The Harms of Abandoning the Prayer
The importance that the prayer holds in the religion of Islam needs no explanation. It is the foundation and base of the religion. The structure of Islam stands upon it. Countless worldly and otherworldly rewards have been promised for its performance, and the punishment for neglecting it is also severe. It is regrettable that today the majority of Muslims have abandoned the prayer and become heedless. In the lines to come, some of the harms of abandoning the prayer are being mentioned, from which one can gauge how great a loss the one who abandons the prayer, or who neglects it, is inflicting upon himself.
➊ Loss of Faith
The prayer is faith. Allah the Exalted says:
وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“And Allah would never let your faith be lost. Indeed, Allah is to mankind Kind and Merciful.”
Here, without doubt, the prayer has been called faith; faith means the prayer.
Accordingly, Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) set up a chapter:
”باب الصلاة من الایمان“ “Chapter: The prayer is part of faith.”
And after this, the aforementioned Imam says:
وقول الله تعالى: (وَمَا كَانَ اللهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيْمَانَكُمْ) Meaning (صلاتكم عند البيت).
“That is, your prayers which you offered facing Bayt al-Maqdis, Allah will not waste them.”
Since Allah the Exalted has called the prayer faith, it can be said that the servant who does not pray has a defect and weakness in his faith, or else he is entirely devoid of faith and is committing kufr and shirk.
Allah the Exalted says:
مُنِيبِينَ إِلَيْهِ وَاتَّقُوهُ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
“(Remain upon the religion) turning to Him in repentance, and fear Him, and establish the prayer, and do not be among the polytheists.”
That is, do not become polytheists by being fearless of Allah and by abandoning the prayer. It is as if abandoning the prayer is also a form of shirk.
Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) says that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say:
إِنَّ بَيْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَبَيْنَ الشِّرْكِ وَالْكُفْرِ تَرْكُ الصَّلَاةِ
“Indeed, the difference between the (believing) servant and kufr and shirk is the abandonment of the prayer.”
Sayyiduna Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
الْعَهْدُ الَّذِي بَيْنَنَا وبينهم الصَّلَاةُ، فَمَنْ تَرَكَهَا فَقَدْ كَفَرَ
“The covenant between us and them is the prayer; whoever abandons it has committed kufr.”
Please also observe the verdict of the second caliph, Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), concerning one who does not pray.
Sayyiduna Miswar ibn Makhramah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he went to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) on the night he was wounded. When he was woken for the Fajr prayer, he said:
وَلَاحَظَّ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ لِمَنْ تَرَكَ الصَّلاةَ
“There is no share in Islam for the one who has abandoned the prayer.” Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) performed the prayer while blood was flowing from his wounds.
The trustworthy Tabi’i Abdullah ibn Shaqiq says:
’’كَانَ اَصْحَابُ مُحَمَّدٍ لَا يَرَوْنَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ تَرْكُهُ كُفْرٌ غَيْرَ الصَّلَاةِ ‘‘
The Companions of Muhammad ﷺ used to regard abandoning the prayer as kufr among the deeds.
It is thus known that abandoning the prayer is the loss and ruin of faith.
➋ Ending of Protection
Whoever prays, Islam grants him protection of life and property; in an Islamic state his wealth and life will remain safe and secure. But whoever deliberately abandons the prayer has, in effect, rebelled against a major and fundamental law and command of Islam, as a result of which the covenant of Islam with him ends. The protection of his life and property that Islam had undertaken, and the security he had in an Islamic state, he has left by abandoning the prayer. Now he is not safe from the sword of Islam.
Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) says that my beloved ﷺ enjoined this upon me:
لا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا، وَإِنْ قُطِعْتَ وَحُرِّقْتَ، وَلَا تَتْرُكْ صَلَاةً مَكْتُوبَةٌ مُتَعَمِّدًا ، فَمَنْ تَرَكَهَا مُتَعَمِّدًا فَقَدْ بَرِئَتْ مِنْهُ الدِّمَّةُ، وَلَا تَشْرَبِ الْخَمْرَ فَإِنَّهَا مِفْتَاحُ كُلّ شَرٍ
“Do not associate anything with Allah, even if you are cut into pieces and burned in fire; do not deliberately abandon an obligatory prayer, for whoever deliberately abandons the prayer, the protection is lifted from him; and do not drink wine, for it is the key to every evil.”
Consider! How great a sin is the abandonment of the prayer. According to this saying of the Prophet ﷺ, Islam is absolved of the one who does not pray, and it ends its connection, relationship and responsibility with him. How does the responsibility of Islam, of Allah and of His Messenger end with one who does not pray? Just reflect on this hadith! Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
وَالَّذِی نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ بِحَطَبٍ فَيُحْطَبَ ، ثُمَّ آمُرَ بِالصَّلَاةِ فَيُؤَذَنَ لَهَا ، ثُمَّ أَمُرَ رَجُلا فَيَوْمَ النَّاسَ ، ثُمَّ أُخَالِفَ إِلَى رِجَالٍ فَأُحَرِّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ بُيُوتَهُمْ
“By the One in whose hand is my soul, I have resolved to order firewood to be gathered, then order the call to prayer to be given, then order a man to lead the people in prayer, and then go to people who did not attend the prayer and burn their houses upon them.”
