The Ruling on One Who Abandons Prayer
The Prayerless and Shirk:
One who abandons prayer is a mushrik. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah Ta’ala:
مُنِيبِينَ إِلَيْهِ وَاتَّقُوهُ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ﴿٣١﴾
“Turning to Him in repentance, fear Him, establish prayer, and do not be among the polytheists.”
In the tafsir of this noble verse, there is a hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him):
«ترك الصلاة شرك.»
“Abandoning prayer is shirk.”
Another hadith with the same meaning is narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say:
«إن بين الرجل، وبين الشرك، والكفر ترك الصلاة.»
“Indeed, what distinguishes a man from shirk and kufr is the abandonment of prayer.”
And it is narrated from Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
«بين العبد وبين الكفر والإيمان الصلاة ، فإذا تركها فقد أشرك»
“The only thing that distinguishes the servant between kufr and iman is prayer; whoever abandons it has been declared a mushrik.”
Sayyidina Yazid al-Raqashi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Prophet ﷺ that he said:
«ليس بين العبد والشرك إلا ترك الصلوة، فإذا تركها فقد أشرك»
“The only difference between a believing servant and a mushrik is prayer; so whoever abandons it has committed shirk.”
And Sayyidina Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say:
«بين العبد وبين الكفر أو الشرك ترك الصلوة.»
“The difference between the servant and kufr or shirk is the abandonment of prayer.”
The Prayerless and Kufr:
It is established from the Qur’an and hadith that abandoning prayer is kufr. Thus, the blessed saying of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is:
«بين الكفر والإيمان ترك الصلاة.»
“The difference between iman and kufr is the abandonment of prayer.”
According to all the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) too, abandoning prayer is kufr. Thus, in Jami’ al-Tirmidhi it is stated:
«كان أصحاب محمد لا يرون شيئا من الأعمال تركه كفر غير الصلاة.»
“The companions of Muhammad ﷺ did not consider the abandonment of any other deed to be kufr except prayer.”
Amir al-Mu’minin Sayyidina Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
«من لم يصل فهو كافر.»
“Whoever does not pray is a kafir.”
And the jurist of the Ummah, Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
«من ترك الصلاة كفر.»
“Whoever abandons prayer has committed kufr.”
The Mufassir of the Qur’an, Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
«من ترك الصلاة فقد كفر.»
“Whoever has abandoned prayer, indeed he has committed kufr.”
Sayyidina Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
«من لم يصل فهو كافر.»
“One who does not perform prayer is a kafir.”
Sayyidina Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
«ترك الصلاة كفر ، لا يختلف فيه.»
“Abandoning prayer is kufr; there is no disagreement about it.”
Sayyidina Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on him) (student of Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him)) says:
«من أخر صلاة حتى يقوت وقتها متعمدا من غير عشر فقد كفر.»
“Whoever deliberately delays prayer without an excuse until its time passes, then he is certainly a kafir.”
When Sadaqah ibn Fadl (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about one who abandons prayer, he said: he is a kafir.
The One Who Abandons Prayer Has No Religion:
It is narrated from Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that:
«ومن ترك الصلاة فلا دين له.»
“Whoever abandons prayer, he has no religion or creed.”
Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
«من ترك الصلاة لا دين له.»
“The one who abandons prayer has no religion.”
And Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لا دين لمن لا صلاة له.»
“The one without prayer has no religion or creed.”
The One Who Abandons Prayer Has No Iman:
Mujahid ibn Jubayr asked the Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Sayyidina Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), what was, in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in the view of you people, the deed that distinguished between kufr and iman? He answered: «الصلاة» prayer.
Sayyidina Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
«لا إيمان لمن لا صلاة له.»
“The one without prayer has no iman.”
The One Who Abandons Prayer Has No Share in Islam:
It is narrated from Abu Mulay’ah (may Allah have mercy on him) that Sayyidina Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said from the pulpit:
«لا إسلام لمن لم يصل.»
“Whoever does not perform prayer, he has no Islam.”
