Can a non-Muslim offer Salaah?

[Ali_008]

A friend of mine who's a non-Muslim is in serious trouble and is very adamant about performing Salaat-ul-Istikhara. I've tried stopping her and giving her details about Islam and Salaah but she's very stingy and stubborn. She even copied the Istikhara Dua from the Sticky thread. I'm very confused. So guys helps needed as quick as possible. Help me and help her. Tell me whether it be right if I let her do it.
She's having some tough time and really wants Allah to help her and there's a Muslim brother involved as well. So guys I've not been too successful in stopping her. So please tell me what to do?:X

 

[Uthman]

Does she believe in Islam?

 

[S_87]

well heres the deal- istikhara was advised to us from Muhammed :arabic5: ...as a non muslim what is her opinion on him? She is praying to Allah believing that Allah will help her from something guided from Muhammed :arabic5: Does she believe He spoke the truth?

 

['Abd al-Baari]

Praise be to Allaah.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And nothing prevents their contributions from being accepted from them except that they disbelieved in Allaah and in His Messenger (Muhammad)”

[al-Tawbah 9:54]​

“If you join others in worship with Allaah, (then) surely, (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers”

[al-Zumar 39:65]​

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said, when listing the conditions of prayer being valid:

There are other conditions which include: being Muslim, being of sound mind, and having reached the age of discretion… No act of worship is valid unless one is a Muslim, of sound mind and has reached the age of discretion, apart from zakaah, which is obligatory upon the insane and minors, according to the correct opinion. With regard to the validity of Hajj performed by a minor, there are texts which state that it is valid.

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 2/95, Ibn al-Jawzi edition.

And he said:

The conditions of prayer are: being Muslim, being of sound mind, and having reached the age of discretion; that the time for prayer has begin; covering the ‘awrah; having purified oneself from anything that invalidates wudoo’; avoiding najaasah (impurity); facing the qiblah; and having the intention of praying.

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 2/289, Ibn al-Jawzi edition.

The same applies to the other acts of worship; they can only be accepted from a Muslim, so Islam or being a Muslim is a condition of acts of worship being valid, and their being accepted depends on that.


http://islamqa.com/en/ref/27101/

 

[Sari]

If she doesn't believe in Islam then surely the salaat means nothing to her, so why does she want to do it?
And ofcourse it cannot be accepted if she doesn't believe in Allah, as it is for Allah you have to pray for. I cannot get my head around this.

 

[AntiKarateKid]

A friend of mine who's a non-Muslim is in serious trouble and is very adamant about performing Salaat-ul-Istikhara. I've tried stopping her and giving her details about Islam and Salaah but she's very stingy and stubborn. She even copied the Istikhara Dua from the Sticky thread. I'm very confused. So guys helps needed as quick as possible. Help me and help her. Tell me whether it be right if I let her do it.
She's having some tough time and really wants Allah to help her and there's a Muslim brother involved as well. So guys I've not been too successful in stopping her. So please tell me what to do?:X

WHy are you stopping her? Even if it doesn't count, she has come to Islam for help. Later on, as she's more comfortable, she may pray Salah believing.

Let her.

 

[UmmSqueakster]

Maybe when she prays the salat, Allah (swt) will open her heart and guide her to Islam.

Tell her to concentrate on the meanings of the word and that without understanding and believing in the meanings, the salat won't mean anything. In particular, the part that says ashadu an Allah ilaha il Allah, Muhammadur abdulhu wa rasulu. In the salat, she's making shahada. If she doesn't believe it, then there's not point in making it.

The salat is not a magic formula that if you say it, things happen. It's a conversation with the Divine, and praise of Him. You have to understand and believe what you're saying.

All that being said, I still would just communicate this information and then let her pray. It may be Allah (swt)'s way of bringing her into islam.

 

[Ali_008]

Well, Jazakhallah Khair for your replies and Brother 'Abd al-Baari for getting Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen's (rahimahullah) comments.

I know that a non-Muslim's Salaah is of no value unless with belief of course. My confusion was basically how to do Da'wah to her. She's actually in love with a Muslim brother and whatever inclination she's getting towards Islam is because of him and I've warned her as well that if in the future she ever wants to revert she'll have to do it for the pleasure of Allah and not that brother's sake. What I can say is that she's inclined to that brother and not Islam because she doesn't have much knowledge about Islam anyway and I've not done any good amount of Da'wah either.

 

[nocturne]

This is a strange situation, you should tell her it is pointless when she does not believe in other aspects of Islam.

If she does not believe in allah, then prayer is pointless, it would be nothing more than a series of actions with hollow words.

The prayer is not some magic enchantment that would solve her problems.

 

[Snowflake]

A friend of mine who's a non-Muslim is in serious trouble and is very adamant about performing Salaat-ul-Istikhara. I've tried stopping her and giving her details about Islam and Salaah but she's very stingy and stubborn. She even copied the Istikhara Dua from the Sticky thread. I'm very confused. So guys helps needed as quick as possible. Help me and help her. Tell me whether it be right if I let her do it.
She's having some tough time and really wants Allah to help her and there's a Muslim brother involved as well. So guys I've not been too successful in stopping her. So please tell me what to do?:X

Don't stop her from leaning toward Islam in any aspect as Islam is for the whole of mankind, not just for muslims. If anyone is following even just the tinest fraction of it, I see it as a good sign. Allah guides the hearts who are inclined to feel/want to know the truth.

But explain to her that if she doesn't believe in Allah then it is of no benefit to her and that is it not like whitemajic/pagan ritual where you perform spells for good luck or an insight into the future etc. Tell her there are certain conditions attached to islamic rituals like performing wudhu before salah and that one can only perform wudhu with the intention that it is an act of worship and a means to purify oneself physically and spiritually. To make wudhu therefore, one has to acknowledge Allah as the one they are worshipping.

So explain this to her, and if she still wants to go ahead, then that is between her and Allah. I pray Allah guides her to the true religion. Ameen.