Ruling on Reciting the Qur'an for One Who Died While Abandoning Prayer

A message was received for the program from Iraq, sent by our brother Sabri Yusuf Ahmad. Our brother’s message is actually lengthy; in it, he says: I had a brother who passed away, and he was upright in his conduct, meaning: he did not harm anyone, did not lie, and did not commit forbidden acts. All people praised his manners and character, and he was beloved by everyone, but he did not pray and did not fast. It is known that he was a singer, meaning he sang and had songs. He continues to list such descriptions and says at the end of his message: He recites Surah Yasin for him, acting on the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): , but I heard from your noble program that the reward of reciting the Qur'an does not reach the deceased person. I ask for guidance. May Allah reward you with good?
Answer: The one who does not pray is in a very bad state. The scholars have differed regarding his disbelief. If he acknowledges that prayer is obligatory and knows that it is an obligatory duty, but he is lax and does not pray, then a group of scholars held that he is a sinner, and his sin is a major one, greater than adultery and greater than theft, but he is not a disbeliever; rather, he is under the will of Allah. If He wills, Allah forgives him, and if He wills, He punishes him, provided he is a monotheist, a Muslim who worships Allah alone, and knows that prayer is an obligation but is lax.
The second opinion is that he commits major shirk (associating partners with Allah), even if he acknowledges its obligation; based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the authentic hadith: , which was narrated by Imam Ahmad and the people of the Sunan with a sound chain.
And based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in another hadith: , which was narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih from Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both). And based on other hadiths that came in this chapter. Abdullah ibn Shaqiq al-Aqili, the noble Tabi'i (successor), (may Allah have mercy on him), said: The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider anything abandoned to be disbelief except prayer. This means that the Companions—the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)—held that prayer is among the deeds whose abandonment leads to disbelief, even if one does not deny its obligation. And this opinion is the most correct and the most evident in evidence.
So we advise you, O questioner, not to make du'a (supplication) for this brother of yours, nor to give charity on his behalf; because, on the surface of his state, he is not a Muslim. And do not curse him or insult him either; his affair is with Allah.
As for reciting the Qur'an, does it reach the deceased and benefit him? There is also disagreement among the scholars on this. Some scholars said that recitation benefits the deceased if it is recited for him, meaning: if one recites for him, he dedicates the reward to him, recites part of the Qur'an, and assigns its reward to him. Others among the scholars said: there is no evidence for it, and it does not reach him; because acts of nearness and worship are based on divine legislation, so one does not proceed to any of them without evidence. And nothing has come from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or from the Companions indicating recitation for the dead.
The hadith of Ma'qil ibn Yasar regarding Surah Yasin is weak. If it were authentic, the intended meaning would be for the one who is dying, , meaning: the one who is dying whose time has drawn near, so that he benefits and remembers, perhaps Allah will make his ending good. So the meaning is: recite Surah Yasin for the one who is dying, for the one whose death is near. But this hadith is weak. And similarly his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): , which Muslim narrated in the Sahih. Its meaning is: teach them this when death approaches, so that it is their conclusion, and so that this word is their last word, which is: La ilaha illa Allah (There is no god but Allah). Based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): .
And this indicates that the meaning of "the dead" is the one who is dying, , meaning: those who are dying. And by this, it is known that there is no evidence for reciting for the dead, and the most evident view is that it does not reach them. But they benefit from charity given on their behalf, from du'a for them, from Hajj performed on their behalf, from 'Umrah performed on their behalf, and from paying off the debts they owed. All of this they benefit from by the consensus of the Muslims.
As for praying for them and reciting for them, this does not reach them according to the correct view. Yes.
The presenter: Do they benefit from those deeds you mentioned if they were not abandoning prayer?
The Shaykh: If they were Muslims.
The presenter: If they were Muslims, and what about the one who abandoned prayer?
The Shaykh: And the one who is not a Muslim does not benefit. We ask Allah for safety.
The presenter: And what about the one who abandoned prayer in that case?
The Shaykh: His ruling is the ruling of the disbelievers according to the correct view. We ask Allah for safety.
The presenter: We ask Allah for safety.