What stands between faith and disbelief?
The Severity of Abandoning Salah: A Study from Al-Wajeez
Summary
Sh. Ali Mashhour continues his study of Al-Wajeez, focusing on the critical importance of salah (prayer) in Islam. He discusses narrations from Sahih Muslim, Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan an-Nasa'i, and Sunan at-Tirmidhi that highlight the severe consequences of abandoning salah, including the Prophet's statement that abandoning prayer places a person on the brink of shirk and disbelief. Sh. Ali Mashhour emphasizes that abandoning salah differs fundamentally from neglecting other pillars of Islam due to its frequency—occurring five times daily—which intensifies the level of disobedience and raises questions about the integrity of one's faith.
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[Arabic recitation]
Salah. The author as we discussed yesterday after mentioning the narrations and evidences for the position of salah and the very very serious seriously lofty and high place and status salah has from amongst all of our other acts of worship. It's a pillar of Islam. It's the second pillar of Islam. It is something that is very very important and critical to a person's relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala being founded at all or at least being founded on anything that is solid or would be considered solid grounding. He then mentions narrations of the prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam from Bukhari and Muslim and some from elsewhere regarding the dangers of abandoning salah. The dangers of not making the prayers that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has commanded or not making them on time or not making them correctly.
[Silence]
He narrates to us that the messenger of Allah salallahu alaihi wasallam said, and this narration is in Sahih Muslim, he says, "Between what stands between a man and shirk and disbelief, kufr, is abandoning salah. And this is very serious. What stands between a man and ash-shirk wal-kufr tark as-salah. Now, notice the wording here. He doesn't say.
[Arabic recitation]
Qala.
[Arabic recitation]
Wal-kufr tark as-salah. There's a big difference there. He says, "What stands between a man and polytheism, shirk, and disbelief itself is abandoning salah." Meaning once a person abandons salah, nothing stands between these two. This narration is in Sahih Muslim. Qala.
[Arabic recitation]
Qala sami'tu Rasul Allah sallallahu.
[Arabic recitation]
As-salah faman tarakaha faqad kafar. This narration is in a Sunan, Sunan ibn Majah, Sunan an-Nasa'i, Sunan at-Tirmidhi. On the authority of Buraydah ibn al-Husayb radiyallahu 'anhu, he says, "I heard the Messenger of Allah.
[Arabic recitation]
'The true difference between us and them is salah. And so whoever abandons it has fallen into disbelief. This narration is in a sunan. This and other narrations it, the prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam warns of the dangers of abandoning salah. It's not an issue of mere disobedience. It's an issue of a person's Islam. His very soul hangs in the balance because of his salah. And why is that? If we look at the nature of abandoning salah, when we look at the nature of abandoning salah completely, not not praying at all, we see that it is very different than just a than abandoning zakah, or fasting, or even hajj, from the other pillars of Islam. Because of its frequency, it's frequency. If you imagine a person that does not pay zakah, how often does that occur? At most once a year. It can't happen more than that, right? Or once a harvest. A person who abandons fasting is at most once a year, 1 month out of the year. A person who abandons hajj, this is one time out of a person's lifetime. But a person who abandons salah, constantly making the same choice consciously five times every single day. This intensifies the level of disobedience because of its consistency, because of the stubbornness of a person upon this. Another issue that sets salah aside from all other issues or all other types of worship is when we look at what salah is. What it is. Salah has been made so accessible that no matter where person is, no matter what a person's situation is, salah is accessible and the and the conditions of salah and prerequisites are equally as accessible. First of all, all of the earth has been made a place of salah and a purifying and pure place to pray. Even if a person doesn't have water to prepare, they make the ablution. Another thing is that salah has many allowances. When a person has the time to make salah from the start of the war till the sun sets, the entire day starting from afternoon all the way until the sun sets, this is a person's time to make this prayer. When we look at the length of salah, we see that it is very brief. And then when we look at the makeup of salah, salah has in it the essence of all worship of Allah. Salah has in it the essence of all worship of Allah and especially the five pillars of Islam. So when we look at salah, it has elements of zakat in it and sadaqa. Because a person sets that time aside to pray, they are unable to you know, they're unable to deal or unable to work during those moments. And so, there is a level of sacrifice there. It has elements of fasting in it. Because a person cannot eat or drink anything while they are in salah. It has elements of hajj and umrah in it because a person faces towards Mecca. Faces towards the Masjid al-Haram.
[Arabic recitation]
Some places, a person outright says it. Right? Outright repeats it. Likewise, salah is a repeating thing every single day and night. Don't think of it usually because of we were born into a world that has watches and clocks. Right? So, we think of the day as 24 hours usually cuz it's how it's divided. But, it's really when we look at the division of salah, we have night time, we have day time, and we have break of dawn. So, it is three sections. We have the break of dawn. We have day time prayer, which is Dhuhr until Maghrib. And then we have night time prayer, which is Maghrib all the way until and Isha all the way until the break of dawn again, Fajr. So, when a person insists upon abandoning salah, they are disobeying Allah in day and in night. In day and in night. So, because of these reasons that I've just mentioned many others, we see that the prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam has said what he said. Why did he say these things? Because why is it so serious that if a person leaves salah, the integrity of their deen is in question, is because of the intensity of the disobedience, and it speaks volumes to the integrity of a person's religion. Right? Even if it's existence becomes questionable. Nasa'alullah subhanahu wa ta'ala an.
[Arabic recitation]
Yutuna zakah. Nas'aluhu subhanahu wa ta'ala an yaj'alana mimman yastami'una al-qawla fayattabi'una ahsanah.
[Arabic recitation]