The rulling
on the one who abandons prayer (Part 2)
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 ~
[1] the actual plural word in Arabic for mus-haf 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
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