The Ruling on One Who Abandons Prayer Out of Negligence

We return at the beginning of our session to the letter of our brother, the Sudanese teacher from Yemen (Q. A. S.). We addressed most of his questions in a previous session, and in this session he has a question that says: I heard on the program that one who abandons prayer out of negligence is a disbeliever, a disbeliever who is expelled from the religion. However, the Shafi'is say in the book *Al-Nafahat al-Samadiyyah*: that he—meaning the one who abandons prayer—is given the opportunity to repent, and if he does not, he is killed, prayed over, washed, and buried in the Muslim cemeteries. What is your opinion, Your Eminence? May Allah reward you with the best reward.
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance.
As for what follows: It is known that abandoning prayer out of negligence is among the greatest of major sins and among the gravest of crimes; because prayer is the pillar of Islam and the greatest pillar after the two testimonies. Therefore, abandoning it is among the ugliest of abominations and among the greatest of major sins.
The scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, differed regarding the ruling on one who abandons it: whether he becomes a disbeliever with major disbelief, or whether his ruling is the ruling of the people of major sins? There are two positions among the people of knowledge. Some said: He becomes a disbeliever with minor disbelief, as the questioner mentioned regarding the Shafi'is, and similarly regarding the Maliki, Hanafi, and some Hanbali scholars. They said: What is reported regarding his declaration as a disbeliever is to be understood as disbelief less than disbelief, and they relied on the hadiths indicating that whoever dies upon the oneness of Allah and abandons shirk (associating partners with Allah) has Paradise. This is a monotheist who died upon the oneness of Allah, so he does not become a disbeliever with major disbelief.
However, if he denies its obligation, saying: It is not obligatory, then the scholars have agreed upon his disbelief if he believes that it is not obligatory and says: It is not required; whoever wishes prays and whoever wishes abandons it. The scholars of the Muslims have agreed that he is a disbeliever with major disbelief according to the Shafi'is, Hanbalis, Malikis, Hanafis, and others among the people of knowledge. The disagreement is only regarding one who abandons it out of mere negligence while he believes in its obligation.
Some of the people of knowledge said: He becomes a disbeliever with major disbelief. This is what is transmitted from the Companions and the followers of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is established from the hadith of Abdullah ibn Shaqiq al-Aqili, the great Tabi'i, who said: It is known that they consider attacking lineages and wailing over the dead to be a type of disbelief, and disavowal of lineages to be a type of disbelief, but it is minor disbelief. Thus, it is known that his intention by that is that abandoning prayer is major disbelief, not of the same kind as what is named "disbelief" in the texts, which is minor disbelief.
They also argued with what is established in *Sahih Muslim* from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: They also argued with what Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah narrated with a sound chain from Buraydah ibn al-Husayb (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: And with his statement (peace and blessings be upon him) when he was asked about the rulers who abandon some of what Allah has made obligatory and engage in some of what Allah has forbidden; the questioner asked about fighting them, and he said: And in the other wording: .
This indicates that abandoning prayer is open disbelief, and there are other proofs for this. This is the correct opinion, even if those who hold it are fewer than those who say it is minor disbelief, but the criterion is the evidence, not the number of people. Allah (the Exalted) says: : [Al-Nisa: 59], and He says, Exalted is He: [Al-Shura: 10].
Thus, the legal evidence stands that abandoning it is major disbelief, even if it is out of negligence without denying its obligation. As for what concerns dying upon the oneness of Allah, it is said: One who abandons prayer does not die upon the oneness of Allah, but rather dies upon disbelief. His statement (peace and blessings be upon him): And prayer is part of its right.
This is indicated by his statement in another hadith in the two Sahihs, where he (peace and blessings be upon him) says: And He, Glorious and Majestic is He, says about the people of the Fire: They said: We were not among those who prayed And we did not feed the poor And we used to engage in idle talk with those who engaged in it And we used to deny the Day of Recompense [Al-Muddaththir: 42-46].
He mentioned that among the causes of their entering the Fire is their abandoning of prayer. He mentioned that among the causes of their entering the Fire is their abandoning of prayer. We ask Allah for safety. Therefore, it is obligatory upon the people of Islam, men and women, to beware of abandoning prayer out of negligence or denial of its obligation. Whoever denies its obligation is a disbeliever by consensus, and whoever abandons it out of negligence and laxity is a disbeliever according to the most correct of the two opinions of the scholars. Therefore, it is obligatory to beware. We ask Allah for the Muslims for safety and well-being. Yes.
The presenter: So what was said on the program is the correct and the stronger position?
The Shaykh: Yes, it is the correct one. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah bless you. Your Eminence, regarding those who interpret the texts knowingly or unknowingly, for example, saying: Some of them, for example, were questioned about the issue of prayer and said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) says: I ask Your Eminence to guide the people in understanding the texts and how they must deal with texts that contain such principles.
The Shaykh: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: This is how the hadith came: And abandoning prayer is among the greatest of major sins, even according to the opinion that abandoning it is not major disbelief; abandoning it is among the greatest of major sins.
In another wording, he said: So whoever commits major sins, prayer, fasting, zakah, Friday prayer, or anything else does not expiate them for him. For this reason, the majority of the people of knowledge said: Performing the obligatory duties and abandoning major sins expiates the minor sins, but major sins are not expiated except by repentance to Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He. For this reason, He, Glorious and Majestic is He, says: [Al-Nisa: 31] meaning: the minor sins [Al-Nisa: 31]. So if you hear texts that mention the expiation of sins by some righteous deeds, know that this is conditional upon avoiding major sins.
