Can we be muslims without prayer?

[salamfromrom]

Salam

While I was researching hadith about the last hour, I came upon these hadith:

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, "The Prophet said, 'Islam will become worn out like clothes are, until there will be no-one who knows what fasting, prayer, charity and rituals are. The Qur'an will disappear in one night, and no ayah will be left on earth. Some groups of old people will be left who will say, 'We heard our fathers saying la ilaha illa Allah, so we repeated it.' Silah asked Hudhayfah, "What will saying la ilaha illa Allah do for them when they do not know what prayer, fasting, ritual and charity are?" Hudhayfah ignored him; then Silah repeated his question three times, and each time Hudayfah ignored him. Finally he answered, "O Silah, it will save them from Hell", and said it three times. [Ibn Majah]

and

In Sahih al-Bukhari, there is a hadith which states that a Bedouin asked the Prophet about the Hour. He said, "It will surely come to pass. What have you prepared for it?" The man said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have not prepared much in the way of prayer and good works, but I love Allah and His Messenger." The Prophet said, "You will be with those you love."

Is just uttering the words La Illaha Illa Allah enough to attain salvation?

salam

['Abd-al Latif]

The statement of La Ilaaha Ilullaah must be following with actions of obdience to Allah and His Messenger. There are many things which can nullify ones Islam and the first thing after testifing to Allah Lordship is to pray to Him, and the one who does not pray to Allah is a disbeliever.

Allah says:

Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salaat (the prayers) [i.e. made their prayers to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell. Except those who repent and believe (in the Oneness of Allaah and His Messenger Muhammad), and work righteousness. Such will enter Paradise and they will not be wronged in aught. [Maryam 19:59-60]

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his neglect of the prayer." (Narrated by Muslim)

It was narrated that Buraydah ibn al-Husayb (r) said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say: ‘The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is the prayer, and whoever neglects it has disbelieved (become a kaafir).’'" (Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah).

['Abd-al Latif]

:salamext:

Advising one who does not pray


Question:

I've a friend who likes to pray five times a day, and he likes to advise others to pray. He'll listen to whatever I talk about Islam. Whenever I approach him he'll listen to me and I tell him, why can't you pray? He told me he will, and I have heard this for the past ten to twenty years. One day I call him to pray and he gives excuses. I think that during prayer time his mind goes somewhere else; after that he thinks "why can't I pray?". I am very tired of telling him. I need advice.

Answer:

All Praise be to Allaah.

If your friend is mentally sound, then all you have mentioned about him indicates his disrespect of prayers. If he means what he says, then he would perform his prayers. His claim that he likes prayers is not truthful; if it were, then he would perform them accordingly. In fact, the following verse from the Holy Qur'aan applies to such a recalcitrant and unobservant person (interpretation of the meaning):

"Then there has succeeded them a posterity who have neglected and lost the prayers, and followed their lusts; thus, they will face devastation (on the Day of Judgment, i.e., he will face Hell)." Surat Maryam 19:59.

By completely ceasing to perform prayers, a person is judged to be a kaafir, based on several ahaadeeth of the Prophet (peace be upon him), one of which is:

"The obligation and pact between us and them (the munaafiqeen, the hypocrites) is the prayer, so whoever abandons it has indeed committed kufr (i.e., become a kaafir, a non-believer)." (Tirmidhi, hadeeth #2621, and it is sahih) The meaning here is that the hypocrites are guaranteed their security and immunity from being fought by the Muslims as long as they perform their prayers; if they abandon their prayers, then they are among the kuffaar, and are subject to being fought and killed in the war against them. The Prophet further says, "What is between a person and committing shirk (associating partners with Allaah) and kufr (disbelief) is abandoning the prayer." (Sahih Muslim, #82)

The man in question, accordingly, is to be shunned--no one should eat the meat he slaughters; he is not to marry a Muslimah; he is not to inherit a Muslim relative; he is not allowed to enter Mecca; upon dying he is not entitled to Muslim burial rites such as the washing of the body or the shrouding or the funeral prayer; and his inheritance is to go to the the community fund and not to his inheritors.

Thus, it is incumbent upon you to exert as much effort as possible in advising him and admonishing him concerning the gravity and danger of his crime, and of the punishment of Allaah the Almighty. If he persists and rejects your admonition, then you would not be wrong in abstaining from your friendship with him, until you can solicit help from other friends among those who accept guidance so that you may spend your time with them inviting him to Allaah.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/266

[salamfromrom]

so the hadith I mentioned are fabricated? Thank you for the above explanations , but what about the hadith...How can the people who just say la illaha illa Allah be saved from hell?

