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Leaving off a
single prayer
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Question: Is
the one who leaves off a single
(obligatory) prayer without a (Islaamically
acceptable) reason taken out of the fold of
Islaam?
Response:
Concerning the one who intentionally left off a (obligatory)
prayer without a (Islaamically acceptable) reason, then he
is not taken out of the fold of Islaam unless he completely
abandoned the (obligatory) prayer.
According to
the majority opinion (of the scholars), whoever leaves off
a single (obligatory) prayer, then he does not become a kaafir
unless he abandoned it completely, (this being) in accordance
with his (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa
sallam) saying:
((Between a person and kufr
and shirk is the abandonment of the prayer)),
[
Saheeh Muslim]. (He said: ((the prayer))
- implying abandoning the obligatory prayer completely)
...and he did
not say ((leaving off a prayer))
(which would imply leaving off a single obligatory
prayer);
Likewise,
his (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa
sallam) saying:
((The
covenant dividing us and them (i.e. the kuffaar)
is the prayer. Whoever abandons it has committed kufr)),
[at-Tirmidhee, an-Nasaa.ee, Ahmad, al-Haakim]
...and you
are not required to make up that prayer, since you had left
it without a (Islaamically acceptable) reason. Rather, you
are required to repent to Allaah (Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala), and if you sincerely repented, then Allaah
(Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala) says:
{And He it is Who
accepts repentance from His servants, and
forgives sins, and He knows what you
do}, [Soorah
ash-Shooraa, Aayah
25]
Shaykh Ibn
'Uthaymeen
Fataawa Manaar al-Islaam - Volume 1, Page
131, Question No.99
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