➌ Ruin of Family, Deeds and Wealth
The Prophet ﷺ described the abandonment of the prayer as the ruin of one’s family, deeds and wealth. Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Prophet ﷺ that he said:
الَّذِی تَفُوتُهُ صَلَاةُ الْعَصْرِ فَكَأَنَّمَا وُتِرَ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ
“The one whose Asr prayer is missed, it is as if his family and wealth have been plundered.”
Losing the prayer often happens due to two things:
➊ Being occupied with the care and concerns of one’s family.
➋ And the greed to earn wealth and property.
The meaning of this saying of the Prophet ﷺ is that abandoning the Asr prayer, in its outcome, is like having one’s family and wealth entirely looted and seized. It is obvious that one whose family and wealth have been taken away is left with nothing. As great as the loss and damage in that state is, the loss in abandoning the Asr prayer is just as great, or even greater; or the grief and distress one feels in that state should likewise be felt upon missing the Asr prayer.
Let us reflect on our own condition. If a trustworthy person were to tell us that robbers stand at a certain bend in the road, that they kill whoever passes that way and take his wealth, then we would never travel that road. Going at night would be out of the question, and even in the daytime we would hardly pass that way. Yet, regrettably, the words of the Messenger ﷺ, the truthful and the one whose truthfulness is affirmed, have no effect on us.
To understand the importance of the Asr prayer in particular, consider another hadith. Abu Mulaih narrates that once, on a journey for jihad, we were with Sayyidina Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him). It was a day of cloud and rain. He said: “Pray Asr early, for the Prophet ﷺ has said:”
مَنْ تَرَكَ صَلَاةَ الْعَصْرِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عمله
“Whoever abandons the Asr prayer, his deeds are destroyed.”
Consider this: abandoning the Asr prayer alone carries such a loss that it is as if one’s family and wealth have all been plundered, and one’s deeds have been destroyed. When abandoning a single prayer carries such a loss, how great must the loss be for those who do not pray any of the five? How much do they lose in a day? How much do they lose in a week? And how much in a month? If this is the punishment for abandoning one prayer, what will be the punishment for one who neglects all five?
➍ Ruin and destruction:
For the one who does not pray, ruin and destruction are his lot.
Allah the Exalted says:
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٤﴾ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ ﴿٥﴾ الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ ﴿٦﴾ وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ ﴿٧﴾
“So woe to those who pray, who are heedless of their prayer, who show off, and who withhold simple household items.”
Allah the Exalted is declaring that woe is to those worshippers who are heedless of their prayer. In what way are they heedless?
Mus’ab ibn Sa’d said that he asked his father, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), about the words ﴿الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ﴾ “those who are heedless of their prayer”, whether this refers to the whisperings and distractions that every one of us experiences in prayer, or to something else. He said: “No, rather that heedlessness means delaying the prayer beyond its time.”
This is the heedlessness: people do pray, but they pray late. Without any valid reason they delay their prayers and make this their habit. For such worshippers there is ruin and destruction. Reflect: Allah is announcing ruin and destruction for those who, without a valid reason, delay the prayer, meaning they do pray but do so after wasting its time. Now, what will become of those who do not pray at all? This is the punishment of those who postpone prayer without reason. But as for those who are altogether prayerless, who do not care about their prayers at all: if they felt like it they prayed, and if not they did not; one prayer offered and four left out, or four offered and one left out, some prayers offered and some not, or prayed on one day and not on another, what will become of such people?
Sayyidina Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that after the Fajr prayer the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would ask the companions whether anyone had seen a dream that day, and if so to relate it; and if anyone related one, he would interpret it. One day after Fajr he said that he had seen a dream that day. The companions expressed their eagerness to hear it, and he said: “Last night two visitors (angels) came to me, woke me, and said: Come along. I went with them until we passed by a man lying down while another man stood over him with a stone, striking his head. Each time he struck, the head would split and the stone would roll away. The striker would go to fetch the stone, and by the time he returned the head would be whole again. The Prophet ﷺ said: I said, ‘Subhan Allah, who is this?’ The two angels said: Go on.”
This dream is lengthy and we are abridging it. After showing various other scenes, those two angels explained:
’’أَمَّا الَّذِي يُتْلَغُ رَأْسُهُ بِالْحَجَرِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْخُذُ الْقُرْآنَ فَيَرْفِضُهُ وَيَنَامُ عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ ‘‘
“The first man you saw whose head was being smashed with a stone is the one who used to memorise the Qur’an but then abandoned it, and who would sleep without offering the obligatory prayer.”
