ABANDONING THE PRAYER: A MAJOR SIN IN ISLAAM

Source: Al-Qur'ân was-Sunnah Society

Allâh Most High says (which means): Then there has succeeded them a generation which has given up prayers (i.e. made their prayers to be lost, either by not offering them at all or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.) and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell. Except those who repent and believe in the Oneness of Allâh and His Messenger and act righteously. [Maryam, 19:59-60]

And Allâh Most High said (which means): Woe unto those performers of prayers (hypocrites) who are unmindful of their prayers (i.e., delay their prayer from its stated fixed time). [Al-Mă'oon, 107:4-5]

And Allâh Most High said (which means): O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allâh. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers. [Al-Munăfiqoon, 63:9]

The commentators of the Qur'ân say: "The 'remembrance of Allâh' mentioned in these Aayăt means the five daily prayers. If anyone is so busy in buying and selling, or with his daily work of earning a livelihood, or with his children, that he cannot perform prayers on time, he will be among the losers."

The first thing which will be judged among a man's deeds on the Day of Resurrection is the Prayer. If this is in good order then he will succeed and prosper but if it is defective then he will fail and will be a loser. [Nasă'ee, Tirmidhee, Ibn Măjah]

Informing us about the inhabitants of Hell, Allâh Most High says (which means): (The people in Hell will be asked:) What has caused you to enter Hell? They will say: We were not among those who used to pray. Nor did we feed the poor. And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allâh hated) with vain-talkers. And we used to belie the Day of Recompense. Until there came to us that which is certain (i.e., death). So no Intercession of intercessors will benefit them [Al-Muddaththir, 74:42-48]

The Prophet said (which means): The covenant between us and them is prayer, so if anyone abandons it he has become a disbeliever. [Ahmad, Tirmidhee, Nasă'ee]

And he also said (which means): What lies between a man and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer. [Muslim, Aboo Dawood, Nasă'ee]

And he said (which means): If anyone abandons prayer deliberately then he has no claim upon Allâh. [Ibn Măjah, ADAB-AL-MUFRAD of Bukhări, Tabarăni]

And he said (which means): I have been ordered to fight against the people until they testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allâh and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allâh and until they perform the Prayers and pay the Zakăh, and if they do so they will have gained protection from me for their lives and property, unless [they do acts that are punishable] in accordance with Islăm, and their reckoning will be with Allâh Most High. [Bukhări, Muslim]

And he , mentioning the prayer, said (which means): If anyone keeps to it, it will be light, evidence and salvation for him on the Day of Resurrection. But if anyone does not keep to it, it will not be light, evidence and salvation for him on the Day of Resurrection, and on that Day he will be associated with Qaroon, Pharaoh, Namăn and Ubayy bin Khalaf (an enemy of Islăm from among the Quraysh). [Ahmad, Tabarănee, Ibn Hibbăn]

Ibn Al-Qayyim explained: The person who abandons prayer will be raised with such a foursome because his neglect of player may be due to his involvement with his property, his country, his administrative work or his trade. Therefore, if he was involved with his property he will be ressurected with Qaroon; if with his country, then with Pharaoh; if with his administrative work, then with Hamăn; and if with his trade then with Ubayy bin Khalaf, the trader among the disbelievers of Makkah.

• `Abdullăh bin Shaqeeq Al-`Aqeelee Tabi`ee [Tabi`ee: a successor to the companions of the Prophet ] said: "The Companions of the Prophet did not consider the abandonment of any good deed to be disbelief except the abandonment of the Prayer." [Tirmidhee, Hăkim]
  

• When `Alee was asked about a women who did not pray, he said: "The one who does not pray is a disbeliever." [Tirmidhee, Hăkim]
  

• Ibn Mas`ood said: "The one who abandons the prayer has no religion." [Muhammad bin Nasr Al Mirwazee]
  

• Ibn `Abbăs said: "The one who leaves off a single prayer deliberately will find, when he meets Allâh Most High, that He (T) is angry with him." [Muhammad bin Nasr Al-Mirwazee, Ibn Abdul-Barr]
  

• Ibn Hazm said: "There is no greater sin after polytheism than delaying a prayer until its time has passed and killing a believer without a just cause."
  

• Ibraheem Al-Nakha`ee said: "The one who has abandoned the prayer has become a disbeliever." Aboo Ayyoob Al-Sakhtiyanee said something similar to this.