The ruling of the Muslim who is not praying Salah is determined by Islamic law in two cases, namely:
First: the one who abandons the prayer denies its obligation and denies it as Fard and one of the five pillars.
Or that he abandons it out of laziness and negligence, but believes in its obligation
Islam has urged commitment and maintenance of prayer
And Allah SWT commanded it in His saying, the Most High:
“Preserve the prayers and the middle prayer, and stand obedient to God.”
(Al-Baqara: 238)
And for more important details and the opinions of scholars about the punishment and ruling for abandoning prayer is detailed below.
What is the ruling for one who abandons prayer with evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah?
Prayer is the only worship that is commanded on the person charged under any circumstances.
One of the conditions and remains inherent to him throughout his life, as Allah Almighty has enjoined and imposed it on His Messenger from above the seven heavens on the night of Isra and Mi’raj, and that
Because of its great importance and great status with God, and it was another
What the beloved, may God bless him and grant him peace, recommended
So why do you leave prayer?!!
The ruling on not praying Salah in denial
We said previously that the one who abandons prayer either abandons it out of ingratitude or laziness and negligence
If he leaves it ungrateful and denies its obligation, then the scholars have unanimously agreed on his disbelief
Because he lied to God, His Messenger, and the consensus of the Muslims.
Even if he denies that it is obligatory and prays it, then he is also unanimously disbeliever and Kafir.
There is only one case that the scholars excluded and said that the one who left it was not disbelieving in denial.
It is when the abandoner is a recent convert to Islam or grew up in the desert far from Muslims. He did not know the ruling, so in this case, the command to pray is explained to him.
If he turns away after that, he will be an infidel and disbeliever.
Ruling on abandoning prayer out of laziness and negligence.
Leaving the obligatory prayer and Friday prayer intentionally, there is no difference between Muslims that it is a great sin and a major sin, and its sin is great in this world and the Hereafter.
As for the ruling on one who abandons prayer in the four schools of thought, the scholars differed concerning it on two opinions:
The first: He is an evildoer
He is an evildoer who committed a sin and a major sin, but he is not an infidel or Kafir.
This is the view of most scholars.
(Abu Hanifah, Malik, a facet according to Al-Shafi’i, and a narration according to Imam Ahmad)
Their evidence for that is the words of God Almighty:
“Indeed, God does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that to whom He wills.” (48:48)
They said that God forgives all sins except polytheism and leaving prayer out of negligence and laziness is not polytheism.
The second: He is Kafir
He is an infidel and Kafir of the religion if he always leaves prayer altogether. This is the saying of the Hanbalis and the second view of the Shafi’is and an opinion of the Malikis, and it was said by some of Salaf. Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim chose this opinion.
Evidences
And their evidence for that is His saying, the Most High:
“So there came after them a successor who neglected prayer and followed desires, so they will meet with evil. Except for those who repent and believe and do righteous deeds, they will enter Paradise and will not be wronged at all.” (Maryam – 60:59).
They said that God Almighty said to those who neglected the prayer (except those who repent and believe), so this is evidence that those who neglected the prayer are not believers. Therefore, disbelievers and Kafirs
They also cited the Almighty’s saying:
“And establish prayer and be not of the idolaters.” (Al-Rum: 31)
They said that leaving prayer is a sign that they are polytheists.
They also cited the noble hadith on the authority of Jaber bin Abdullah, may God be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, say:
“Between a man and shirk and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer.” Narrated by Muslim.
And the hadith of the Messenger, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said:
“The covenant between us and them is prayer, so whoever abandons it has disbelieved.”
Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Al-Nasa’i, and Ahmad.
They said that leaving one or two prayers is not said to him (leaving the prayer), but what is meant in the two hadiths is the abandonment of the entire prayer. So, the person meant in these Hadiths is the one who doesn’t pray Salah at all.
The proponents of this opinion also cited a hadith on the authority of Anas bin Malik, may God be pleased with him:
“The Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, if he invaded a people with us, he did not fight with us until the morning and waited.
They said that the hadeeth indicates that the establishment of prayer necessitates ruling by Islam, so the call to prayer is a call to prayer.
They also cited a hadith on the authority of Awf bin Malik who said:
I heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say:
“The best of your imams are the ones you love and they love you, and you pray for them and they pray for you, and the worst of your imams are those you hate and they hate you, and you curse them and they curse you.” He said: We said: O Messenger of God, shall we not oppose them? He said: No, as long as they establish prayer among you.” Narrated by Muslim
In this evidence that leaving the prayer and not establishing it is Kufr.
They also quoted as evidence the words of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, who said:
“There is no luck in Islam for the one who misses the prayer.” (Narrated by Malik and al-Tabarani).
Summary of the Fiqh scholar’s opinions
The one who abandons Salah and denies it is unanimously a disbeliever because he denies a well-known matter of religion.
As for the one who abandons it out of laziness and negligence, if the abandonment is complete and permanent (not praying Salah at all even the Friday one), then the correct view is that he is a disbeliever, and if he prays sometimes and leaves it at other times, or he prays an obligatory prayer or two, then the correct view is that he is not an infidel because he did not abandon prayer altogether but he is a sinner.
The punishment for not praying Salah
There are Quarn Aya’s and Ahadith about not praying Salah.
Allah said: “What brought you into Saqr? They said, “We were not of those who prayed.” (Al-Muddaththir – 42:43).
The punishment for abandoning prayer here is entering Saqr, which is one of the layers of Hellfire.
And the Almighty said: “On the day when the shin is uncovered and they are called to prostrate themselves(perform Sujood), they will not be able.” (Al-Qalam – 42)
He who abandons prayer will not be able to prostrate before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, because he did not prostrate or pray in this world.
And the Almighty said: “And there came after them a successor who neglected prayer and pursued lusts, so they will soon meet with Ghai.” (Maryam: 59)
And Ghai is the loss on the Day of Resurrection, and it was said that it is a valley in Hell.
And in the noble hadith on the authority of Buraydah Al-Aslami, may God be pleased with him, he said:
The Prophet Peace Be Upon Him said:
“Whoever leaves the Asr prayer, his good deeds have been invalidated.” Narrated by Al-Bukhari
So leaving the afternoon prayer nullifies his work and does not get the reward for the prayer.
Likewise, on the authority of Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-Aas, may God be pleased with them, on the authority of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, that he mentioned the prayer one day and said to him:
“Whoever keeps praying it, it will be a light, proof, and salvation for him on the Day of Resurrection, and whoever does not keep it will have no light, proof, or salvation, and on the Day of Resurrection and he will be with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman, and Ubayy ibn Khalaf.” Narrated by Ahmad and Al-Bayhaqi.
Also, for the one who abandons prayer the prophet will not intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection, nor will the angels ask forgiveness for him in this world, nor will the blessings in his money, life, and time be taken away from him, and his Dua will not be answered.