Salam

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[salamfromrom]

Salam

thank you all for your thoughtful answers.

I Know I should have prayed, but I was threatened with being kicked out from my house , thrown out on the street with no money and nothing.....In this economic situation I could not have afforded to be kicked out and the apartment which my parents gave to me as a present (however it's still on their name) to be confiscated from me. I just couldn't endure that kind of punishment, and unfortunately I choose this dunya over the right way and I have been suffering inside ever since.I also tried to pray when i was at work but I was an interior decorator, painting with oil paints which got all over my body and it would have taken me about 30 minutes just to get cleaned up for prayers and my boss would have surely fired me if he found I was praying or my coworkers told him. Now Inshallah I will go home right now and start praying (I moved back to my home country and i live alone) so nobody will Interfere. I even forgot how to pray but I still have the papers which I used to learn salah at home and inshallah they are intact.

So to recapitulate, during the whole time in which I didnt pray was I 100% kaafir and if I died I would have gone straight to hell without any sort of chance to be taken out? These past few weeks have literally been hell for me, I mean even when crossing the street I used to make sure no car was coming like 4-5 times because I was afraid i would die in this state.

Oh and 1 more thing, you mentioned that I should make up missed prayers but I don't know where to start...I dont remember exactly when I became muslim. For example, I said the shahadah to myself when I was 16 and I didnt pray at all and I didnt even believe in Jinn at that time, so its my understanding that I couldn't have been muslim without believing in Jinn(and praying)....right? Afterwards I apostated and came back to islam (just saying the shahadah and believing in 1 god) many times over, I used to attack islam and malign muslims and the Prophet(pbuh) one month, then the next month I believed again (but still didn't pray) . This happened many times ever since I was 16 years old until I was 21 (this january) when I started praying And believing in the Jinn and all of the unseen without any reservations.so I am confused as to how many prayers I have to make up. Secondly, It's incredibly hard for me to even pray the 5 prayers because I am studying at university and I have classes continually somedays from 10 in the morning to about 8 oclock at night, without breaks inbetween them (the study rooms are close together). How do you brothers manage? I imagine you also have jobs and a busy schedule.

If I miss 1 prayer or 2 prayers out of the 5 daily ones, am I still muslim?. Im sorry, I know these questions are really hard.....

If I don't make up the prayers which I have missed, is it possible to just pray normally (the 5 daily prayers) and at the end of each prayer to say the dua asking Allah(swt) to forgive me and is this (missed prayers) a sin which can be forgiven by Allah(swt) even if I dont make them up?

Right now, It's a miracle if I even pray at all, it would be too hard for me to make up missed prayers when I dont even have the willpower to always pray the bare minimum of 5 prayers.

Im sorry but the rituals of islamm have always been very complicated for me. Right now I just want to get by and do the minimum necessary to be considered just a simple muslim (in which case if i die I will eventually get taken out of hell). To stop myself from my incredible amount of sinning (I live in a eastern european country with almost no muslims and bad behaviour everywhere) is impossible all of a sudden I think. I mean it took me 5 years just to start praying, I cannot imagine how long it will take for me to stop my behaviour in general which is basically one just like the worst kaafirs, drinking smoking and other sins, I just want to pray 5 times a day and be a minimum acceptable muslim...if that makes any sense.

Sorry for my desperate rambling, may Allah(swt) have mercy on my soul.

Salam a leikum

[crayon]

Aww akhi.. don't worry about the past right now, it's over, what you've got is the here and now. The only reason you should be thinking "what if I had died then" is to remind yourself how important salah is, and to motivate yourself to keep praying.

As for where and how to start making up your prayers.. A recommended way for anyone who missed a lot of prayer in the past is to pray a qadha with every fard you pray. So for example, every time you pray asr now, make up an asr prayer from before. Try to calculate an estimate of how many prayers you missed, and inshaAllah you can make them up in no time.:)

Also, during university, can't you get a 10 or 15 minute break between classes? Sort of like a combined bathroom break, I guess. Or you could pray during the time that's usually reserved for lunch.

If you miss a prayer accidentally, you are still a muslim, of course. It is only one who completely abandons prayer that has left the fold of islam. InshaAllah keep trying the best you can to not miss any prayers though, because salah is one of THE most important things a muslim can do, if not the most important.

