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Fatwa of Ibn Uthaymeen
Fatwa For Those Who Only Pray During Ramadan – Fatawa al Lajnah al Daʾimah
Shaykh Bin Baz – Fasting Without Praying
Summary
Ruling on abandoning salah
Abandoning salah is described as one of the greatest calamities. ʿUmar ibn al Khattab wrote to his governors: “The most important of your affairs in my view is the prayer. Whoever preserves it has preserved his religion, and whoever neglects it will be even more neglectful of what comes after it.” (Muwatta Imam Malik Book 1 Hadith 6)
Salah is the pillar of the religion and the dividing line between disbelief and faith, as in the 2 hadith: “Between a man and disbelief or shirk is the abandonment of the prayer.” (Sahih Muslim 82) and “The covenant that stands between us and them is the prayer. Whoever abandons it has committed disbelief.” (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al Nasa’i, al Tirmidhi who said it is Hasan Sahih, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and al Hakim reported it.)
The early generations underlined this. ʿUmar ibn al Khattab said: “There is no share in Islam for the one who abandons the prayer.” (Al Istidhkār al Jāmiʿ li Madhāhib Fuqahāʾ al Amṣār by Ibn ʿAbd al Barr 2/278) ʿAbdullah ibn Shaqiq said: “The companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not consider abandoning any action to be disbelief except the prayer.” (Taʿdhīm Qadr al Ṣalāh by Al Marwazī 2/905) It is reported from Ibn ʿAbbas that he said: “Whoever abandons the prayer has committed disbelief.” (Al Mundhiri reported it in al Targhib wa al Tarhib 1/439; Al Durr al Manthūr by Al Suyūṭī 3/56)
The scholars are agreed that whoever abandons the prayer while denying its obligation is a disbeliever. They differed about one who accepts that it is obligatory but leaves it out of laziness. Abu Hanifah رحمه الله held that he does not become a disbeliever and is not executed, but is imprisoned until he prays or dies.
The Malikis and the Shafiʿis held that he does not become a disbeliever, but is asked to repent; if he repents and prays he is left, otherwise he is executed as a legal punishment.
The well known position in the madhhab of Ahmad is that such a person becomes a disbeliever if the imam calls him to pray and he persists in abandoning it until the time of the next prayer becomes restricted, and he is then executed for apostasy.
This view is reported from some of the Sahabah and is supported by the apparent wording of the authentic texts.
Ruling on fasting without praying
On the basis of this difference, the ruling on the fasting of one who does not pray also differs. Those who say that the one who abandons the prayer out of laziness is not a disbeliever say that his fasting is valid and sufficient, whether he fasted Ramadan while praying and then abandoned the prayer after Ramadan, or whether he did not pray at all.
Those who say that he is a disbeliever and apostate hold that all his deeds are nullified and that neither his fasting nor anything else benefits him as long as he abandons the prayer. The text ends this discussion by reminding that: “The first matter for which a servant will be brought to account is the prayer. If it is sound, he has succeeded and prospered. If it is corrupt, he has failed and lost.” (Ibn Majah 1426)
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn was asked in Fatāwā al Ṣiyām, page 87, about the ruling on the fasting of one who abandons the prayer.
He replied that the one who abandons the prayer, his fasting is not valid and is not accepted, because the one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever and an apostate. He based this on the verse:
فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ
“But if they repent, establish the prayer, and give the zakah, then they are your brothers in religion.” (Surah al Tawbah 11)
and on the 2 hadith: “Between a man and shirk and disbelief is the abandonment of the prayer.” (Narrated by Muslim 82) and “The covenant that stands between us and them is the prayer. Whoever abandons it has disbelieved.” (Narrated by al Tirmidhī 2621, and graded authentic by al Albānī in Ṣaḥīḥ al Tirmidhī.)
He also quoted ʿAbdullāh ibn Shaqīq that “The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ did not consider the abandonment of any deed to be disbelief except the prayer.” On this basis, whoever fasts while not praying has his fasting rejected and not accepted, and it will not benefit him before Allah on the Day of Resurrection; he must pray, then fast, because the worship of a disbeliever is not accepted. (Majmuʿ Fatawa wa Rasaʾil Fadilat al Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al ʿUthaymeen 19/87–88)
In the same way, it is mentioned from Shaykh Ibn Baz that the correct view is that whoever deliberately abandons the prayer commits major disbelief, and as a result his fasting and all his acts of worship are not valid until he repents to Allah سبحانه. This is based on the verse:
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“If they had committed shirk, all that they used to do would have been nullified.” (Surah al Anʿam 88)
together with other verses and hadith with the same meaning. He mentions that a group of scholars held that such a person does not commit major disbelief and that his fasting and worship are not invalidated as long as he affirms that prayer is obligatory but abandons it out of carelessness and laziness.
