The Second Major Sin: Not Praying

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم بِسْمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Allah Most High says:

Then there succeeded them a generation which neglected prayers and followed lusts. They will meet destruction, excepting the one who repents and believes and acts righteously. (Al-Quran: Maryam 19:59-60)

Ibn 'Abbas explained that "neglected" here does not mean that they completely abandoned prayers, but that they delayed them to the end of their prescribed times.

Sa'id bin Musayyab, a great imam following the generation of the Companions, elaborated on this, saying:

"A person neglects prayers if he delays the noon prayer time, sunset prayer up to evening prayer time, and evening prayer up to morning prayer time. If someone dies without repentance while continuing in this manner, Allah سبهانه و تعالى, Allah سبهانه و تعالى  has promised destruction for him, and that is a valley in Hell which is very deep and has foul food."

Allah Most High says:

  

Woe to the worshippers who are unmindful of their prayer. (Al-Quran: Al-Ma'un 107:4-5)

S'ad bin Abi Waqqas said:

"I asked Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم about the meaning of "unmindful", and he replied: "It is delaying it (the prayer) up to the end of its prescribed time." 

While Allah سبهانه و تعالى calls such people "worshippers", they are lazy and perform the prayer very late. He has promised them "woe", which signifies a great punishment. Some say, "woe" is a valley in Hell, exceedingly hot, and that is the place for those who delay or miss the prayer, excepting the ones who repent and correct their habits.

Allah Most High says:

O you who believe, let neither your wealth nor your children distract you from the remembrance of Allah سبهانه و تعالى. And those who do so, they will be the losers. (Al-Quran: Al-Munafiqoon 63:9)

The "remembrance of Allah سبهانه و تعالى" in this verse 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.

Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said in this regard:

"The first thing which will be judged among a person's deeds on the Day of Resurrection is the prayer. If that is in good order, he will pass the test and prosper, and if that is defective, he will fail the test and will be a loser." (Tirmidhi)

Informing us about the inhabitants of Hell, Allah Most High says:

"(The people in the Hell will be asked): "What caused you to enter Hell-Fire?" They will say: "We were not among those who prayed, nor did we feed the needy. We used to engage in vain discourse with the vain-talkers, and we used to deny the Day of Judgement, until there came to us that which is certain (i.e Allah سبهانه و تعالى Judgement)." Then, no intercession by any intercessors will benefit them." (Al-Quran: Al-Muddathir 74: 42-48)

Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

"The covenant between us and them (that is, believers) is prayer, so if anyone abandons it he has become an infidel." (Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawood, Nisai, Tirmidhi).

"What lies between a man and infidelity is the abandonment of prayer." (Muslim)

"If anyone abandons the afternoon prayer, his deeds are of no avail." (Bukhari)

"If anyone abandons prayer deliberately he has no claim upon Allah سبهانه و تعالى." (Sunan)

 "I have been ordered to fight with men until they testify that there is no god but Allah سبهانه و تعالى and that Muhammad is Allah's سبهانه و تعالى Messenger, observe the prayer and pay the Zakat. When they do that they will keep their lives and their properties safe from me, except for what is due to Islam; and their reckoning will be at Allah's سبهانه و تعالى Hands." (Bukhari and Muslim)

'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin al-'As said that Allah's Messenger  صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned prayer one day saying:

"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 for him light, evidence, or salvation; and on the Day of Resurrection, he will be associated with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman, and Ubayy bin Khalaf (a great enemy of Islam from among the Quraish)." (Ahmad, Darimi, Baihaqi)

The person who abandons prayer will be raised with such a foursome because his neglect of prayer 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 resurrected with Qarun, ; if with his country, then with Pharaoh; if with his administrative work, then with Haman; and if with his trade, then with Ubayy bin Khalaf, the trader among the unbelievers of Mecca.

Mu'adh bin Jabal reported  Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

"If anyone abandons prayer intentionally he has no claim to Allah Most High." (Ahmad)

'Umar ibn al-Khattab reported that a man asked Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم:

"What is dearest to Allah Most High?" He replied: "Prayer at its proper time. The one who does not pray has no religion. Prayer is the main pillar of the religion of Islam." (Baihaqi)

After 'Umar ibn al-Khattab has been stabbed, it was said to him, "As-salat, ya amir ul-mumineen, Leader of the Believers!" He said: "Yes, truly! If anyone misses the prayer he has no share in Islam," and thereupon he prayed while his wounds were bleeding. 


'Abdullah bin Shaqiq said that the Companions of Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم did not consider the abandonment of any good deeds to be unbelief excepting the abandonment of prayer.

When 'Ali was asked about a woman who did not pray, he replied:

"The one who does not pray is unbeliever."

Ibn Mas'ood said that the one who does not pray has no religion and Ibn 'Abbas said:
.

"The one who leaves off a single prayer deliberately will find, when he meets Allah Most High, that Allah سبهانه و تعالى is angry with him."

Allah's Messenger صلي الله عليه وسلم  said:

"When a person meets Allah سبهانه و تعالى after neglecting his prayer, he will meet him as if he had not worshipped him at all, nor done any good deeds."

Ibn Hazm said:

"There is no greater sin after polytheism than missing prayer (Note 1) and killing a believer without a just cause."

Note 1: That is to say, if one deliberately delays a prayer until its time has passed, although he was able to pray it on time, without any valid reason which permits delaying it before its time.

Ibrahim Nakha said: 

"The one who has left off the prayer has become a disbeliever."

'Awn bin 'Abdullah said:

"When a person is buried, the first question which will be asked him will be concerning the prayer. If that is accepted from him, his other deeds will be looked at, but if that is not accepted from him, no other deeds will be looked at."

Allah's Messenger صلي الله عليه وسلم said: 

" When a person performs a prayer during the early part of its prescribed time period, his prayer ascends toward Heaven as a light until it reaches the Throne, and there it asks forgiveness for that person until the Day of Resurrection, saying, "O Allah, preserve him as he preserved me!" But when a person performs a prayer outside its time period, it ascends toward Heaven covered with darkness. When it reaches there, it is folded up as a garment is folded and thrown back at his face, and it says, "May Allah waste you as you wasted me." "

'Abdullah bin al-'As reported Allah's Messenger صلي الله عليه وسلم as saying:

"There are three (kinds of people) whose prayer Allah سبهانه و تعالى will not accept: a leader who is hated by his nation; a master who oppresses his slave after making a contract with him to set him free; and a person who observes a prayer after its proper time." (Abu Dawood)

"A person who combines two prayers without excuse, enters a gate among the major sins."

We seek Allah سبهانه و تعالى guidance and help, for indeed Allah سبهانه و تعالى is the Generous, the Magnanimous, and the Most Merciful of all merciful ones!