Keep making dua'a as well, that Allah makes everything easy for you.
May Allah have mercy on all our souls.

[greenshirt]

Assalaamu-Alaykum

as far as i know(and forgive me if i am wrong) there is a difference of opinion concerning one who doesnt regularly pray.

some say that they are taken out of the fold of islam.(this view was held by many great scholars such as ibn taymiyyah, sheikh al-bani, hanbal, etc.)

others say that it doesnt take you out of the fold, though it is still a great sin.(held by imam nawwawi, and many from the shafi'i, hanafi, and malaki madhabs.)

those that say it doesnt take you out of islam sometimes quote the ahadeeth you have mentioned.

but those that say it DOES quote a hadeeth where the prophet(saws) said that what separates a believer from a disbeliever is the salat.

i think that most scholars do not think it takes you out of islam. but many prominent scholars believe it does. i always fear that if i miss my prayers intentionally and make a habit out of it, due to laziness, that i will not be a muslim and will be doomed to hell eternally. it is this fear that makes me get up and say my salat and makes me not think twice about missing it. because even though great scholars said it doesn't take you out of islam, other great scholars(like albani who i really look up to) have said it does. you always want to be on the safe side of things.

as for your past, i think you should consult a scholar. because you actually have legitimate reasons and these are always taken into consideration. for example if a muslim revert who is under the age of 18 in the USA wanted to give 2.5% of his money to zakat, and his parents blocked him from doing that, and he couldnt do anything about it because he could suffer dire consequences from his parents: is he considered a sinner? or, since it was impossible for him to give zakat due to the hardships and all, and he had good intentions anyways, is it a different case?

so i think you should ask a scholar and they can help answer your questions insha allah. also for now at least say your 5 obligatory salat and say even other optional prayers. allah(swt) knows whats in your heart. also strive to be a good muslim. dont try and just do the "minimum." you are better than that.

and try and walk away from sins. it may be hard, but take it slowly if you need. just try to stop drinking and smoking and other things. but even if you do these things dont give up and feel like you cant be a muslim at all. you can be a drinker and a muslim. a sinning muslim. one to be condemned yes. but there is no reason you should feel the need to not pray because you commit some sins.

and make dua;; that you can become a stronger person, that you can pray on time, that you can overcome your sins, etc.

and talk to people if you need. consult with your imam at the masjid. ask questions. learn you religion more.

i hope this helps *smile*

wa salaam

[coddles76]

Oh and 1 more thing, you mentioned that I should make up missed prayers but I don't know where to start...I dont remember exactly when I became muslim

Asalam Alykum Brother,

I just thought I'd help with some advice on a small part of your comments and inshAllah it may help.
Brother, you don't need to remember when you became muslim to make up from prayers, bring your sincerity and good intentions into everything you do to please Allah SWT and Allah SWT will reward you for your intentions. There are many chances for you to make up prayers for example the extra Sunnah Prayers, and the prayer on the night of Layatal Qadar, This night is better then a 1000 nights of salat which is equivalent to like 83 Years??? of prayer. So your surely have the chances and I pray that Allah SWT will make your journey an easy one inshaAllah

[أبو سليمان عمر]

Wa Alakum asalam
Brother the past is done and cant be change look at now start praying ALL salat now and ask ALLAH for forgivness. Good deeds also increase eman–each and every single good deed and act of worship you perform increases your eman. Fast a day. Read Qur’an. Pray Tahajjud.And don’t forget to make dua.
What is the ruling on making up missed prayers in the case of one who was negligent? Among us non-Arabs there are many who may pray one time, then not pray another time, until they reach the age of thirty or thereabouts, then after the age of thirty or forty, they start to pray regularly. Do those who have been negligent about their prayers have to make them up, and does the same apply to Ramadaan fasts?

Praise be to Allaah.

The person who is in this situation is a kaafir guilty of kufr akbar (i.e., he is beyond the pale of Islam), according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, so long as he does not deny that the prayer is obligatory. If he does deny this, then he is a kaafir according to the consensus of all scholars. If he repents and starts to pray the obligatory prayers and to fast in Ramadaan, and he continues to do so, then he is considered to be a Muslim, and the prayers and fasts that he deliberately failed to do in the past do not have to be made up, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam wipes out what came before and repentance wipes out what came before”, and because the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), when they fought the apostates at the time of [Abu Bakr] al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him), they did not tell those who came back to Islam to make up the fasts or prayers, and they [the Sahaabah] are the most knowledgeable of the sharee’ah of Allaah after the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them.

