Source: Fatāwā Arkān-e-Islām
❖ Question
Is it permissible to give one’s daughter in marriage to a man who does not pray?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
If a man proposes for one’s daughter and it is known that he does not pray, the matter must be clarified in light of Sharīʿah.
① If He Does Not Pray in Congregation
◈ A man who does not perform prayer in congregation is a fāsiq (open sinner), disobedient to Allah ﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ.
◈ He goes against the consensus of Muslims that congregational prayer is among the most virtuous acts of worship.
◈ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said:
“The scholars are agreed that prayer in congregation is one of the most emphasised acts of worship, the greatest form of obedience, and the greatest symbol of Islam.” (Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 23/222)
◈ While such a man is sinful, he is not outside the fold of Islam.
◈ Marriage to a Muslim woman is permissible for him, though it is better to prefer men of strong faith and character, even if they are less in wealth or lineage.
② Priority of Religion and Character in Marriage
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«إِذَا جَاءَكُمْ مَنْ تَرْضَوْنَ دِينَهُ وَخُلُقَهُ فَأَنْكِحُوهُ…» (Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī, ḥadīth: 1085; Sunan Ibn Mājah, ḥadīth: 1967)
Translation:
“If there comes to you one whose religion and character you are pleased with, marry him. If you do not, there will be fitnah and great corruption on earth.”
③ If He Does Not Pray at All
◈ A man who does not pray at all — neither in congregation nor individually — is a kāfir (disbeliever), murtadd (apostate), and outside the fold of Islam.
◈ He must be called to sincere repentance; if he repents and begins to pray, his Islam is accepted.
◈ Otherwise, he is deserving of capital punishment in an Islamic legal system and, upon death, is not to be washed, shrouded, prayed over, or buried in a Muslim graveyard.
④ Evidence from the Qur’an
﴿فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعدِهِم خَلفٌ أَضاعُوا الصَّلوةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوتِ فَسَوفَ يَلقَونَ غَيًّا ﴿59﴾ إِلّا مَن تابَ وَءامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صـلِحًا فَأُولـئِكَ يَدخُلونَ الجَنَّةَ﴾ (Maryam: 59–60)
﴿فَإِن تابوا وَأَقامُوا الصَّلوةَ وَءاتَوُا الزَّكوةَ فَإِخونُكُم فِى الدّينِ﴾ (at-Tawbah: 11)
These verses show that abandoning prayer removes a person from brotherhood in faith unless he repents.
⑤ Evidence from the Sunnah
«إِنَّ بَيْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَبَيْنَ الشِّرْكِ وَالْكُفْرِ تَرْكَ الصَّلَاةِ» (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, ḥadīth: 82)
«الْعَهْدُ الَّذِي بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمُ الصَّلَاةُ، فَمَنْ تَرَكَهَا فَقَدْ كَفَرَ» (Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī, ḥadīth: 2621)
⑥ Statements of the Companions and Scholars
◈ ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه said: “There is no Islam for one who abandons prayer.”
◈ ʿAbdullāh ibn Shaqīq رحمه الله said: “The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ did not consider the abandonment of any deed as disbelief except prayer.”
Imām Aḥmad and Ibn al-Qayyim رحمهما الله both stated that abandoning prayer demonstrates the absence of true faith.
⑦ Sharīʿah Ruling on Marriage to a Non-Praying Man
◈ Since abandoning prayer constitutes disbelief, it is not permissible for a Muslim woman to marry such a man.
◈ Allah ﷻ says:
﴿وَلا تَنكِحُوا المُشرِكـتِ حَتّى يُؤمِنَّ…﴾ (al-Baqarah: 221)
﴿فَإِن عَلِمتُموهُنَّ مُؤمِنـتٍ فَلا تَرجِعوهُنَّ إِلَى الكُفّارِ لا هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَهُم وَلا هُم يَحِلّونَ لَهُنَّ﴾ (al-Mumtaḥanah: 10)
Summary
✔ If the suitor merely neglects congregational prayer, he is sinful but not a disbeliever; marriage is permissible but not advisable.
✔ If he does not pray at all, he is a disbeliever; marriage to him is prohibited until he sincerely repents and begins to pray.
✔ Decisions must be based on his present state, not future hopes of reform.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
