The rulling on the one who abandons prayer


source: silsilat ul-ahādīth us-sahīha ~ the series of authentic narrations ~


hadīth no. 87


Hudhaifa bin al-Yamān said that the Messenger of Allāh ( صلى


الله عليه وسلم ) said: “Islām will be erased just as the decoration of


a garment is (worn out and) erased, until it will not be known


what is fasting, nor prayer, nor the rituals of Hajj, nor charity;


and the Book of Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, (i.e., the


Qur’ān) will be taken away (from the mus-hafs[1] and breasts


of the people)[2] in one night such that not (even) an āyah


from it will remain on earth. And groups of people will remain –


the old people – saying: ‘We saw our forefathers upon this


statement: ‘lā ilāha illAllāh (none has the right to worshiped


but Allāh),’ so we also say it.’”


(Then), Silah bin Zufar said to Hudhaifa: ‘What will ‘lā ilāha


illAllāh’ benefit them when they don’t know what is prayer, nor


fasting, nor the rituals of Hajj, nor charity?’ Hudhaifa turned


away from him. Then (Silah) repeated it to (Hudhaifa) three


times, and every time Hudhaifa would turn away from him.


Then he turned toward him on the third time and said three


times: ‘O Silah! It will save them from the Fire.’”[3]


~*~*~*~


Shaykh al-Albāni comments:


“There is an important benefit of fiqh in the hadīth, which is


that bearing witness that lā ilāha illAllāh (none has the right to


be worshiped but Allāh) saves the one who says it (sincerely)


from dwelling forever in the Fire on the Day of Resurrection,


even if he didn’t use to perform any of the other pillars of Islām


at all, such as prayer and so on. And it is known that the


scholars have differed about the ruling on the one who


abandons the prayer especially while believing in its


legislation. So the majority was of the opinion that he has not


disbelieved by that, but rather disobeyed Allāh; and Ahmad –


in a report – was of the opinion that he has disbelieved, and


that he is to be killed due to apostasy, not as a prescribed


punishment. And it is has been authentically narrated from the


Companions that they did not consider leaving any of the


actions to be disbelief except the prayer; at-Tirmithī and al-


Hākim reported it.[4] And I believe that that which is correct is


the view of the majority, and that what was mentioned from


the Companions does not clearly state that they meant by


‘disbelief’ here to be the disbelief which will make its


possessor dwell forever in the Fire and for which it is not


possible that Allāh will forgive him. How can that be when this


is Hudhaifa bin al-Yamān – who is one of the foremost of


those Companions – responding to Silah bin Zufar, who was


about to understand the affair as Ahmad’s understanding of it.


So (Silah) said: ‘What will ‘lā ilāha illAllāh’ benefit them when


they don’t know what is prayer. . .,’ then Hudhaifa replied to


him after his turning away from him, saying three times: ‘O


Silah! It will save them from the Fire.’ Therefore, this is a clear


statement from Hudhaifa (radiAllāhu ʽanhu) that the one who


abandons the prayer is not a disbeliever [if he believes in its


legislation], but rather a Muslim who will be saved from


dwelling forever in the Fire on the Day of Resurrection. So be


mindful of this, for indeed you may not find it in other than this


place.”


~ asaheeha translations ~


haf [1] the actual plural word in Arabic for mus- is masāhif, i.e., copies of the Qur’ān


[2] this explanation and detail in the parentheses was mentioned by Shaykh ʽAbd ul-Muhsin


al-ʽAbbād in Sharh Sunan ibn Mājah, tape #293


[3] also refer to Sahīh ibn Mājah #3289


[4] Sahīh at-Tirmithī #2622

source: silsilat ul-hudā wa nnūr ~ the series of guidance and light ~ tape no.


81


Question #10: “What about the hadīth: ‘whoever abandons the


prayer has disbelieved’?”[1] Shaykh al-Albānī answers:


“This is not the first hadīth in which it is said that whoever


does such-and-such has disbelieved. You have the famous


hadīth ‘whoever swears by other than Allāh has


disbelieved,’[2] but we don’t say that whoever says ‘by the life


of my father’ has apostatized from his religion.[3] And you


know, for example, the hadīth of ʽUmar bin al-Khattāb in Sahīh


al-Bukhārī when the Messenger (of Allāh) ( (صلى الله عليه وسلم


heard him swearing by his father, so he ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said:


‘Don’t swear by your fathers; whoever of you swears, then let


him swear by Allāh or keep silent.’[4] And in the hadīth of


(ʽUmar’s) son ʽAbdullāh bin ʽUmar, he said that the Messenger


(of Allāh) ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said: ‘Whoever swears by other than


Allāh has associated partners with Him,’[5] and in another


narration, ‘he has disbelieved.’