The presenter: Conditional.
The Shaykh: Avoiding major sins, such as his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): And his statement: meaning: if he abandons sins, he abandons major sins. For this reason, he said: And similarly his statement: The one who is well-rewarded is not one who persists in major sins. And similarly the rest of the deeds in which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) links the expiation of sins to the righteous deed, meaning: upon avoiding major sins, such as his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): meaning: upon avoiding major sins. Similarly, his statement (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding fasting on the day of Ashura: meaning: upon avoiding major sins; because of His statement, Glorious and Exalted is He: [Al-Nisa: 31], and because of his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): , , These are wordings that came in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And when he mentioned wudu, peace and blessings be upon him, and that whoever performs wudu like his wudu, he is forgiven, he said: The scholars said: And the "muqtalah" is the major sin, meaning upon avoiding major sins. We ask Allah for safety and well-being. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. These major sins that are not expiated except by abandoning them; it would be kind of you to mention some of them and the most severe of them, Your Eminence?
The Shaykh: These are the great, major sins. The great sins for which there is a threat, either with anger, curse, or Fire, or for which there is a fixed punishment in this world, such as theft, unlawful sexual intercourse, drinking intoxicants, undutifulness to parents, severing family ties, consuming usury or interest, consuming the wealth of orphans, falsely accusing chaste, unaware, believing women, and killing a soul without right, and similar to that from what the texts have come with a threat, either with anger from Allah upon its doer, or a curse, or a threat of Fire, or a fixed punishment in this world, such as the punishment for theft and unlawful sexual intercourse and the like. These are the major sins, according to the stronger of the opinions of the people of knowledge, that the major sin is what has a fixed punishment in this world, or for which there is a threat of Fire, anger, or curse.
Some of the people of knowledge said: This includes the sins for which faith is denied to their doer, or from which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disavows, for they are included among the major sins. Such as his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): meaning: upon calamity. The "salqah" is the one who raises her voice upon calamity, upon the death of her father or brother. The "haalqah" is the one who shaves her hair or plucks it. The "shaqqah" is the one who tears her garment.
And in the other wording: This indicates that this is among the major sins according to a group of the people of knowledge because of this threat: "Not from us," "I am innocent of it," and the denial of faith, such as his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): And his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): meaning: his oppression and transgression, and similar to that from the texts.
This is what some of the people of knowledge say: That these are also included among the major sins, if faith is denied to their doer, or the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disavows them, or says about them: "Not from us." They are included among the sins that have a curse, or anger, or a threat of Fire, or have a fixed punishment; the punishment for theft, the punishment for unlawful sexual intercourse, the punishment for false accusation, and the like. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you. I do not know about sorcery, backbiting, or talebearing. Your Eminence, are they included among the major sins or not?
The Shaykh: Sorcery is major shirk (associating partners with Allah); because one does not reach it except through shirk by worshipping the jinn and calling upon them other than Allah. For this reason, He, the Exalted, said regarding sorcery and the two angels: [al-Baqarah:102], making the teaching and learning of sorcery disbelief. We ask Allah for safety. And He, the Exalted and Majestic, said in these verses: [al-Baqarah:102], meaning: sorcery [al-Baqarah:102], meaning: from their share or portion. And He said: [al-Baqarah:103], so it indicates that it is the opposite of faith and the opposite of taqwa (mindfulness of Allah). We ask Allah for safety.
So sorcery is reached through worshipping the devils, worshipping the jinn other than Allah, and drawing near to them with sacrifices, vows, and the like. For this reason, it was narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: , and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim in the two Sahihs.
So he made sorcery a companion of shirk and placed it before killing; because it is a type of shirk and worship of the jinn other than Allah, and drawing near to them with what they desire from him, such as calling, seeking aid, slaughter, or vows, until they teach him some of it. And it is through the way of the devils, as He, the Exalted, said: [al-Baqarah:102], so He made their teaching people sorcery disbelief and misguidance. We ask Allah for safety.
Likewise, backbiting and talebearing are among the major sins because of the warnings that came regarding them. Backbiting is: mentioning one's brother with what he dislikes; stingy, cowardly, harsh in character, such and such. And talebearing is: conveying speech that causes fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) from one person to another, or from one group to another, or from one tribe to another. As if he says: I heard so-and-so say about you that you are stingy, that you are cowards. Or he says to Zayd: I heard so-and-so say about you: that you are a fornicator, that you are vile, that you are a coward, that you follow positions of accusation, that you... meaning: he brings up things that cause fitnah between him and the one about whom the speech is conveyed. This is talebearing. And Allah, the Exalted, says: a slanderer, a goer about with talebearing [al-Qalam:10-11], and Allah, Glorious and Exalted, says: [al-Hujurat:12]. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when asked about backbiting, said: , so the backbiter is in evil: if he is truthful, he is a backbiter, and if he lies, he is a slanderer.
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , so this indicates the severity of the warning in this and that it is among the major sins. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There is no , agreed upon as authentic. So that indicates that talebearing and backbiting are among the major sins. We ask Allah for safety.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.