The Major Sins Series- Missing SalahPrayer

Major Sins Series - Missing Salah/Prayer

Speaker: Abu Usamah

Opening

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And I send blessings and peace upon our Prophet, the Trustworthy. And upon his family and all his companions. And upon those who adhere to his Sunnah with goodness until the Day of Judgment.

O Allah, nothing is easy except what You have made easy. And You make sadness easy if You will. O Allah, we seek refuge in You from the evil of what is in this night. And we ask You for the best of what is in it.

Introduction: The Fourth Major Sin

Imam Ad-Dahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) says in his book, the Book of Major Sins:

The Fourth Major Sin: Leaving off the Salah (Prayer)

Allah says:

"But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil - Except those who repent, believe and do righteousness; for those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged at all."

The Reality of Our Ummah

As I sit here and I look into the audience, I will bet all of the money that I have that the Muslims who are connected to us - our relatives, our family members - the vast majority of them do not pray. The vast majority of our relatives do not pray the Salat of Al-Islam.

And then there are a large portion of them who pray some of the prayers and they leave some of the prayers.

Right here in this masjid, and you brothers are from the Ahl ul-Masjid (people of the masjid), there are people from those who are present today who pray some prayers and miss other prayers.

Some people who don't pray Salat ul-Fajr unless it's on the weekend, or unless they make Khuruj (going out) for 40 days and they were with some people who make Khuruj and they woke up in the masjid - then they'll pray the Fajr prayer.

So the Kabira number 4 is leaving off the Salat.

Historical Context: When Leaving Prayer Was Unthinkable

There's a scholar in Al-Islam by the name of Abu Zura - not Abu Zura Ar-Razi, the Imam of Al-Hadith, but Abu Zura Al-Iraqi. He has a book called Tarh At-Tathreeb, and in that book he was talking about something that was said concerning a scholar who was doing a class on Fiqh, and he did what the scholars used to do in the past.

When they would say, "Let's imagine such and such happened. Let's imagine this and that happened - what would be the ruling of that?"

So this particular scholar, he said to his students and to the people present: "Let's imagine that someone left the Salat intentionally."

The people became so upset because they didn't appreciate him giving such an example - as if he was hoping or wondering maybe one day the Muslims will become a group of people who you can even think that there's someone from amongst them who's going to leave the Salat.

So the community became upset with him simply because he said, "Let's imagine someone left the prayer - and then what would the ruling be?"

Because it was inconceivable that a person would leave the Salat from the people before. Now the norm is that the Muslims don't pray.

The Scholarly Disagreement (Ikhtilaf)

As it relates to the issue of leaving off the Salat, this is an issue that has ikhtilaf (scholarly disagreement) between the scholars whether or not the one who leaves it off is a kafir (disbeliever) or not.

And it's an issue that both sides have their proofs, and we should learn the etiquettes of ikhtilaf. And it's not permissible for someone who says the one who leaves the Salat is a kafir - he believes in the Salat but he leaves it off as a result of being lazy - some ulama say he's a kafir, like Al-Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him).

If one of you brothers took that position, it's not permissible for anyone to say "you're from the Khawarij, you're a takfiri because you make takfir of the one who left the Salat." That's a justified, bona fide position of the ulama in Islam and they have a dalil for it from the Quran and the Sunnah.

And similarly, if a person took the other position - the position of the majority of ulama, the jamhur (majority), that the one who leaves the Salat out of negligence and out of being lazy, he's not a kafir. And Al-Imam Ash-Shafi'i was of this opinion and other than him.

The people who take the position that he's a kafir for leaving the Salat, you can't say to that individual "you're from the Murji'ah. You allow the leaving of the deeds and you believe the person is still a Muslim?" No, it's an issue of ikhtilaf that the scholars had.

My Advice

So therefore we have to be fair and just. I would advise all of you to do something about reading up on this issue so that you can take a position. We have to learn about the ahkam (rulings) of the Salat.

Learning the Rulings of Prayer

Today when I came for Salat al-'Asr, I came in late, making wudu. There were people who were praying back there, over there. One brother I know in particular was praying by himself even though the jama'ah (congregation) has started.

He was praying by himself because he was a traveler. So he wanted to pray Salat adh-Dhuhr and then get with the jama'ah to pray Salat al-'Asr. I don't know what the other people were doing.

We need to learn about all of the ahkam of the Salat. That the Prophet says (peace and blessings be upon him):

(Sahih Muslim)

Translation: "If the iqama has been made for the prayer, there is no prayer except the obligatory one."

