The Shar’i Ruling on One Who Abandons the Prayer
Prayer (Salah) holds, beyond any doubt, a great rank among the pillars of Islam. Moreover, it has been declared the pillar of the religion, and many hadiths from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ report its great virtue. Because of this importance and excellence, Allah Almighty mentions it in the Holy Quran approximately eighty (80) times. For this reason, whoever abandons prayer while denying its obligation is unanimously a disbeliever. However, regarding the legal ruling on one who abandons it out of laziness and sloth while still believing in its obligation, the jurists of the Ummah differ. Yet the preponderant position is that only one who deliberately and persistently abandons prayer is a disbeliever. The evidence for this is as follows:
➊ Concerning the polytheists, Allah Almighty says:
فَاِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ
“If they repent, establish prayer and pay zakat, then they are your brothers in religion.” From this verse it becomes clear by itself that if they do not do so, they are not your brothers in religion. It should also be noted here that the bond of religious brotherhood is severed only by leaving Islam.
➋ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ
“Establish prayer and do not be among the polytheists.” The certain meaning of this verse is that whoever abandons prayer is among the polytheists.
➌ It is narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
وبين الرجل وبين الكفر والشرك ترك الصلاة
“The difference between a person and disbelief and polytheism is the abandonment of prayer.”
➍ It is narrated from Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
وبين العبد وبيـن الـكـفـر والإيمان الصلاة فإذا تركها فقد أشرك
“Between the servant and disbelief and faith is prayer. So when he abandons it, he has committed shirk.”
➎ It is narrated from Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
العهد الذى بيننا وبينهم الصلاة فمن تركها فقد كفر
“The covenant between us and the disbelievers is prayer. Whoever abandons it has committed disbelief.”
➏ It is narrated from Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
ولا تترك صلاة مكتوبة متعمدا فمن تركها متعمدا فقد برئت منه الذمة
“Do not deliberately abandon an obligatory prayer. Whoever deliberately abandons an obligatory prayer, the guarantee of safety and protection is removed from him.”
➐ It is narrated from Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
مـن حـافـظ عليهـا كـانت لـه نورا و برهانا ونجاة يوم القيمة ومن لم يحافظ عليها لم تكن له نورا ولا برهانا ولا نجاة وكان يوم القيمة مع قارون و فرعون وهامان وأبي بن خلف
“Whoever guards prayer, prayer will be a light, a proof and a means of salvation for him on the Day of Resurrection. And whoever does not guard it, prayer will not be a light, a proof or a means of salvation for him, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman and Ubayy bin Khalaf.”
➑ It is narrated from Abdullah bin Shaqiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that:
وكان أصحاب رسول الله لا يرون شيئا من الأعمال تركه كفر غير الصلاة
“The companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not consider abandoning any of the deeds other than prayer to be disbelief.”
➒ Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
لا حظ فى الإسلام لمن ترك الصلاة
“One who abandons prayer has no share in Islam.”
(Jumhur, Malik, Shafi’i) If someone abandons prayer out of mere laziness and negligence while believing in its obligation, he does not become a disbeliever, but becomes a sinner (fasiq). If he repents, that is well; otherwise he will be executed as a hadd punishment, like a married adulterer, and he will be killed by the sword.
(Hanafis) Such a person is neither a disbeliever nor will he be killed; rather, he will be given some punishment as a discretionary penalty (ta’zir) and will be imprisoned until he begins to pray.
(Ahmad) The one who does not pray will be killed because of his disbelief.
(Preponderant) One who deliberately and persistently abandons prayer is a disbeliever, and if there is the capacity (to do so), he is to be killed, as the evidence below shows:
➊ It is narrated from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
امرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله ويقيموا الصلاة ويؤتوا الزكوة
“I have been commanded to fight people until they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and they establish prayer and pay zakat.”
➋ In light of this same hadith, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) fought against those who refused to pay zakat.
(Shawkani) The correct position is that such a person is a disbeliever and deserves to be killed.
(Nawawi) If someone abandons prayer, no barrier remains between him and disbelief.
(Shinqiti) The one who does not pray is a disbeliever.
(Abdur Rahman Mubarakpuri) Such people and disbelievers are equal.
(Ibn Taymiyyah) One who abandons prayer and remains persistent in abandoning it, and dies in that state, has died a disbeliever.
(Ibn al-Qayyim) He expressed astonishment at those who, despite believing in the obligation of prayer, do not consider those who abandon it to be disbelievers.
(Shaykh Uthaymin) The one who does not pray is a disbeliever.
(Shaykh Ibn Jibrin) One who deliberately abandons prayer shall be ruled a disbeliever.
(Saudi Permanent Committee for Iftaa) One who abandons prayer through laziness and negligence (deliberately, without excuse) becomes a disbeliever, according to the correct view among the statements of the scholars.
