Praise be to Allah.
Whoever does not believe that the five daily prayers, paying zakaah, fasting in Ramadaan and going on Pilgrimage to the Ancient House are obligatory, and does not regard as haraam the things which Allaah has forbidden such as obscene actions, wrongdoing, shirk and lying, is a kaafir and an apostate. He should be asked to repent, and if he repents then all well and good, otherwise he should be executed – according to the consensus (ijmaa’) of the imaams of the Muslims. It is not enough for him merely to speak the words of the Shahaadatayn.
If he says, I accept that that is compulsory for me, and I know that it is fard (obligatory), and that whoever does not do it deserves the condemnation and punishment of Allaah, but I do not do it, then he also deserves punishment in this world and in the Hereafter, according to the consensus of the Muslims. He is obliged to pray the five daily prayers, according to scholarly consensus. Most of the scholars say that he should be ordered to pray, and if he does not pray, then he should be executed. If he persists in not praying until he is executed then he is a kaafir, according to scholarly consensus; he should not be washed, the funeral prayer should not be offered over him, and he should not be buried in the Muslim graveyard.
Whoever says that everyone who says the words of the Shahaadatayn, but does not do the obligatory duties or avoid things which are haraam, will enter Paradise, and that none of them will be punished in the Fire, is a kaafir and an apostate. He must be asked to repent, and if he repents, all well and good – otherwise he should be executed. Those who utter the Shahaadatayn are of various kinds, and some of them are munaafiqoon (hypocrites) who will be in the lowest level of Hell, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning);
“Verily, the hyprocrites will be in the lowest depth (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.
Except those who repent (from hypocrisy), do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allaah, and purify their religion for Allaah (by worshipping none but Allaah, and do good for Allaah’s sake only, not to show off), then they will be with the believers”
[al-Nisaa’ 4:145-146]
“Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allaah, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up for As-Salât (the prayer), they stand with laziness…”[al-Nisaa’ 4:142]
In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “That is the prayer of the munaafiq. He waits until the sun is between the horns of the Shaytaan (i.e., just before sunset), then he pecks four times, and he does not remember Allaah, except a little.” (Muslim, 195/622).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained that the one who delays the prayer and pecks (prays too quickly) is a hypocrite, so how about the one who does not pray at all?!
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning);
“So woe unto those performers of Salaah (prayers) (hypocrites),
Those who delay their Salaah (prayer from their stated fixed times).
Those who do good deeds only to be seen (of men),[al-Maa’oon 107:4-6]
The scholars said: those who delay their salaah are those who postpone it until after the appointed time, and those who are negligent with regard to the obligations of the prayer. If these worshippers are condemned, then how about people who do not pray at all?!
It was narrated in al-Saheehayn that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will recognize his ummah by the bright marks that they will have (on their bodies) because of wudoo’ (Muslim, Kitaab al-Tahaarah, 249/39). These bright marks will appear on those who did wudoo’ and prayed. Their faces will be white because of wudoo’, and their hands and feet will be white because of wudoo’. The one who prays will have this bright mark, and the one who does not do wudoo’ or pray will not have this bright mark. So he will not have the symbol of the Muslims which is the “insignia” (like the symbol of the kings and princes of the Turks and Mamluks in Egypt) of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), like the “insignia” by which a leader knows his companions. So he will not belong to the ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It was reported in al-Saheeh that the Fire will consume everything of the son of Adam apart from the marks of prostration (al-Bukhaari, no. 806). Whoever is not one of those who prostrate to the One God, the Forgiving, the Loving, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, will be consumed by the Fire. In al-Saheeh it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is nothing that stands between a person and shirk except his not praying.” (Muslim, 82/34). And he said: “The covenant that stands between us and them is prayer. Whoever does not pray is a kaafir.” (al-Tirmidhi, 2621). And he said: “The first of his deeds for which the slave will be brought to account is his salaah.” (Abu Dawood, no. 864; al-Tirmidhi, 413).
No person should say, “What Allaah wills and what So-and-so wills” or “I ask for my need from Allaah then from So-and-so.” As it says in the hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Do not say, what Allaah wills and what Muhammad wills. Rather say: what Allaah wills then Muhammad wills.” (Ibn Maajah, 2118). A man said to him, “What Allaah wills and what you will.” He said, “Are you making me a rival to Allaah? Rather what Allaah Alone wills.” (Ahmad, 1/214)
And Allaah knows best. May Allaah bless Muhammad.
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