If the iqama has been made, the iqama has been made, and the Salat is established, the Muslims are praying behind the imam - it's haram, haram (لَا يَجُوزُ، يَأْثَمُ - Not permissible, sinful). Not permissible to go anywhere in that masjid to pray.

It's not permissible. If you have already prayed those prayers, get with the people and pray with them, or get lost so no one can see you. It's not permissible to sit on the side, nor is it permissible for you to pray the two rak'ahs of Fajr while the imam is making the Salat.

The point is, Ikhwani, we have to learn about the ahkam of Salat from A to Z. Our children have to know about the ahkam of the Salat.

Books on This Issue

So as it relates to this issue, there's ikhtilaf between the ulama. The scholars of Islam took care of this issue, and they wrote books.

Those of you who have the book 'Aqidatu Ashab al-Hadith (The Creed of the People of Hadith), 'Aqidatu Salaf, Ashab al-Hadith - the 'Aqidah of the Salaf, the people of the Hadith, by Imam As-Sabuni - I believe that's been translated.

When he came to this issue, he said: "In leaving off the Salat, there is ikhtilaf between the ulama. Al-Imam Ash-Shafi'i and the jumhur of the ulama were of the opinion that he's not a kafir. But Al-Imam Ahmad had the position that he was a kafir."

The scholars wrote about this issue. So it's not permissible for someone to come now and to be rough and tough against the other position, because bona fide scholars took the position on this issue.

Imam Ad-Dahabi's Position

Concerning Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi, he was Hanbali. And the Hanbali Madhab is that in general, they take the position that you are kafir.

• Shaykh Ibn Baz
• Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen

They were from the Hanbali Madhab, mujtahids. And they used to say that the one who leaves the Salat is a kafir.

What I mean by leaving the Salat - they said if a person was lazy, like our relatives: our mother, our father, brothers, sisters, our wives, our brother's wife, and so forth and so on. If that person didn't make the Salat, but

he believes in Salat - as Shaykh Ibn Baz says - he's a kafir.

If he dies like that:

• You can't inherit from him
• You have to bury him with the kuffar (disbelievers)
• You can't marry him
• If his wife wants a divorce, they're divorced automatically

That's the Hanbali position.

Shaykh Al-Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abdil-Wahhab, Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn 'Uthaymeen was of the opinion that they're kuffar.

As for Ad-Dahabi, it's not clear what his position is from this particular chapter. It's not clear. And if you had to take a position, it seems that Ad-Dahabi doesn't make takfir of the one who leaves the Salat out of negligence. It seems like that.

Books Written on This Issue

He was around scholars who wrote about the issue, like Al-Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, who has a book, Ikhwan, that is called, dealing with this issue alone: As-Salat Wa Hukum Tarikihah (The Prayer and the Ruling Concerning the One Who Left It).

And he brought all of the adillah (evidences) from the Quran and from the Sunnah, and the statements of the imams of this ummah, to prove that he's a kafir.

Al-Imam Al-Albani had a book: As-Salat Wa Hukum Tarikihah. And the scholars wrote about it in the books of fiqh.

One of the best books that I found concerning this issue is the book by Mustafa Ibn Ismail As-Sulaimani, which is called Sabeel An-Najat Fi Bayan Hukum Tariq As-Salat (The Way of Salvation in Explaining the Ruling on the One Who Leaves Prayer).

Mustafa Ibn Ismail As-Sulaimani is Abu Al-Hassan Al-Ma'ribi. He gathered together the aqwal (statements) of the ummah and the statements of the people, and then he gave us a position what he thought was the truth. He has a very beneficial book.

Evidence from the Quran

Imam Ad-Dahabi brings three ayat from the Quran to prove, if you leave off the prayer out of negligence, then you are a kafir.

First Ayah: From Surah Maryam

Translation: "But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil - Except those who repent, believe and do righteousness; for those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged at all."

Allah described in this ayah, in the Quran, in Surah Maryam, ayah number 59: some believers who were the righteous, the salihin. From those people, Allah said: "And then there came after them, a group of people, who lost the salah (أَضَاعُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ) and they followed their shahawat (desires)."

These people are going to go into the hellfire. They're going to get a punishment - except the one who makes tawbah for what he did: left off the salah and followed the shahawat. And they also, after making tawbah, they believed. And after that, they did the righteous deeds.

Those people will enter into the Jannah, and they will not be oppressed one bit.

Analysis of This Evidence

So the scholars use this as a dalil, and it's clear that Allah said that they left off the salah, and that they're going to enter into the hellfire. And He said, "Unless they have iman again, they believe again" - because they became kufar.

