The rulling
of the one who abandons prayer (Part 3)
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-and-such 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
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