So it is not necessary for the occurrence of the expression


‘whoever does such-and-such has disbelieved’ to mean that


he has disbelieved with the disbelief of apostasy. Rather, it


can have many meanings, such as for example: ‘he has


disbelieved’ can mean that he is close to disbelieving, that he


has disbelieved with the disbelief related to actions (i.e., minor


kufr), and such meanings that the people of knowledge were


obliged to (apply) in order to reconcile between the texts.


‘Whoever abandons the prayer has disbelieved.’ (But also) we


say, ‘whoever says lā ilāha illAllāh[6] (sincerely) will enter


Paradise;’[7] ‘whoever says laa ilāha illAllāh (sincerely), it will


benefit him some day,’[8] [9] as mentioned in the hadīth of al-


Bazzār and others. (Another hadīth mentions that) ‘whichever


slave runs away from his master has disbelieved.’[10] These


expressions are very numerous: ‘he has disbelieved, he has


disbelieved.’ And there isn’t any hadīth that is interpreted like


this upon its apparent meaning if it comes with the expression:


‘he has disbelieved.’ This hadīth – ‘whoever abandons the


prayer has disbelieved’ – is treated the same way as the other


narrations which share the saying ‘he has disbelieved’ with the


hadīth about prayer. So here, many interpretations can occur


for this text as for many (other) narrations. For example, ‘the


tale-carrier[11] will not enter Paradise,’[12] (but) does that


mean that he has disbelieved because of his tale-carrying?


The answer is: if he considers that to be permissible by his


heart, then Paradise has been forbidden for him. And if he


acknowledges the forbiddance of that, and admits that he is


wrong, a sinner and an evildoer, then his affair is with Allāh, as


He, the Mighty and Majestic, said: ‘Verily, Allāh forgives not


that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He


forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills.’[13] So


abandoning the prayer is an action that leads its doer to die


upon other than īmān (faith) – and Allāh’s protection is sought.


And abandoning the prayer is from the characteristics of the


disbelievers who don’t pray and don’t give the zakāh


(obligatory charity). Hence, if the Muslim does not pray, he


has resembled the disbelievers. So his disbelief here is the


disbelief related to actions [as long as he believes in the


legislation of the prayer]. And the narrations which must be


explained (with regard to their true meanings) are very


numerous.


For instance, during the farewell pilgrimage, (the Prophet)


صلى الله عليه وسلم) ) ordered Jarīr bin ʽAbdillāh al-Bajalī to quiet the


people down and make them listen, and he ( (صلى الله عليه وسلم


said while addressing them: ‘Do not return to being


disbelievers after me by striking the necks of one another.’[14]


And he ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said: ‘Insulting a Muslim is


disobedience (to Allāh), and fighting him is disbelief.’[15] But if


a Muslim kills or fights another Muslim, has this (person)


apostatized from his religion? The answer is: no, because


Allāh said: {And if two parties or groups among the believers


fall to fighting, then make peace between them both. But if one


of them outrages against the other, then fight you (all) against


the one that which outrages till it complies with the Command


of Allāh}.[16] He considered each of the two groups – the one


outraging and the one being outraged – to be from the


believers, although the Messenger (of Allāh) said in the


previous hadīth that ‘insulting a Muslim is disobedience (to


Allāh) and fighting him is disbelief.’ So how is disbelief


interpreted here? It is minor disbelief; it is disbelief related to


actions. And the narrations about prayer – which declare that


the one who abandons the prayer has disbelieved – are also


(interpreted) likewise: either it is said that he is close to the


disbelief related to faith (i.e., major kufr), that he is close to


dying upon other than the religion of Islām, or (it is said) that


he has disbelieved with the disbelief related to actions. This


interpretation is necessary so that we don’t contradict the


narrations of the Messenger (of Allaah) ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) with


one another.”