However, this dalil by itself doesn't prove that he's a non-Muslim. Why?

First reason: It doesn't prove that he's a non-Muslim, number one, because in this ayah أَضَاعُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ (they lost the salah) has been explained by the companions. What is the meaning of losing the salah?

Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The meaning of أَضَاعُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ here means that they didn't take care of the time of the salah. They pray the salah of the munafiq - waited until the time almost went out, and then they pray very quickly.

He wants to watch Chelsea play in the semifinals, so while the game is going, he doesn't want to get up. He says, "I'm going to make the salah at halftime." And then when halftime comes, he goes and he prays real quick.

That's what the ayah is talking about, with the text that comes from the companions of Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him). So their understanding of the ayah is a dalil.

Second reason: Ikhwan, in the ayah, Allah mentioned two crimes:

1. That they lost the salah
2. They also followed their shahawat

So there are some people who follow their shahawat. Everybody who follows their shahawat does not become a kafir. Everyone who follows his desires - most people are going to follow their desires.

So this dalil by itself does not stand up, because for the most part, most people, they are negligent with the times of the salah.

Nonetheless, delaying the salah, losing the salah, is a kabira from the kabair.

Second Ayah: From Surah Al-Ma'un

The second dalil he brought, Ikhwan, was the statement of Allah Ta'ala:

Translation: "So woe to those who pray, those who are heedless of their prayer."

Those people who concerning their salah, they are negligent. They are negligent about the salah, meaning they don't have the khushu' (humility/focus) in the salah.

Analysis of This Evidence

Again, this is not a dalil. And the reason why it's not a dalil is because the companions of Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him) said that the meaning of this ayah - ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ (those who are negligent about their salah) - this ayah is talking about the people who neglect the time. They are negligent about the salah, meaning they don't have the khushu' in the salah.

They have a lahu (play/heedlessness) in the salah, they are playing. When it's time for the salah, one of them is looking around. And you come into the masjid, in this masjid, and he's praying over here, and he looks at you when you come into the door.

That's the meaning of this ayah according to the companions of Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him).

So it is not a dalil by itself.

Third Ayah: From Surah Al-Muddaththir

The third and last dalil from the Quran that Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi brought was the statement of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala when it will be said to the criminals:

Translation: "What put you into Saqar (Hellfire)? They will say, 'We were not of those who prayed, nor did we used to feed the poor."

To the criminals on Yawm al-Qiyamah : مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ (What caused you people to be in the hellfire?(

They respond : قَالُوا۟ لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ (We are in the hellfire because we didn't used to pray.(

Analysis of This Evidence

And Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi stopped there. That's the extent of this ayah. What caused you people to wind up in the saqar, in the hellfire? They say we weren't from those who pray.

But if you continue the ayah, you'll see that this is not enough to make a person a kafir. Because they went on to mention something else that they used to do:

وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ ٱلْمِسْكِينَ (And we also didn't feed the poor.(

So the Muslim who doesn't feed the poor, does he become a kafir and he goes into the hellfire? Of course not.

The ayah is talking about those people who are kufar and they didn't see salah as being something from the deen. They didn't see the haq (right) of the masakeen (needy) and the fuqara (poor), talking about the kufar.

So these adillah (evidences) by themselves, they don't show that the person is a kafir.

Strongest Evidence from the Quran

Probably the strongest dalil from the Quran for the people who see that leaving the salah is kufr is a statement of Allah in Surah At-Tawbah. And it's two ayahs that are similar.

Anyway, the one in question is the statement of Allah Ta'ala:

Translation: "But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion."

Allah was talking to Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him) about how to deal with the mushrikeen (polytheists): but if they make tawbah and they establish the salah, and they give the zakat, then they are your brothers in the deen.

So it's understood from that: if they don't make tawbah and come to the deen, and they don't establish the salah, and give zakat, then they are not your brothers in the deen.

So those are the three adillah, but there are more adillah that the ulema use to show that leaving the Quran, leaving the salah is kufr, and those three are from the Quran.

Evidence from the Sunnah

As for the Sunnah, the Sunnah has some clearer proofs. Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi)

Translation: "And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The covenant between us and them is the prayer. Whoever leaves it has disbelieved."

To show that they are kufar, is that the hadith of Rasulullah that is authentic (peace and blessings be upon him):

The difference between us (the 'ahd - the contract, the difference is the best translation here) - the difference between us and them is the Salah. So anyone who leaves it has disbelieved.

Second Hadith

And then the second hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

Translation: "Whoever misses Salat al-'Asr, then his deeds will be rendered null and void."