However, he affirms that the correct opinion is that he commits major disbelief by abandoning it deliberately even if he acknowledges its obligation, supported by the hadith: “Between a man and shirk and disbelief is the abandonment of the prayer.” and “The covenant that stands between us and them is the prayer.
Whoever abandons it has disbelieved.” He then points to the detailed discussion of this issue by Ibn al Qayyim in his separate treatise on the rulings of prayer and abandoning it. (Majmuʿ Fatawa Ibn Baz 10/267–268)
Those who only pray during Ramadan
The fatwa of the Permanent Committee explains the case of a person who is keen to fast in Ramadan and to pray during Ramadan only, but abandons the prayer as soon as Ramadan ends. The prayer is described as a pillar of Islam, the most important pillar after the 2 testimonies of faith, and an individual obligation.
Whoever abandons it while denying its obligation or abandons it out of negligence and laziness has committed disbelief. As for those who fast in Ramadan and pray only in Ramadan, this is deception toward Allah, and they are described as an evil people who do not know Allah except in Ramadan.
Their fasting is not valid while they abandon the prayer outside Ramadan; rather, they are disbelievers with major disbelief by doing so, even if they do not deny that prayer is obligatory, according to the strongest of the 2 scholarly views.
This ruling is built on the same core texts: “The covenant that stands between us and them is the prayer. Whoever abandons it has disbelieved.” (Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al Tirmidhi, al Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah with an authentic chain from Buraydah al Aslami, may Allah be pleased with him.)
The hadith: “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer, and the peak of its summit is striving in the path of Allah.” (Narrated by Imam al Tirmidhi with an authentic chain from Muʿadh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him.)
And the hadith: “Between a man and disbelief and shirk is the abandonment of the prayer.” (Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih from Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah al Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.)
Together with many other hadith with this meaning, they show that fasting without salah, or praying only in Ramadan, does not bring an accepted fast or benefit until the servant establishes the prayer itself. (Fatawa al Lajnah al Daʾimah 10/140)
Full Article
How can one who abandons the prayer find comfort?
It is the pillar of the religion and the dividing line between disbelief and faith. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Between a man and disbelief or shirk is the abandonment of the prayer.” (Sahih Muslim 82)
He ﷺ also said: “The covenant that stands between us and them is the prayer. Whoever abandons it has committed disbelief.” (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al Nasa’i, al Tirmidhi who said it is Hasan Sahih, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and al Hakim reported it.)
ʿUmar ibn al Khattab said: “There is no share in Islam for the one who abandons the prayer.” (Al Istidhkār al Jāmiʿ li Madhāhib Fuqahāʾ al Amṣār by Ibn ʿAbd al Barr 2/278)
There is no doubt that the scholars are agreed that whoever abandons the prayer out of denial of its obligation is a disbeliever. They differed regarding the one who affirms its obligation but abandons it out of laziness.
Abu Hanifah رحمه الله held that he does not become a disbeliever and is not executed, but he is imprisoned until he prays or dies.
The Malikis and the Shafiʿis held that he does not become a disbeliever, but he is asked to repent. If he repents and prays he is left, otherwise he is executed as a legal punishment.
The well known position in the madhhab of Ahmad is that he becomes a disbeliever if the imam calls him to perform it and he refuses and persists in abandoning it until the time of the next prayer becomes restricted. In that case he is executed for apostasy.
This view is reported from some of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, as mentioned earlier, and the apparent meaning of some authentic texts supports it.
Based on this difference, there is also a ruling regarding the validity of the fast of one who does not pray. Whoever says that the one who abandons the prayer out of laziness is not a disbeliever says that his fasting is valid and sufficient, whether he fasted Ramadan while praying and then abandoned the prayer after Ramadan, or whether he did not pray at all.
Whoever says that he is a disbeliever and apostate holds that all his deeds are nullified, and that neither his fasting nor anything else benefits him so long as he abandons the prayer.
For this reason, advice is given to the questioner and to others who do not pray to remain constant in the prayer and to guard it carefully.