It is also narrated from Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that:
«لا حق فى الإسلام لمن لا صلاة له.»
“The one whose prayer does not exist, he has no share in Islam.”
This is why Sayyidina Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) fought against those who withheld zakat, and he argued from several verses of the noble Qur’an, such as:
فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٥﴾
“So if they repent, establish prayer and give zakat, then leave their way free. Indeed Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ ۗ وَنُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١١﴾
“Then if they repent, establish prayer and give zakat, they are your brothers in religion. And We detail the signs for a people who know.”
That is, fighting against these people was prohibited only on the condition that they enter the fold of Islam and fulfil its obligations.
It is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim from Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله، ويقيموا الصلاة ويؤتوا الزكاة.»
“I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer, and give zakah.”
This shows that a person who does not pray is outside the fold of Islam. The following hadith also makes clear that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not regard a person who did not join the prayer as a Muslim. Busr ibn Mihjan narrates from his father, who said that he was in a gathering in the company of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The call to prayer was given, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed the prayer and returned, while Mihjan (may Allah be pleased with him) was still in the same place. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked him why he had not prayed with the people, and asked, “Are you not a Muslim?” He replied, “O Messenger of Allah, of course I am, but I had already prayed in my house.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed him that when he comes to the mosque and has already prayed his obligatory prayer, and the iqamah for the prayer is called, he should pray with the people even though he has already prayed.
It is clear from the above hadith that the Prophet ﷺ did not consider as a Muslim the person who did not join the prayer with him.
The one who neglects prayer and hypocrisy:
Any kind of laziness and negligence in prayer is counted among the characteristics of the hypocrites. Allah the Exalted says:
إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَىٰ يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ﴿١٤٢﴾
“Indeed, the hypocrites try to deceive Allah, but it is He who deceives them. When they stand up for the prayer, they stand lazily, showing off to the people and remembering Allah only a little.”
Dr. Luqman Salafi (may Allah have mercy on him), while explaining this verse, writes:
“One of their (the hypocrites’) characteristics is that when they come to the prayer, they stand with heavy bodies, as if someone has forced them to this act. This is because their intention is not for the prayer, nor do they believe in it, nor do they reflect on the pillars and acts of the prayer. Their aim is only to show off to people so that they will be considered Muslims. In their prayers they remember Allah very little, they do not show humility, and they do not know what they are reciting with their tongues.”
Hafiz Ibn Mardawayh (may Allah have mercy on him) has transmitted the statement of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that it is a bad thing for a person to stand lazily in prayer; rather, he should pray with a joyful and radiant face, because the servant is conversing with his Lord in prayer, Allah is facing him, and when he calls upon Him, Allah hears his call.
Imam Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“This verse is evidence that laziness in prayer is a sign of a hypocrite.”
It is in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The heaviest prayers for the hypocrites are the Isha and Fajr prayers.”
It is narrated from Rafi’ ibn Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Shall I tell you about the prayer of the hypocrite? He keeps delaying the Asr prayer until, when the sun is about to set, he prays it.”
The one who neglects prayer is arrogant:
The head that once was proud of its crown
Today that very head is the subject of the world’s lamentation
Allah the Exalted taught, through the tongue of His Messenger ﷺ, that: “O My servants! All of you call upon Me, and I will accept your supplications, because you are all My servants and I am your Lord.” The Lord of the worlds says:
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ ﴿٦٠﴾
“Your Lord has said: Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Indeed, those who are too arrogant to worship Me will enter Hell in humiliation.”
At the end of the above noble verse, it is stated that those who refuse to worship Me out of pride and do not call upon Me will be thrown into Hell, utterly humiliated and disgraced, because only an arrogant disbeliever can do this.
After mentioning the abode of Hell for those who died in a state of indifference, were arrogant with pride, and did not pray, Allah, the Lord of Honour, said:
فَلَا صَدَّقَ وَلَا صَلَّىٰ ﴿٣١﴾ وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ﴿٣٢﴾
“So he neither affirmed the truth nor prayed, but rather denied it and turned away.”