Another hadith said: Whoever misses Salat al-'Asr, it is as if he has lost all of his money and all of his family.

That's the seriousness of Salah, the Salah of Al-Islam. The issue that no matter what, that Salah is never going to be taken off of you.

Salah: The Pillar That is Never Removed

You only have to fast if you have the ability to fast. You don't have to fast if you're traveling or if you're sick.

You only have to give zakat if you have the money to give zakat. You don't have the money, you don't have to give zakat.

You only have to make Hajj if you have the money or the road is safe and you have the ability, and the sister has the mahram. If you don't have that, you don't have to make any of the arkan (pillars) of Al-Islam - the last three.

But concerning the Salah, no matter what:

• If you can only pray sitting down, you pray sitting down
• If you can pray just moving your eyes, Salah never comes off of you
• Even in jihad, half of the community pray one rak'ah while the other half guard the Muslims. After they finish the one rak'ah, the other people come to pray the second rak'ah, and those people protect the Muslims

The Prophet's Love for Prayer

The Salah that the Prophet used to say to Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him):

Translation: "O Bilal, make us comfortable with the prayer."

Rasulullah used to say to Bilal: "O Bilal, make us comfortable with the prayer."

Meaning, when Bilal made the adhan for Salah, and it was time to pray, this used to cause Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him) tranquility. He used to get a rahah (comfort/ease).

Unlike the people today, Salah is a burden. "I have to get up and pray Fajr. Okay, I'm going to get up, but I'm going to pray very quickly and jump back in the bed."

(يَا بِلَالُ، أَرِحْنَا بِالصَّلَاةِ - Bilal, make us comfortable with the prayer. I'm going to be in communion, in communication with Allah, reading His kalam.

He (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions:

Translation: "The coolness of my eyes has been made in the prayer."

The salah has been made the coolness of my eyes. That's how Rasulullah used to look at the prayer in Islam.

Prayer as a Sign of Faith

He would be on a journey, and on the journey, before going to get the people, he would say: "Hold on, hold on, let's see if we hear the adhan." And he would wait. If he heard the adhan, they'll keep going. If he didn't hear the adhan for salah, they'll go down and pounce upon the people and pulverize them.

The salah was an example of the iman and Islam of the people.

As we mentioned today, it's the opposite. A man wants to marry his daughter to a man - he doesn't ask, "Does he make salah?"

Wallahi, leaving off salah is a bigger crime than drinking khamr (alcohol). Leaving off salah is a bigger crime than making zina (fornication).

If a man made zina and our family heard about it, became public, we won't let our daughters marry him - and rightly so. But wallahi, leaving salah is greater than zina or drinking khamr.

It's a bigger kabira. It is the most important rukn from the arkan of Islam after the shahadatain (the two testimonies of faith).

The Importance of Salat al-'Asr

So if a person left Salat al-'Asr, his deeds will be rendered null and void. What about all of the prayers? All of the prayers every day?

The prayer that the Prophet said about it (peace and blessings be upon him):

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 413; Sunan an-Nasa'i, Hadith 465; Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 864)

Translation: "The first thing Allah is going to ask you about on Yawm al-Qiyamah concerning your deeds after the grave, concerning living in this life, is his prayer. If his prayer was right and exact, then the rest of the deeds will be right and exact. If the prayers were not right and exact, they were wanting and lacking, the rest of his deeds are going to be wanting and lacking."

So the salah in Al-Islam, Ikhwan, is an important issue.

More Evidence from the Sunnah

Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) went on to say:

And the Prophet didn't mention in this hadith (peace and blessings be upon him): he left it intentionally, he left it as a result of being negligent. If a person leaves off the salah with intent, or whether it's negligence, he left it - this hadith says: then between him and leaving off the salah, and shirk is him. Between him and shirk is leaving off the salah.

Protection of Allah is Removed

He went on to say:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 22957)

Translation: "Whoever intentionally leaves off the prayer, the protection of Allah will be taken away from him."

The dhimmah (protection) of Allah - Allah's protection, Allah's guidance, Allah's pleasure - will be taken from him.

The Full Hadith

This hadith has a beginning that we want to mention here, because it is important. In the beginning of the hadith, Abu Ad-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

Translation: "Rasulullah gave me a wasiya (advice). Before he died, he told me to take care of nine things. He said, the first thing is: don't make shirk with Allah, even if they cut you into pieces or they were to burn you. Don't make shirk with Allah."

Which shows us the other side of the story: if a Muslim is compelled in his religion to do haram, Al-Islam has opened up the way for him.

