Not Performing the Prayer

Allah, the Most High, says,

{But after them there followed a posterity who missed Prayers and followed after lusts soon, then, will they face destruction, except those who repent and believe, and work righteousness.} (Maryam: 59-60)

Commenting on the above verses (Ayat), Ibn 'Abbas said,

"Allah's statement, "Who missed Prayers does not mean that they did not perform it at all but rather they did not perform it in its due time.”

Sa'id Ibn AI-Mussaiyyib, Imam of the Tabi'een (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "It is he who postpones the Dhuhr (Early Afternoon Prayer) until the time of Asr Prayer (Late Afternoon Prayer) and so are Maghrib (Sunset Prayer) until' Isha' (Evening Prayer), Isha until Fajr (Dawn Prayer) and Fajr until the sun rises.

If someone dies persisting in such habits and does not repent to Allah, Allah promises to make him face Ghayy (destruction). But Ghayy may also be the name of a valley in the Hell whose bottom is so deep and tastes so bitter.

Allah, the Most High, says,

{So woe to the worshipers who are neglectful of their Prayer.} (Ma'un: 4-5)

Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas related, "I asked the Prophet (pbuh) about the meaning of "the worshipers who are neglectful of their Prayer.' He said, "It is the delaying of performing the Prayer in its definite time." The word (Wayl) in the Ayah may refer to severe torture or it may be the name of a valley in the Hell.

Were the whole mountains of the world brought in such valley it would melt because of severe heat.

This is the abode of those who are not serious in Prayer unless they repent to Allah and regret for what they have done.

Allah, the Almighty, says,

{O ye who believe! Let not your riches or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah, if any act thus, surely they are the losers.} (AI-Munafiqun: 9).

The exegetes said, "The remembrance of Allah in the above Ayah means the five daily Prayers.

Therefore, whoever preoccupies himself with his property, trade, livelihood or children rather performing Prayer in its definite time will be a loser.

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"The first of one's works that he shall be called to account for on the Day of Judgment is the Prayer. If he performed it well, he will be prosperous. Otherwise, he will be loser.”[1]

Allah, the Most High, says,

{What led you into Hell-Fire? They will say, 'We were not of those who prayed, nor were we of those who feed the indigent. But we used to talk vanities with vain talkers, and we used to deny the Day of Judgment until there came to us (the Hour) that is certain. Then will no intercession of any intercessor profit them.} (Al-Muddathir: 42-48)

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"The covenant between us and them consists of the Prayer: Whoever leaves it has disbelieved.”[2]

It was related that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"Between a man and unbelief is the nonperformance of the Prayer.”[3]

"Whoever neglects the Prayer of 'Asr (Late Afternoon Prayer) will have his deeds vain.”[4]

"Whoever neglects the Prayer intentionally will be free from Allah's covenant.”[5]

"I have been commanded to fight people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and perform the Prayer, and pay Zakah. If they say it, they have saved their blood and possessions from me, except for the right of Islam over them, and their final reckoning is with Allah.”[6]

"Whoever keeps on performing Prayers (in its due time), it will be a light, a proof and redemption for him on the Day of Judgment. Otherwise, he will be assembled with Pharaoh, Qarun Haman and 'Ubai Ibn Khalaf.”[7]

'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said,

"Whoever neglects the Prayer is beyond the pole of Islam.”[8]

One of the scholars of sacred knowledge said, "He (the one who neglects the Prayer) will be assembled with these four people because he is either preoccupied from performing Prayer by property, kingdom, ministry or trade. If he is preoccupied by wealth, he will be assembled with Qarun. If by kingdom, he will be with Pharaoh. If by ministry, he will be with Haman and if by trade, he will be with Ubai Ibn Khalaf."

Mu'adh Ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"Whoever intentionally missed an obligatory Prayer there by becomes an unbeliever.”[9]

'Umar Ibn Al-Khattab said, "A man came to the Messenger of Allah and asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what are most beloved deeds to Allah in Islam?" The Messenger said, "To perform Prayers on time, and whoever neglect Prayers has no religion. Prayers are the pillar of Islam…”[10]

When Umar was stabbed he was called to Prayer and replied by saying, "Yes, whoever misses Prayer is non-Muslim." He then prayed while bleeding."

'Abdullah Ibn Shaqiq, one of the Tabi'een, (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Prophet's Companions did not view the nonperformance of anything as unbelief besides the Prayers.”[11]

When' Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about a woman who did not Prayers, he said,

"Whoever neglects Prayers is unbeliever."

Ibn Mas'ud also said,

"Whoever does not pray is an infidel."

Ibn 'Abbas stated, "Whoever intentionally missed an obligatory Prayer entails Allah's wrath when he dies."

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"Whoever dies neglecting the Prayers, Allah will not regard any of his good deeds.” [12]

Ibn Hazm said, "The most heinous sins next to Shirk (polytheism) are the delayment of Prayers and taking a life of a believer except for just cause." Ibrahim An-Nakh'i also said, "Whoever leaves the Prayers has disbelieved."

Moreover, 'Aun Ibn 'Abdullah said, "When a servant is laid in his grave, he will be asked, first about the Prayers. If it is accepted, his other works will be examined. If not, nothing will be examined anymore."

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"When a servant performed a Prayer on time, it will rise skyward enveloped with light until it reaches the Throne. There, it asks forgiveness to its doer up to the Day of Judgment, and says, "May Allah preserve you as you have preserved me." But if the servant performs a Prayer out of its time, it will rise skyward enveloped with darkness. When it reaches the sky, it will be folded as an old cloth and then kicked back to the doer's face and says, "May Allah make you lose as you missed me.”[13]

'Abdullah Ibn 'Amr Ibn AI-As related that the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"Allah does not accept the Prayers of three people: whoever leads a group of people who dislike him, whoever prays after missing the due time of the Prayer, and he who enslaved someone after freeing him.”[14]

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"Whoever joins two Prayers together without a legal excuse, he then commits a major sin.”[15]

When should a child be ordered to perform the Prayer?

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"When a boy reaches the age of seven years, teach him the Prayers (Salat), and punish him, when he commits a default (in his Prayers) at the age often years.”[16]

It was related that the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"When your children attain the age of seven years, ask them to perform the Prayer and chastise them in respect of any fault in this behalf; when they are ten years old, let them sleep in separate beds.”[17]

Imam Sulyman AI-Khattabi (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "This hadith indicates that the punishment of nonperformance of the Prayer increases when the child reaches puberty.

Some disciples of Imam Shafi'i cited the above hadith as an evidence to kill the child if he persisted to neglect the Prayer purposely 'after reaching puberty.

They assumed that if he deserves to be struck while still a child thus he should rather face more severe punishment after reaching puberty and nothing can be lost severe than death.

There are differences among Islamic legal scholars as to the judgment of he who neglects the Prayer.

Malik, Shafi'i and Ahmed all hold that the one who misses the Prayer is executed. Then they differ as regards his belief, should they call him an unbeliever or not (in case of neglectil1g the Prayer without a legal excuse)?

The opinion that such a person becomes an unbeliever has been ascribed to Ibrahim An-Nakh'iy, AYyub As-Sakhtiyani, 'Abdullah Ibn AI-Mubarak, Ahmed Ibn Hambal and Ishaq Ibn Rahawyah.

Those who hold that whoever misses a Prayer becomes an unbeliever adduce the following evidence:

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"The covenant between us and them consists of the Prayer: whoever leaves it has disbelieved.”[18]

The Messenger also said,

"Between a man between unbelief is the nonperformance of the Prayer.”[19]