In another place, Allah addressed the polytheists of Makkah, asking what had happened to them that they do not believe in Allah, His Messenger and the Noble Qur’an, and do not repent of their sins and enter the fold of Islam. And what has happened to them that when the Qur’an is recited to them, they act arrogantly and do not prostrate, showing humility and submission before the Lord of the worlds:
فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٢٠﴾ وَإِذَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُرْآنُ لَا يَسْجُدُونَ ﴿٢١﴾
“What is wrong with them that they do not believe, and when the Qur’an is recited to them, they do not prostrate?”
Allah, the Mighty and the All-Powerful, also destroyed Qarun, Pharaoh and Haman because of their disbelief and arrogance. Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) came to them with the clear and manifest signs of Allah the Most High, presented the call to Tawhid, warned them of Allah’s punishment and invited them to His worship. But they adopted the path of arrogance and rejected the worship and servitude of Allah the Most High, the one true God. So where could they have escaped from Allah the Most High?
وَقَارُونَ وَفِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ ۖ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُم مُّوسَىٰ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا كَانُوا سَابِقِينَ ﴿٣٩﴾
“And We destroyed Qarun, Pharaoh and Haman as well. Musa came to them with clear signs, but they adopted arrogance on the earth, and they could not escape from Us.”
In contrast, the Qur’an describes the characteristic of the believers as this: they perform Salah for their Lord, worship Him and do not act arrogantly. The statement of Allah the Most High is:
إِنَّمَا يُؤْمِنُ بِآيَاتِنَا الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهَا خَرُّوا سُجَّدًا وَسَبَّحُوا بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ﴿١٥﴾
“Indeed, those who believe in Our verses are those who, when they are reminded of them, fall down in prostration, and glorify the praises of their Lord, and they are not arrogant.”
Dr. Luqman Salafi (may Allah have mercy on him), while explaining this noble verse, writes:
“Allah the Most High has mentioned the sincere believers: truly, it is only those who believe in Our verses in the real sense who, when they are admonished through the recitation of the Noble Qur’an, immediately accept that admonition because of the purity of their hearts and the cleanliness of their nature. The Qur’an has such an effect on them that they fall into prostration to express gratitude for the blessing of Islam, they glorify their Lord and praise Him, and they never turn away from His worship at all, as the people of Makkah did; rather, throughout their lives they continue to worship Him with the spirit of obedience and servitude and with the utmost humility.”
In Surah al-A’raf it is said:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ وَيُسَبِّحُونَهُ وَلَهُ يَسْجُدُونَ﴿٢٠٦﴾
“Indeed, (the angels) who are with your Lord do not refuse to worship Him out of arrogance, they glorify Him, and they continue to prostrate before Him.”
“The angels remain occupied in the remembrance of Allah night and day with humility and submission, and they never tire. They glorify Allah and continue to prostrate before Him. The purpose of this is to encourage the believers that they too should, like the angels, remember Allah abundantly, remain occupied in glorification and tahlil, perform Salah, and keep bowing and prostrating.
After reciting this verse, it is prescribed for both the reciter and the listener who listens attentively to perform prostration facing the qibla, and it is preferable that the one prostrating be in a state of wudu. This is the first prostration in the Qur’an.”
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that:
«كان النبى يقرأ السجدة ونحن عنده فيسجد ونسجد معه فتزدحم حتى ما يجد أحدنا لجبهته موضعا يسجد عليه.»
“The Prophet ﷺ, when he recited a surah containing a prostration outside of Salah, would prostrate, and we would prostrate along with him. Due to the crowding, a person would not find a place for his forehead on which to prostrate.”