When Being Compelled: Two Extremes

Unfortunately, whether it's the salat or the aqeedah, the Muslims have lost the plot. I've heard up until today, four different occasions, different occasions, where Muslims are saying that the Pope - we don't know if he

died as a Muslim or non-Muslim. The Pope may be in Jannah because he may have embraced Islam before he died.

And other people even said he was a good man. When did the Muslims start having doubt about issues like that?

A person who's the representative of shirk and at-tathlith (Trinity):

Translation: "They have certainly disbelieved who say, 'Allah is the third of three.'"

A person is the representative of that aqeedah, and the Muslims say, "You can't say that he's a non-Muslim."

Translation: "Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam."

That's the Quran.

In Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 153)

Translation: "There is no man from this Ummah who hears about me, whether he is a Jew or a Christian, then dies and did not believe in me, except that he will enter into the Hellfire."

But if we're going to say Al-Islam is the religion of truth, we're going to have to be able to prove how Al-Islam has answered all of the issues for the human being.

When Compulsion is Allowed

So one of the issues that the human being is confronted with is sometimes he's going to be compelled to do what is haram. What does Al-Islam do? Al-Islam allows the door to be open, to give you a chance:

Translation: "He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit] - there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."

All of those things that are haram to eat: blood, dead meat, the thing that was slaughtered for other than Allah, the animal that was strangled, the animal that was gored, the animal that was eaten by other animals, the animal that was slaughtered for the altars - all of that, haram.

And then at the end of the ayat, Allah said: إِنَّ اللهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ - But whoever was compelled to eat that, whoever was forced to eat it, Allah will forgive you. Allah will forgive you in your religion when you're compelled and you're forced to do this or you're forced to do that.

The Story of 'Ammar ibn Yasir

So, as it relates to Al-Islam, Al-Islam is the religion of truth, Ikhwanin. And we have to make it our business to learn about the 'Aqidah of Al-Islam - to be able to say that the man who died in other than Al-Islam, we judge him based upon the dhahir (apparent).

And then after knowing about the correct 'Aqidah, the most important rukn from the Arkan of Islam is the Salah. In this Hadith here, Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him) says: Do not make shirk, even if they burnt you or they cut you up.

So the point that we wanted to make was in the case with 'Ammar ibn Yasir: He saw his father and he saw his mother killed before his very eyes. And everyone knows what the kuffar did to his mother - how they stabbed her with the spear.

They asked 'Ammar: "Now, what do you have to say about Islam and Muhammad?"

'Ammar started cursing Islam and started cursing Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him). But his iman caused him to go to Rasulullah. He told Rasulullah what happened.

Rasulullah said: كَيْفَ تَجِدُ قَلْبَكَ؟ "How's your heart? How's your heart?"

He said: مُطْمَئِنٌ بِالْإِيمَانِ "I believe in Allah and His Messenger."

Rasulullah said: فَإِنْ عَادُوا فَعُدْ "If they take you again, say the same thing again. If they persecute you again, say the same thing again. Curse me, curse the deen."

And then Allah revealed the ayat of the Quran:

Translation: "Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief... except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is secure in faith. But those who [willingly] open their breasts to disbelief, upon them is wrath from Allah, and for them is a great punishment."

Anybody who changes after iman and disbelieves in Allah - except the one who is compelled - this ayah shows the two extremes:

• On one hand, you can be like 'Ammar and you can take the easy way out

• On the other hand, you can be like Bilal and say "Ahad, Ahad" (One, One)

• On the other hand, you can be like the father of 'Ammar, Yasir, and his mother and don't change your religion

So you have to decide when you're being compelled: When do you take that side and when do you take this side?

• If it's just you by yourself, then take the strong way: "No, I'm not going to do it. I don't want the job."

• But if other people are behind you - family members, children, people you're responsible for - Al-Islam allows you to take the weak way out

But when you take the weak way out, you still have to make an attempt to get out of your situation.

So whoever leaves off the salah intentionally, he will be outside of the protection of Allah.

Statements of 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab

Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi, he said (may Allah have mercy on him), that 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

Translation: "'Umar said: The one who leaves off the prayer, he doesn't have any portion of Al-Islam. The one who was not praying, his share from Al-Islam has been left."

'Umar also said, and I want to remind you brothers of the statement of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him):

Translation: "Whoever dies and he never made Hajj, and he had the ability to do it, then let him die as a Jew or Christian."

"I'll make Hajj when I'm 40, I'll make Hajj when I get married, I'll make Hajj when I get out of debt."

