-Fatihah, she should recite the dhikr in its place, saying: Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, and La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, while standing in prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the one who is unable to recite al-Fatihah to recite this dhikr. So if she is unable, she recites this dhikr, but with the attempt, if Allah wills, at the appropriate times, if Allah wills, she will memorize and learn it. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. You mean: seeking their repentance is by them performing the prayer, right?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The presenter: And if they do not repent, he must separate from them?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good
Answer: You must seek their repentance and explain to them the great importance of prayer, that it is the pillar of Islam, and that abandoning it is disbelief. If they repent, praise be to Allah, they will remain with you. If they do not repent, it is obligatory for you to separate from them, and Allah will give you something better than them. Whoever abandons something for the sake of Allah, Allah will replace it with something better. Allah the Exalted says:
And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out (3) And will provide for him from where he does not expect.
وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لا يَحْتَسِبُAnd whoever fears Allah - He will make for him of his matter ease.
وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ يُسْرًاThe presenter: May Allah reward you with good. You mean: seeking their repentance is by them performing the prayer, right?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The presenter: And if they do not repent, he must separate from them?
The Shaykh: 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.