“All the angels also remain engaged in the worship of Allah; they do not show arrogance towards His worship and Salah, nor do they tire of it. Day and night they keep glorifying Him, just as a person keeps breathing in every condition and his eyelids keep blinking every moment, and as long as he lives he never feels fatigue in these two acts. In exactly the same way the angels keep glorifying in every condition; there is not a moment of interruption, and for them this is such a natural matter that they never feel tired of it.”
وَلَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَنْ عِندَهُ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ وَلَا يَسْتَحْسِرُونَ ﴿١٩﴾ يُسَبِّحُونَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لَا يَفْتُرُونَ ﴿٢٠﴾
“And to Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and the earth, and those who are with Him do not turn arrogantly away from His worship, nor do they grow weary. They glorify Him night and day and never slacken.”
The protection of Allah is lifted from the one who abandons Salah:
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) that my most sincere friend, the Prophet ﷺ, gave me a charge:
«لا تشرك بالله شيئا وإن قطعت وحرقت ، ولا تترك صلاة مكتوبة متعمدا ، فمن تركها متعمدا فقد برئت منه الدمة ، ولا تشرب الخمر فإنها مفتاح كل شر.»
“Do not associate anything with Allah, even if you are cut into pieces or burned in fire; and do not deliberately abandon the obligatory prayer, for whoever deliberately abandons the obligatory prayer, the protection (dhimmah) of Allah is lifted from him; and do not drink wine, for it is the key to every evil.”
The one who abandons Salah and the characteristic of the government:
It is the duty of those in authority to establish Salah, give Zakah, and carry out enjoining good and forbidding evil. As the statement of Allah the Most High says:
الَّذِينَ إِن مَّكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ ﴿٤١﴾
“Those whom, when We establish them in the land, they establish Salah, give Zakah, enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil; and with Allah rests the outcome of all affairs.”
But if they abandon the obligatory prayer, the Shariah permits fighting against them. Accordingly, Fadilat al-Shaikh Muhammad bin Salih al-Uthaimin (may Allah have mercy on him) says: In Sahih Muslim, it is narrated from Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
«ستكون أمراه فتعرفون وتنكرون، فمن عرف برى ،، ومن أنكر سلم ، ولكن من رضي وتابع قالوا: أفلا نقاتلهم؟ قال : لا ما صلوا.»
“Soon there will be rulers whom you will recognise and also disapprove of. Whoever recognises (their wrongdoing) is free of blame, and whoever disapproves is safe; but whoever is pleased with them and follows them (is ruined).” The Companions asked: “Should we not fight them?” He said: “No, as long as they establish the prayer.”
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
«خيار أئمتكم الذين تحبونهم ويحبونكم، ويصلون عليكم وتصلون عليهم ، وشرار أئمتكم الذين تبغضونهم ويبغضونكم ، وتلعنونهم ويلعنونكم قالوا: يا رسول الله! أفلا تنا بدهم بالسيف؟ قال: لا ، ما أقاموا فيكم الصلاة.»
“The best of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you, who pray for you and you pray for them. And the worst of your rulers are those whom you hate and who hate you, whom you curse and who curse you.” The Companions said: “O Messenger of Allah, should we not confront them with the sword?” He said: “No, as long as they keep up the prayer among you (do not take up the sword against them).”
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ubadah bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called us and we pledged allegiance to him. We pledged that we would show hearing and obedience in what we liked and disliked, in hardship and ease, and even when others were preferred over us, and that we would not dispute the authority of its rightful holders. In this regard he said:
«إلا أن تروا كفرا بواحا عندكم من الله فيه برهان.»
“Yes! Unless you see clear disbelief (kufr bawah) from the rulers, and you have a clear proof from Allah concerning it.”
There is no evidence in the Book and the Sunnah showing that one who abandons the prayer is not a disbeliever, or showing that he is a believer, or showing that he will enter Paradise, or showing that he will not enter Hell. At most, what has been reported on this subject are texts that describe the virtue of Tawhid and the testimony of لا الہ الا اللہ محمد رسول اللہ and mention its reward; and these texts are either restricted by some attribute which makes abandoning the prayer impossible, or they concern specific circumstances in which a person is excused from abandoning the prayer, or they are general and must be interpreted in the light of the evidence for the disbelief of one who abandons the prayer, because the evidence for the disbelief of one who abandons the prayer is specific, and the specific takes precedence over the general, as is a well-known principle in the science of hadith and the principles of jurisprudence.