No, the Muslim has to hurry up and make Hajj. So 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was of the opinion that if a person left the prayer, he was a kafir.

The Companions' Ijma' (Consensus)

In addition to that, Ikhwan, comes one of the most important issues of this chapter that we want you to concentrate on. One of the most important issues as it relates to judging the one who leaves off Salat.

And that is Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi's statement (may Allah have mercy on him):

Translation: "The companions of Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not see the leaving off of any action or deed as being kufr other than the Salat."

And this is one of the issues that I have. I've been back and forth on the issue of Tariq as-Salat (leaving the prayer):

• One month I say they're kufar
• The next month I say no, they're Muslims
• And next month you say no, they're kufar
• Next month you say no, they're Muslims

Why Say They Are Kufar?

What's one of the reasons why you're saying that they are kufar? Because our da'wah is the da'wah of the 'Aqidah of the Salaf of this Ummah. And the companions are at the top of the list (may Allah be pleased with them). And you're not going to find any companion except that he said: whoever left Salat is a kafir.

You're not going to find a companion with the other position. There's ijma' from the companions that leaving the Salat is kufr.

The Other Position

But the other position that says, "No, they're not kufar, they're Muslims" - what is that? If everyone who left the Salat was a kafir, wallahi, the majority of our Ummah are kufar.

And is that conceivable that the majority of the Muslims are kufar? You brothers as you sit there, those people are connected to you. Most of them don't pray. Are we going to believe that the majority of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) are all kufar? That's a big pill and a bitter pill to swallow.

But that's not enough. If we refuse to make takfir of the people simply based upon that, that's putting our 'aql (intellect) before the naql (transmitted text). The companions have ijma' that they're kufar.

So we have to add on to that intellect. What do we add on to it? Those many scholars who took the other position. And they took those other positions based upon dalil from the Quran and the Sunnah.

Balancing the Evidence

Allah mentioned in the Quran:

Translation: "Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills."

Allah will not forgive that you make shirk with Him, but He'll forgive everything other than that - which caused some of the scholars to say: leaving off the Salat is less than shirk.

Translation: "Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins.'

Say to my servants, oh Muhammad - those who have been excessive upon themselves and you made a lot of sins - don't give up from the rahmah of Allah. Allah forgives all sins, except shirk.

The Case of Zakah

So the companions of Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him), they didn't see the one who left the zakat as a kafir. Some of them did, some of them didn't.

When Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I'm going to fight them," 'Umar and the companions said, "How are you going to fight a group of people who say (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ ٱللَّهِ)?"

Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1399; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 20)

Translation: "I have been ordered to fight the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, and they establish the prayer and give the zakah."

Zakat always comes after the salah in the Quran.

So, the companions were not in agreement that one who left the zakat is a kafir, but they were in agreement that the one who left the salah was a non-Muslim.

Ibn Hazm's Statement

Translation: "Imam Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) went on to say: There is no crime or sin that is greater after shirk. The next greatest crime is leaving the prayer until the time of the prayer went out, and killing someone unjustly."

So, what did Al-Imam Adh-Dhahiri do? He brought first shirk is the first kabira, and then killing someone, and then magic, and then number four: leaving off the salah is the fourth kabira.

So, the scholars of Al-Islam, Ikhwani, and the regular Muslims of Al-Islam, they always look at the salah as being an issue that determines and proves a person's Islam and his Iman.

The Reality Today

Especially during these times where the Muslims on a daily basis are in a campaign and they're in a perpetual war to practice their Islam. So, the people who really want to be real Muslims, one of the things they try to hold on to in these terrible times is the prayer. Especially when you come to the masjid to make that salah - for it to be an issue that people look at: "You can leave it if you want, you can take it if you want."

There's something grossly wrong with the mentality of the Muslim ummah today and the fact that we look at the salah as being an issue where you can marry someone, or marry your daughter to someone, or your son to someone, and they don't pray.

It's not permissible to marry your daughter to someone who doesn't pray, because that's open fisq (wickedness), open fisq. The tayyibun (good ones) are for the tayyibat (good ones), and the tayyibat are for the tayyibin.

The one who doesn't pray is from the people who are the people of khubth (filth), dirt, and filth.

The Story of Dhul-Khuwaysira

Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) he went on to say, on the authority of Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him):

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4351; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1064)

Translation: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) distributed the spoils of war. Dhul-Khuwaysira, the imam of the Khawarij, the big fitna of the ummah that Rasulullah knew was going to happen (peace and blessings be upon him), he wasn't pleased with the distribution.