Fatwa of Ibn Uthaymeen
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn was asked in Fatāwā al Ṣiyām, page 87, about the ruling on the fasting of one who abandons the prayer.
He replied: The one who abandons the prayer, his fasting is not valid and it is not accepted from him, because the one who abandons the prayer is a disbeliever and an apostate. This is based on the saying of Allah:
فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ
“But if they repent, establish the prayer, and give the zakah, then they are your brothers in religion.” (Surah al Tawbah 11)
And based on the statement of the Prophet ﷺ:
“Between a man and shirk and disbelief is the abandonment of the prayer.”
Narrated by Muslim 82.
And his statement ﷺ:
“The covenant that stands between us and them is the prayer. Whoever abandons it has disbelieved.”
Narrated by al Tirmidhī 2621, and graded authentic by al Albānī in Ṣaḥīḥ al Tirmidhī.
This is also the view of the majority of the Companions, if not their consensus. ʿAbdullāh ibn Shaqīq, who was one of the well known Tābiʿīn, said: “The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ did not consider the abandonment of any deed to be disbelief except the prayer.”
Based on this, if a person fasts while he does not pray, then his fasting is rejected and not accepted. It will not benefit him before Allah on the Day of Resurrection. We say to him: Pray, then fast. As for fasting while not praying, then your fasting is rejected, because the disbeliever’s act of worship is not accepted.
Majmuʿ Fatawa wa Rasaʾil Fadilat al Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al ʿUthaymeen (19/87–88)
Fatwa For Those Who Only Pray During Ramadan – Fatawa al Lajnah al Daʾimah
Question Three from Fatwa Number 102 – Question: If a person is keen to fast in Ramadan and to pray during Ramadan only, but abandons the prayer as soon as Ramadan ends, does his fasting count?
Answer from the Shuyukh ʿAbdullah ibn Maniʿ, ʿAbdullah ibn Ghudayyan, ʿAbd al Razzaq ʿAfifi, Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Al al Shaykh
The prayer is a pillar of Islam. It is the most important pillar after the two testimonies of faith. It is an individual obligation. Whoever abandons it while denying its obligation, or abandons it out of negligence and laziness, has committed disbelief.
As for those who fast in Ramadan and pray only in Ramadan, this is deception toward Allah. What an evil people they are who do not know Allah except in Ramadan.
Their fasting is not valid while they abandon the prayer outside Ramadan.
Rather, they are disbelievers with major disbelief by doing so, even if they do not deny that prayer is obligatory, according to the strongest of the two scholarly views.
And his statement ﷺ:
“Between a man and disbelief and shirk is the abandonment of the prayer.”
Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih from Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah al Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
There are many hadiths with this meaning.
And Allah is the One who grants success. May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta (10/140)
Shaykh Bin Baz – Fasting Without Praying
Is the Fasting and Worship of One Who Does Not Pray Accepted?
Question:
There are people who fast and perform some acts of worship, yet they do not pray. Is their fasting and worship accepted?
Answer
In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah.
The correct view is that whoever deliberately abandons the prayer commits major disbelief. As a result, his fasting and the rest of his acts of worship are not valid until he repents to Allah سبحانه. This is based on the statement of Allah عز وجل:
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“If they had committed shirk, all that they used to do would have been nullified.” (Surah al Anʿam 6:88)
There are other verses and hadiths with the same meaning.
A group of scholars held the view that such a person does not commit major disbelief, and that his fasting and worship are not invalidated, as long as he affirms that prayer is obligatory but abandons it out of carelessness and laziness.
However, the correct opinion is the first one: that he commits major disbelief by abandoning it deliberately, even if he acknowledges its obligation. There are many proofs for this, including the statement of the Prophet ﷺ:
“Between a man and shirk and disbelief is the abandonment of the prayer.”
Reported by Muslim in his Sahih, from the hadith of Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both.
And his statement ﷺ:
“The covenant that stands between us and them is the prayer. Whoever abandons it has disbelieved.”
Reported by Imam Ahmad and the four Sunan compilers with an authentic chain, from the hadith of Buraydah ibn al Husayb al Aslami, may Allah be pleased with him.
Al ʿAllamah Ibn al Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, discussed this issue in detail in a separate treatise on the rulings of prayer and abandoning it. It is a beneficial work and worth reviewing and benefiting from.
Majmuʿ Fatawa Ibn Baz (10/267–268)