If someone says: Is it not permissible to interpret the texts that indicate the disbelief of one who abandons the prayer as referring to a person who abandons it while denying its obligation? We say: No, this interpretation is not permissible, for there are two objections to it: it entails nullifying the attribute which the Shariah has recognised and on the basis of which it has laid down the ruling. That is, the Shariah has ruled that abandoning the prayer is disbelief, and it has not said that whoever abandons the prayer while denying its obligation is a disbeliever; and then it has established religious brotherhood on the basis of establishing the prayer, and it has not said that religious brothers are those who affirm the obligation of the prayer. Allah the Exalted has also not said that if they repent and affirm the obligation of the prayer [then…], nor has the Prophet ﷺ said that the difference between a person and shirk and kufr is the affirmation of the obligation of prayer, such that whoever denies its obligation is a disbeliever. If Allah and His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ intended this, then turning away from it would contradict the explanation presented in the Qur’an, concerning which Allah the Exalted has said:
وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ
“And We have sent down to you the Book as a clarification of all things.”
And concerning which Allah the Exalted addressed His Prophet ﷺ, saying:
وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ
“And We have sent down to you the Reminder so that you may explain to mankind what has been sent down to them.”
Another obstacle here is that it would require taking as a basis a characteristic that the Lawgiver did not make the ground for the ruling. The denial of the obligation of the five daily prayers is what brings about disbelief for a person who is not excused by ignorance, whether he prays or does not pray. For example, if a person performs the five prayers with all their conditions, pillars, obligatory and recommended acts, but he denies the obligation of these prayers without any excuse, he will be a disbeliever, even though he has not abandoned the prayer. From this it becomes clear that it is not correct to interpret the texts as referring to the person who abandons the prayer while denying its obligation, whereas the correct and true position is that the one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever, and by this disbelief he leaves the religion. This is clearly stated in the narration of Ibn Abi Hatim from Sayyiduna Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
«أوصانا رسول الله ﷺ: لا تشركوا بالله شيئا، ولا تتركوا الصلاة عمدا، فمن تركها عمدا متعمدا، فقد خرج من الملة.»
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ enjoined on us that we should not associate anything with Allah, and that we should not deliberately abandon the prayer, for whoever deliberately and intentionally abandons the prayer has left the religion.”
Moreover, if we interpret these texts as referring to abandoning the prayer by way of denial, then mentioning the prayer specifically in the texts would serve no purpose, since this ruling would apply equally to the prayer, zakat, hajj and all the matters that are counted among the obligations and duties of the religion, because the abandonment of any one of them due to denying its obligation is a cause of disbelief, provided the denier is not excused by ignorance.
Just as the evidence from transmitted reports requires that the one who abandons the prayer be declared a disbeliever, so too does rational reasoning require it, and it is this: a person who abandons the prayer, the pillar of the religion, how then does faith remain with him? So much encouragement has come concerning the prayer that it demands every rational believer leave no shortfall in performing it, and so much warning has come concerning its abandonment that it demands every rational believer take complete care to avoid abandoning it and losing it, for if it is abandoned and lost, it would follow that faith would not remain!
As for the statements of the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) on this issue, the view of the majority of the Companions is that the one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever; indeed, several scholars have said that all the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were agreed on this. Abdullah ibn Shaqiq reports that:
«كان أصحاب النبى لا يرون شيئا من الأعمال تركه كفر غير الصلاة.»
“The Companions of the Prophet did not regard any action as disbelief when abandoned, except the prayer.”