So he said: 'Ya Rasulullah, be just with Allah! Be just with Allah!' Rasulullah said: 'Woe unto you. If I don't act justly, who from amongst you can act justly?' Khalid ibn al-Walid said: 'Ya Rasulullah, let me chop his head off. Let me kill him - munafiq, kafir, saying something like that.' Rasulullah said: 'No, don't kill him. It may be that he prays. It may be that he prays.'"

The fact that the man prayed was a protection for his blood in this issue. Even though he deserved to be killed. And the reason why he wasn't killed is because of the fitna. Killing him would have created a bigger fitna. But he deserved to be killed. But that's from the fiqh of Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him).

And from the fiqh of Imam Ad-Dahabi is that he put this hadith here to show that the salah of the man was the reason why Rasulullah gave the command (peace and blessings be upon him) in front of the people. And it shows the importance of the salah.

He didn't say, "Maybe he's good to his mother and his father. It may be he gives a lot of sadaqa to the fuqara and the masakin and the masajid. It may be that he makes jihad and defends Islam."

He said, "No, don't kill him. It may be that the man is a person who takes care of the salah."

Salah Protects Blood and Property

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 25; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 22)

Translation: "I've been ordered to kill the people until they testify (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ) and they establish the salah and they give the zakah. If they do that, their blood and their money has become protected. I don't take their blood and their money, except by the haq of Al-Islam."

I take the diyah (blood money). If one of them kills someone else, then they are killed and so forth and so on. So the salah, Ikhwani, it is something that will protect the blood of a Muslim.

Weak Hadith About Being Raised with Tyrants

We're almost done here. He went on to say:

Translation: "This hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said according to this hadith: Whoever doesn't protect the prayer, he will not have any light on Yawm al-Qiyamah. Nor will he be successful. Nor will he have a burhan (proof). And he will be raised up with Qarun. And he will be raised up with Fir'awn (Pharaoh). And he will be raised up with Haman. And he will be raised up with Abu Jahl and Ubay ibn Khalaf."

Analysis: This Hadith is Not Authentic

This hadith is not authentic. But again, what did we mention at the beginning of our lectures in Kitab Al-Kabair?

The Minhaj of the Muhaddithin (scholars of Hadith) like Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi, like Al-Imam An-Nawawi in Riyadh As-Salihin: Whenever they bring weak hadith, when do they do it? They always bring it at the end of the chapter. They never make the weak hadith the first hadith, the first dalil they're trying to prove.

It's always after the ayat and then the authentic hadith. And then at the end, they bring the weak hadith.

And when they bring the weak hadith, they'll say:

• (وَرُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ) (And it is narrated...)
• (وَيُرْوَى عَنِ النَّبِيِّ) (And it is said that the Prophet said...)

So these scholars would use the weak hadith in order to strengthen this particular position, but they did not rely upon the weak hadith.

And we're going to come to a chapter in this book: relying on Rasulullah as a Kabira from the Kabair. So when you narrate a weak hadith that he didn't say, you're falling into a Kabira from the Kabair.

So when Imam Ad-Dahabi knew that - he's a Muhaddith, a Hafidh in Al-Islam - so this hadith is not authentic and it's one of the famous hadith to prove the danger of leaving Salat. So remember: whoever doesn't protect the Salat, he will be raised up with Qarun, Fir'awn, Haman, Abu Jahl, and Ubay ibn Khalaf. That is a weak hadith, that's mashhoor (well-known). It's weak.

Imam Ad-Dahabi's Conclusion

Finally, Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi, he said (may Allah have mercy on him), and this is why I said you don't get the clear indication of what his position is with the one who leaves off the Salat. He said:

Translation: "He said: The one who delays the prayer until the time goes out, he is a person who has committed a kabira. He's a sahib al-kabira (person of major sins). And the one who leaves the salah in totality, or the one

Final Summary

So Ikhwani, the salah in Al-Islam - to leave it is a kabira from the kabair.

Whoever leaves the salah, he fell into kufr. But he fell into the kufr of actions. If he left the salah to come and go out, he fell into kufr, because Rasulullah called leaving the salah kufr (peace and blessings be upon him).

But there's two types of kufr:

1. Kufr that takes you out of the religion

2. Kufr that doesn't take you out of the religion - the kufr al-a'maal (kufr of actions)

To curse the Muslim is kufr of actions. But it doesn't take you out of the religion.

But if a person left the salah saying "it's not beneficial, it doesn't bring any benefit, I don't have to pray it," and he knows what he's saying, then this is the kufr akbar (major disbelief) that takes him out of the religion, and he becomes a kafir, and he is killed as a murtad (apostate).