~ asaheeha translations ~


[1] Sahīh at-Tirmithī #2621


[2] Sahīh at-Tirmithī #1535


[3] swearing by other than Allāh can become major disbelief when the one swearing believes


that the one whom he falsely swears by has the ability to avert harm from him and the like;


refer to The Methodology of the Saved Sect by Shaykh Muhammad bin Jamīl Zaynū, p. 101


[4] Sahīh an-Nasā’ī #3775, Sahīh aj-Jāmiʽ #1923


[5] Sahīh at-Tirmithī #1535


[6] none has the right to be worshiped but Allāh


[7] Silsilat ul-Ahādīth is-Sahīha #2355


[8] i.e., even if he first enters the Fire to be punished therein


[9] Sahīh aj-Jāmiʽ #6434


[10] Sahīh Muslim #68


[11] the tale-carrier is the one who spreads the speech of the people among one another with


the intention of causing corruption, such as you going to someone and saying: ‘such-andsuch


person insulted you, and he said such-and-such thing about you, etc’ so that you


separate between them; refer to Shaykh Muhammad bin Sālih al-ʽUthaymīn in Nūrun ʽalā


ddarb tape #48a and Silsilatu Liqā il-Bāb il-Maftūh tape #93a


[12] Sahīh al-Bukhārī #6056, Sahīh Muslim #105


[13] Sūrat un-Nisā, 4:48


[14] Sahīh al-Bukhārī #4405


[15] Sahīh al-Bukhārī #6044


[16] Sūrat ul-Hujurāt, 49:9

source: silsilat ul-hudā wa nnūr ~ the series of guidance and light ~ tape no.


323


*Question #23: “Our Shaykh, I am asking you about the issue


of proofs with regard to the ruling on the one who abandons


the prayer. In the treatise ‘The Ruling on the One who


Abandons Prayer’ by Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-


’Uthaymeen, he is of the opinion that the one who abandons


the prayer is a disbeliever, and he has many proofs, such as


Allaah’s statement about the mushrikoon:[1] {But if they


repent, perform salaah (the prayer), and give zakaah


(obligatory charity), then they are your brethren in religion}.[2]


So he says that what is understood from the aayah is that if


they don’t do that, they are not our brethren; and the religious


brotherhood isn’t negated by sins even if they are great, but it


is negated when one leaves Islaam”


Shaykh al-Albānī (rahimahullaah) answers:


“Yet he is not saying that if the person prays but doesn’t give


the zakaah that he is (likewise) not a Muslim and that he has


disbelieved by that. May Allaah guide you, you are bringing his


proof but I would like to turn your attention to (the fact) that


there is no proof in it because he is not saying about the one


who abandons the zakaah the same as he is saying about the


one who abandons the prayer. You didn’t just narrate his


opinion, rather you narrated (both) his opinion and his proof,


but I would like to turn your attention to (the fact) that this is


not a proof for him, because the aayah includes zakaah along


with the prayer, [yet he is differentiating between the one who


abandons the former and the one who abandons the latter].”


*Question #23 (continued): “What is the ruling on this man


who has abandoned the prayer, not out of denying (its


legislation) but out of laziness? And what is the daleel


(evidence)?”


Shaykh al-Albānī answers:


“This (man) is one who is rebellious and disobedient (to


Allaah), and not a disbeliever. The daleel is that ‘Whoever


says laa ilaaha illAllaah[3] (sincerely) will enter Paradise,’[4]


and the daleel is that ‘Allaah has prescribed five prayers upon


(His) slaves, so whoever performs them and does them well,


and completes their rukoo’ (bowing), sujood (prostration) and


khushoo’ (submissive humility and attentiveness), then he has


a covenant with Allaah that He will enter him into Paradise,


and whoever does not perform them and does not complete


their rukoo’, sujood and khushoo’, then he does not have a


covenant with Allaah; If He wills, He will punish him and if He


wills, He will forgive him,’[5] and if he was a disbeliever, He


would not forgive him because Allaah says: ‘Verily, Allah


forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in


worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom


He wills.’”[6] [1] those who associate partners with Allaah


[2] Surat ut-Tawbah, 9:11


[3] none has the right to be worshiped but Allaah


[4] Silsilat ul-Ahaadeeth is-Saheeha #2355


[5] Saheeh ibn Maajah #1158, Saheeh at-Targheeb #400,


Hukm Taarik is-Salaah p. 46


[6] Surat un-Nisaa, 4:48