(From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 6/47
http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/2199/missed%20pray
Also read this inshallah it can and will help http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/books/6

May Allah increase us all in our eman, and make firm our hearts on Islam. Ameen!

[Dawud_uk]

:sl:

islam means submission, so there are certain things which must be done in order to qualify as a muslim and the only excuse is where you are in danger for your life or serious harm.

during a time in the future the only thing they will know will be the kalima, this would be sufficient for them, but for us this is not sufficient.

the same as a man raised in the jungle, never hears of islam but rejects the idolitry of his people and only believes in one creator, this is enough for him and he is still upon tawheed even though he never formally accepted islam.

regarding the misquoted view of the hanafi madhab regarding neglecting salaah being kufr then they say it is kufr but dont give takfir until such a time as 3 have been missed due to a hadith to this effect, the 3 was never clarified so could be 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months etc depending on the individual and the one with more ilm having no excuse and the jahil being given more excuse before takfir is given.

the only ones who say the one who doesnt pray is not a kaffir and has not done kufr are the murjiya, a deviant sect from the past who many ulema follow today in their understanding and believe imaan is only in the heart, in contradiction to the understanding of the salaf of imaan in being in the heart, the tongue and the limbs.

:sl:

[greenshirt]

the only ones who say the one who doesnt pray is not a kaffir and has not done kufr are the murjiya, a deviant sect from the past who many ulema follow today in their understanding and believe imaan is only in the heart, in contradiction to the understanding of the salaf of imaan in being in the heart, the tongue and the limbs.

:sl:

well akhi i am not disagreeing that it might be considered kufr. this is what many prominent scholars have said, including nasir al-bani, may allah(swt) reward him.

but didnt imam nawwawi(r) hold the view that it doesnt make you a kufr, but rather a major sinner? and many other prominent scholars of the past.

so i dont think it was just the murjiya who made such a claim. but rather even prominent and reliable and respected scholars.

but once again i'm not saying this is the correct opinion. because i am not going to make such a view because i am not knowledgeable on the topic. though i would be inclined to say it does make you a kufr due to the hadith "what separates islam from kufr is the salah." however i understand that there is a significant group of scholars who dont hold the belief that it makes you an unbeliever if you dont pray.

[Dawud_uk]

well akhi i am not disagreeing that it might be considered kufr. this is what many prominent scholars have said, including nasir al-bani, may allah(swt) reward him.

but didnt imam nawwawi(r) hold the view that it doesnt make you a kufr, but rather a major sinner? and many other prominent scholars of the past.

so i dont think it was just the murjiya who made such a claim. but rather even prominent and reliable and respected scholars.

but once again i'm not saying this is the correct opinion. because i am not going to make such a view because i am not knowledgeable on the topic. though i would be inclined to say it does make you a kufr due to the hadith "what separates islam from kufr is the salah." however i understand that there is a significant group of scholars who dont hold the belief that it makes you an unbeliever if you dont pray.

:sl:

i havent come across that view from him, do you have a reference?

perhaps it would be better for me to say the one who says that the one who doesnt pray has a trait of the mujiya, rather than calling them all mujiya which is a more serious statement to make.

:sl:

[أبو سليمان عمر]

:sl:

i havent come across that view from him, do you have a reference?

perhaps it would be better for me to say the one who says that the one who doesnt pray has a trait of the mujiya, rather than calling them all mujiya which is a more serious statement to make.

:sl:

By completely ceasing to perform prayers, a person is judged to be a kaafir, based on several ahaadeeth of the Prophet (peace be upon him), one of which is:

"The obligation and pact between us and them (the munaafiqeen, the hypocrites) is the prayer, so whoever abandons it has indeed committed kufr (i.e., become a kaafir, a non-believer)." (Tirmidhi, hadeeth #2621, and it is sahih) The meaning here is that the hypocrites are guaranteed their security and immunity from being fought by the Muslims as long as they perform their prayers; if they abandon their prayers, then they are among the kuffaar, and are subject to being fought and killed in the war against them. The Prophet further says, "What is between a person and committing shirk (associating partners with Allaah) and kufr (disbelief) is abandoning the prayer." (Sahih Muslim, #82)