The well-known imam Ishaq ibn Rahawayh (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is established from a sahih hadith of the Prophet ﷺ that the one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever, and from the time of the Prophet ﷺ until today the opinion of the people of knowledge has been that whoever deliberately abandons the prayer without any excuse, until its time runs out, is a disbeliever.
Imam Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that Sayyiduna Umar, Abdur Rahman ibn Awf, Mu’adh ibn Jabal, Abu Hurairah and other Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) also held that the one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever. No one among the Companions opposed them on this matter.
Allama Mundhiri (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted the statement of Imam Ibn Hazm in “al-Targhib wal-Tarhib”, and he also listed some further names from among the Companions, such as Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Abdullah ibn Abbas, Jabir ibn Abdullah and Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with them), and from among non-Companions, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak al-Nakha’i, al-Hakam ibn Utaybah, Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani, Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, Zuhayr ibn Harb (may Allah have mercy on them) and many other scholars also held this position.
I say: The well-known position of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) is also this, and one saying of Imam al-Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) is also this, as Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his commentary on the noble verse ﴿فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خلف﴾. Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) also wrote in “Kitab al-Salat” that one opinion in the school of Imam al-Shafi’i is this, and Imam al-Tahawi (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated it from Imam al-Shafi’i.
If it is asked, what is the answer to the evidence used by those who do not consider the one who abandons the prayer a disbeliever? We say in reply that the proofs they have used do not at all indicate this matter, because either they are restricted by a characteristic such that, with it, they are specified by the proofs of the takfir of the one who abandons the prayer. The proofs used by those who do not declare the one who abandons the prayer a disbeliever are not free of the four situations mentioned above.
This is a very important and momentous issue. A person is obliged to fear Allah regarding himself and to guard his prayer, so that he may also be counted among those about whom Allah the Exalted says:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿١﴾ الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ ﴿٢﴾ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ ﴿٣﴾ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَ ﴿٤﴾ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ ﴿٥﴾ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٦﴾
“Certainly the believers have succeeded: those who are humble in their prayer, and who turn away from idle talk, and who pay zakat, and who guard their private parts, except from their wives or those whom their right hands possess, for they are not blameworthy.”
The deeds of one who abandons the prayer are destroyed:
Sayyiduna Buraidah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«من ترك صلاة العصر ، فقد حبط عمله.»
“Whoever abandons the Asr prayer, his deeds are nullified.”
The one who abandons prayer: his family and wealth are destroyed:
The Prophet ﷺ said: The one whose Asr prayer is missed, it is as if his wealth and his family have been destroyed.
Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says that on the day of the Trench, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “May Allah fill the graves and houses of the disbelievers with fire, just as they kept us from the middle prayer until the sun set.”
Abandoning prayer leads to Hell:
Allah, the Most Glorified and Exalted, has stated in the Noble Quran that the first cause that takes sinners to Hell is the abandonment of prayer. ’’اصحاب الیمین‘‘ That is, the people of Paradise will ask the people of Hell what deeds have brought them into Hell? Then the people of Hell will say:
قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٤٣﴾ وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَ ﴿٤٤﴾ وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ الْخَائِضِينَ ﴿٤٥﴾ وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿٤٦﴾ حَتَّىٰ أَتَانَا الْيَقِينُ ﴿٤٧﴾
“We did not used to pray, nor did we feed the needy, and we used to engage in vain discussion along with those who engaged in vain discussion, and we used to deny the Day of Judgement, until death overtook us.”
When these criminals were told to accept the true religion, to pray for Allah and to adopt humility and submission before Him, their necks would become stiff. Therefore Allah, the Exalted, said about them that on that day there will be destruction and ruin for their like.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ارْكَعُوا لَا يَرْكَعُونَ ﴿٤٨﴾ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ﴿٤٩﴾
“And when they were told to bow, they would not bow. On that day, Wayl (woe) will be for the deniers.”
❀ Benefit
Remember that «ويل» is the name of a valley in Hell.