He's killed as a murtad because he left the religion of Al-Islam. As for he leaves the salah out of being lazy, it's a kabira from the kabair, but there is ikhtilaf between the scholars, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows best.

It seems that the people who say he's not a kafir, their dalil are stronger and more in number.

Supporting Evidence for Non-Takfir Position

Like the two ayahs that we mentioned. Also the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Translation: "On Yawm al-Qiyamah, they're going to come - a group of people - and all they're going to say is لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ And they're going to say, 'We found our mothers and fathers saying that, that's all we know.'"

And Rasulullah said (peace and blessings be upon him): "And that's going to benefit them. لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ ."

The narrator of the hadith, Abu Dharr, said: "Ya Rasulullah! But they didn't pray and didn't fast."

Rasulullah said: "It's going to benefit them."

Abu Dharr said: "But they didn't pray, they didn't fast."

He said: "It's going to benefit them."

Abu Dharr said: "But they didn't pray and they didn't fast."

Rasulullah said: يَنْفَعُ رَغْمَ عَلَى أَنْفِ أَبِي ذَرٍّ - "Despite the nose of Abu Dharr, it's going to benefit them."

Another Supporting Hadith

In another hadith, he says (peace and blessings be upon him):

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 425; Sunan an-Nasa'i, Hadith 461)

Translation: "Five prayers Allah made wajib upon the servants. Whoever takes care of them will come with nur (light) and burhan (proof) with Allah. And whoever comes and he doesn't take care of them, he will be under the mashi'ah (will) of Allah. If He wants, He'll punish them. If He doesn't want - if He wants, He'll forgive them."

Five prayers to be done in the day and the night. Whoever comes and he took care of them, he'll have the protection of Allah. Whoever comes and he's not taking care of them, then Allah will put him under the mashi'ah of Allah.

And there are many hadith like that from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And Allah knows best as to the reality of the issue.

What We Should Do

What we should do is be like the first Muslims were when the Shaykh gave the class and he said: "For the sake of argument, let's say that someone doesn't pray."

The people got upset and said: "Don't give that example. What do you mean, Shaykh, if the people don't pray? Are you hoping that? Are you wishing that? Are you going to open the door for someone to think, maybe I don't have to pray because the ruling will be this or that?"

The community took offense to the example. Now, the Shaykh has to give the example. "Let's just say for an example, everybody in the city prays." The person: "Hey, Shaykh, what you give that example for? That's not real." And he becomes upset because that's the reality of our situation.

The Prophet's Final Words

The Prophet when he was dying (peace and blessings be upon him), he lost consciousness. When he woke up, he said what?

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 5156; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 2697)

Translation: "As-salat, as-salat, wa ma malakat aymanukum (The prayer, the prayer, and what your right hands possess)."

And he fell out. The prayer, the prayer - two times. Take care of the prayer, the prayer and what your right hands possess - those under your authority.

And he fell out. He came through again. What did he say? Did he talk about the Dajjal? Did he talk about Jannah? He said: الصَّلاةَ الصَّلَاةَ، وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ - The prayer the prayer, and what your right hands possess.

If that's not enough proof, Ikhwan, to show the severity and the seriousness of leaving the salah, then Allah knows what is.

The Companions' Attitude Toward Prayer

The companions of Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him), they would be afflicted with a disease or a sickness, but that would not allow them to believe they could stay home for the salah.

They will call them and they will call them, and they will bring them to the masjid. Why? Because everyone else in the community used to consider the one who didn't come to the masjid as a munafiq (hypocrite).

صَلَاةُ الْعِشَاءِ وَصَلَاةُ الْفَجْرِ أَثْقَلُ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الْمُنَافِقِينَ

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 657; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 651)

Translation: "The most difficult salah on the munafiqeen (hypocrites) are Salat al-'Isha and Salat al-Fajr."

Salah is difficult on the munafiqeen:

Reference: Quran 4:142

Translation: "They show [off for] the people and do not remember Allah except a little."

They just pray to show the people. They don't really pray, they're not really praying. يُرَاؤُونَ النَّاسَ - they just want the people to see, "I'm not a munafiq." But they don't really mean that.

So those companions used to make sure that they will come to the masjid in order for one of them not to be labeled as "this person has hypocrisy in him."

The Reality Today

But now again as we mentioned, someone would marry a girl who doesn't pray, or marry his sister to a boy who doesn't pray.

That marriage is not permissible. You're not taking care of the amanah (trust). You're not taking care of the amanah.

So we're going to stop here insha'Allah.

وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