➎ Disgrace on the Plain of Gathering:
For the one who does not pray, he will receive very harsh treatment on the Day of Resurrection. On that day, when Allah uncovers His shin, in the manner befitting His majesty, the command will be given: come and prostrate before Allah. The Qur’an depicts this scene thus:
يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾
“On the day the shin is uncovered and they are called to prostrate, they will not be able to do so. Their eyes will be downcast, humiliation will cover them, although they were called to prostrate when they were whole and sound.”
All people will go into prostration, but two kinds of people will not be granted the ability to prostrate:
➊ First, those who did not prostrate in the world, as Allah says:
وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ۔
“Although they were called to prostration (in the world) when they were whole and sound.”
But they did not come to prostrate. Here prostration means the obligatory prayer.
Imam Sa’id ibn Jubayr (may Allah have mercy on him), commenting on this verse, said:
كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَلَا يُجِيبُونَهَا مِنْ غَيْرِ عُدْرٍ
“They were called to prayer but, without any excuse, they did not respond to it.”
And he said that they did not pray in congregation. (Ibid.) So the one who does not pray in the world will not be granted the ability to prostrate on the Day of Resurrection.
➋The second group refers to those who did prostrate in the world, but did so for show and for fame. Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) says that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say:
يَكْشِفُ رَبُّنَا عَنْ سَاقِهِ فَيَسْجُدُ لَهُ كُلُّ مُؤْمِنٍ وَمُؤْمِنَةٍ فَيَبْقَى كُلُّ مَنْ كَانَ يَسْجُدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا رِيَاءً وَسُمْعَةً فَيَذْهَبُ لِيَسْجُدَ فَيَعُودُ ظَهْرُهُ طَبَقًا وَاحِدًا
Our Lord will uncover His shin, and every believing man and believing woman will prostrate to Him, and the one who used to prostrate in the world for show and for reputation will remain behind. He will go to prostrate, but his back will become one solid plate (meaning it will not be able to bend).
On the Day of Resurrection there is only disgrace upon disgrace and humiliation upon humiliation for the one who does not pray. What greater humiliation could there be than being unable to prostrate before the whole assembly despite the effort? Consider another hadith. Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Prophet ﷺ that one day he mentioned the prayer and said:
مَنْ حَافَظَ عَلَيْهَا كَانَتْ لَهُ نُورًا ، وَبُرْهَانًا ، وَنَجَاةَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يُحَافِظٌ عَلَيْهَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ نُورٌ، وَلَا بُرْهَانُ ، وَلَا نَجَاةٌ، وَكَانَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَعَ قَارُوْنَ وَفِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانِ وَأَبِي بنِ خَلْفِ
“Whoever preserves it, the prayer 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 salvation, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman and Ubayy ibn Khalaf.”
Allama Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya (may Allah have mercy on him), explaining this hadith, writes: The reason the one who abandons prayer is specifically to go to Hell with these four men is that all four are leaders of disbelief.
And he says: Here there is also an important point: the one who abandons prayer does so because of wealth, kingdom, authority or trade. So whoever abandons prayer for the sake of wealth will be with Qarun; whoever abandons it for the sake of a kingdom or royal power will be with Pharaoh; whoever abandons it because of the duties of government will be with Haman; and whoever abandons it on the pretext of business excuses will be with Ubayy ibn Khalaf.
➏Entry into Hell:
The one who does not pray is deprived of success in the Hereafter. If he does not repent, does not reform himself and does not become a regular in prayer, he will have to go to Hell.
Allah Almighty said:
فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا ﴿٥٩﴾ إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُولَٰئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا ﴿٦٠﴾
“Then after them there came successors who neglected the prayer and followed their desires, so they will soon meet Ghayy. Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous deeds; such people will enter Paradise, and they will not be wronged in the least.”
It is being stated that after the prophets and the great righteous people passed away, worthless people succeeded them who neglected the prayer and fell into pursuit of their desires; such wretched people will be cast into غی.
Imam Ahl al-Sunnah Imam Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari says that غی is one of the valleys of Hell or one of its wells.
The Prophet ﷺ also foretold of such people regarding his ummah.
Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) says that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
يَكُونُ خَلْفٌ مِنْ بَعْدِ سِيِّينَ سَنَةٌ ، أَضَاعُوْا الصَّلَاةَ، وَاتَّبَعُوْا الشَّهَوَاتِ ، فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيَّا ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ خَلْفٌ، يَقْرَوُوْنَ الْقُرْآنَ، لَا يَعْدُوْ تَرَاقِيهِمُ ، وَيَقْرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ ثَلَاثَةٌ مُؤْمِنٌ، وَمُنَافِقٌ، وَفَاجِرٌ
“After sixty years there will be worthless people who will waste the prayer and follow their desires; soon they will be cast into غی. Then after them there will be worthless people who will recite the Qur’an, but it will not go beyond their throats; and three kinds of people recite the Qur’an: the believer, the hypocrite and the wicked.”
When the narrator Walid was asked by his student Bashir for details about these three, he said: The hypocrite disbelieves in it (the Qur’an), the wicked one fills his belly with it, and the believer affirms it.