And Sayyiduna Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him), in the Hadith of the dream, narrates from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he said:
«أما الذى يتلع رأسه بالحجر فإنه يأخذ القرآن فيرفضه وينام عن الصلاة المكتوبة.»
“The man whose head was being crushed with a stone was a memorizer of the Quran, but he became heedless of the Quran, and he used to sleep without praying the obligatory prayer.”
The one who abandons prayer will be deprived of intercession in the Hereafter:
Those who abandon prayer, the criminals, will be deprived of the intercession of the intercessors in the Hereafter. In other words, they will not be entitled to intercession. This is why Allah, Lord of the worlds, will not even permit a prophet or an angel to intercede for them, so no intercession will be found that benefits them. Thus Allah the Exalted says:
فِي جَنَّاتٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾ عَنِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿٤١﴾ مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ ﴿٤٢﴾ قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٤٣﴾ وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَ ﴿٤٤﴾ وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ الْخَائِضِينَ ﴿٤٥﴾ وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿٤٦﴾ حَتَّىٰ أَتَانَا الْيَقِينُ ﴿٤٧﴾ فَمَا تَنفَعُهُمْ شَفَاعَةُ الشَّافِعِينَ ﴿٤٨﴾
“They will be in gardens, asking about the criminals: what brought you into Hell? They will say, ‘We were not among those who prayed, and we did not feed the needy, and we engaged in vain discussion along with those who engaged in vain discussion, and we denied the Day of Judgement, until death came to us.’ So at that time, the intercession of the interceders will not benefit them.”
The one who abandons prayer will be with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman and Ubayy ibn Khalaf on the Day of Resurrection:
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet ﷺ spoke one day about prayer and said:
«من حافظ عليها كانت له نورا وبرهانا ونجاة يوم القيامة، ومن لم يحافظ عليها ، لم يكن له نور ولا برهان ولا نجاة، وكان يوم القيامة مع قارون وفرعون وهامان وأبي بن خلف.»
“Whoever preserves the prayer, it will be for him a light, a proof and a means of salvation on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever does not preserve it, there will be for him no light, no proof and no means of salvation, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman and Ubayy ibn Khalaf (in Hell).”
Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), after quoting this hadith in
, wrote: “The reason the one who abandons prayer is specifically to go to Hell with these four men is that these four are chiefs of disbelief. Here is a great point: the one who abandons prayer does so because of wealth, kingship, authority or trade. Whoever abandons prayer for the sake of wealth will be with Qarun; whoever abandons prayer for the sake of kingship and rule will be with Pharaoh; whoever abandons prayer because of governmental responsibilities will be with Haman. And whoever abandons prayer on the pretext of trade will be with Ubayy ibn Khalaf, the well-known disbeliever.”
The harms of not praying:
In the light of the above evidences and proofs, it becomes clear that:
➊ Negligence regarding prayer is the cause of ruin and destruction.
➋ Abandoning prayer is kufr.
➌ Abandoning prayer is shirk.
➍ Abandoning prayer is also hypocrisy.
➎ Abandoning prayer is in fact denial of the religion.
➏ The one who does not pray will be gathered with Pharaoh, Haman, Qarun and Ubayy ibn Khalaf.
➐ The one who abandons prayer has no religion or faith.
➑ The one who abandons prayer has no iman.
➒ The one who does not pray is a fasiq and fajir.
➓ The one who does not pray has no share in Islam.
⓫ The one who does not pray is a servant of Satan.
⓬ Distance from prayer is distance from the mercy of Allah.
⓭ Abandoning prayer is a cause of restlessness.
⓮ From the one who abandons prayer, Allah’s protection is lifted.
⓯ Abandoning prayer is a sign of arrogance.
⓰ The deeds of the one who abandons prayer are destroyed.
⓱ The family and wealth of the one who abandons prayer are destroyed.
⓲ The one who abandons prayer will be deprived of intercession.
⓳ The heart of the one who abandons prayer is empty of the love of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
⑳ Abandoning prayer leads to Hell.
