The Person who does not Perform Salaah is a serious Sinner

Q: Salaah-12: What is status of salaah in Islaam? Three-quarters of Muslims nowadays do not perform their salaah and are not concerned about it. What is the ruling in the Shari'ah concerning such people?

Answer: Salaah is one of the hallmarks of Islaam and the most important of all Faraa'idh after Imaan. It is one of the greatest signs of Islaam and is the link between man and Allaah, which will prevent a person from falling to the depths of Jahannam.

Salaah is a form of worship that every Shari'ah of every Nabi ALY. featured. The Qur'aan and Ahadeeth emphasise the importance of salaah in numerous places and warn against neglecting it. Some verses of the Qur'aan are:

>??? "Guard your salaah, especially the middle salaah (Asr) and stand with humility before your Allaah."3
>??? "Establish salaah and do not be from amongst the Mushrikeen (by neglecting it)"
>??? " (The people of Jannah will ask those in Jahannam) What has brought you to the Fire?' They will reply, 'We were not amongst those who performed salaah.

Rasulullaah SAW. said, "The dividing line between a man and his being a Kaafir or a Mushrik is forsaking salaah (forsaking salaah will take him to Kufr and Shirk).

Rasulullaah SAW. also said. "Everything has a distinguishing feature and that of Imaan is salaah.

Rasulullaah SAW. said, "Never leave out salaah intentionally because whoever does so will have left the Deen.

Another Hadith states that Rasulullaah SAW. said, "The first of the deeds that a person will be taken to task for on the Day of Qiyaamah will be his salaah. If this is in order, he will be successful, otherwise not.

Another Hadith states, "Salaah is a pillar of Deen. Whoever keeps it standing will keep his Deen standing and whoever demolishes it will demolish his Deen?

Yet another Hadith makes it clear that there is no portion in Deen for the person who does not perform his salaah. When Rasulullaah SAW. saw a person perform salaah incorrectly, he remarked, "If he dies in this condition, he will not be dying in the Deen of Muhammad, Rasulullaah SAW. also said. "When a person guards his salaah, it will be a light. a defence and a means of salvation for him on the Day of Qiyaamah. As for the one who does not guard his salaah, it will not be a light, a defence and a means of salvation for him on the Day of Qiyaamah and he will be raised with the likes of Qaaroon, Fir'oun, Haamaan and Ubay bin Khalaf one of the leaders of the Mushrikeen).

The verses of the Qur'aan make it clear that neglecting salaah is an act of the Mushrikeen and a hallmark of the Kuffaar. It is for this reason that a group of the Sahabah RADI. and the Mujtahideen are of the opinion that intentionally leaving out a salaah is Kufr. Amongst this group of Sahabah RADI. are the likes of Hadhrat Umar RADI. Hadhrat Abdullaah bin Mas'ood RADI. Hadhrat Abdullaah bin Abbaas RADI. Hadhrat Mu'aadh bin Jabal RADI., Hadhrat Jaabir bin Abdullaah RADI., Hadhrat Abu Dardaa RADI., Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RADI. and Hadhrat Abdur Rahmaan bin Auf RAH. Amongst the Mujtahideen are the likes of Imaam Ahmad bin Hambal RAH., Imaam Is'haaq bin Raahway RAH., Hadhrat Abdullaah bin Mubaarak RAH., Imaam Nakha'ee RAH., Hadhrat Hakam bin Utba RAH., Hadhrat Abu Ayyoob Sakhtayaani RAH., Hadhrat Abu Dawood Tayaalisi RAH. and Hadhrat Abu Bakr bin Shaybah RAH. Apart from these. Hadhrat Hammaad bin Zaid RAH., Hadhrat Makhool RAH., Imaam Shaafi'ee RAH. and Imaam Maalik RAH. are of -the opinion that such a person must be executed. Although Imaam Abu Haneefah RAH. does not say that a person should be executed, he does prescribe that the person be given a light beating and then jailed until he repents or dies.

These Sahabah RADI. and Mujtahideen who place so much emphasis on salaah also do not allow any salaah to be performed after its time. In fact, the books of the Hanafi Madh'hab states that even in the extreme case when the child's head has merged and the time for salaah is on the verge of expiring, it will be binding on the woman to perform her salaah. If she is unable to perform wudhu, she should perform Tayammum and if she is unable to make Ruku, she should perform salaah with indications, taking care not to harm the child in any way. She can, however, not afford to miss her salaah,

Similarly, if a person has been shipwrecked or fell in the ocean and is clinging on to a plank to save his life, unable to stand or sit, he will have to make wudhu by dipping his body into the water and then perform salaah by indications. He can, however, not afford to miss his salaah. In fact, in the case where a person is paralysed and there is none to assist him to make wudhu or Tayammum, he may rub the necessary parts of his body (arms and face) on a wall to make Tayammum and then perform his salaah with indications. He can also not afford to miss his salaah.

It is a shame that healthy Muslims hear the Adhaan being called out and then pass right by the Masjid without any concern. Rasulullaah SAW. mentioned that it is a great injustice and an act of Kufr and Shirk to do such a thing.

Hadhrat Abdul Qaadir Jaylaani RAH. stated that when a person neglects his salaah, he has severed his link with Allaah. Neglecting one's salaah is a sin of the highest degree. It is narrated that a woman once approached Hadhrat Moos a &AVW and told him that she has committed a terrible sin and had repented for it. She however asked Hadhrat Moosa ALY. to seek forgiveness on her behalf. When Hadhrat Moosa ALY. asked her what ihe sin was, she replied that she had committed adultery, fallen pregnant, had a child and then killed the child. Hadhrat Moosa ALY. told her to leave the place before a fire from the sky should not consume them all because of her crime.
After she had left, Hadhrat Jibra'eel ALY. came to Hadhrat Moosa ALY. and asked, "Allaah asks whether you know of a sin worse than that which the woman had committed?" "Can there be a worse sin?" Hadhrat Moosa ALY. asked in surprise. Hadhrat Jibra'eel ALY. replied, "The person who intentionally neglects his salaah is a worse sinner and wretch.

All our brothers and sister who do not perform salaah should think well about how sinful they are and how far away from Allaah's mercy they have become. It is Fardh (obligatory) for Muslims to be particular about their salaah and to encourage their families to also do the same and to be saved from the ill fortune of being one who does not perform salaah.

Allaah instructs, "O you who have Imaan! Save yourselves and your families from the fire of Jahannam." May Allaah make us all people who are particular about their salaah and may He accept all our salaahs. Aameen.

Fatawa Rahimiyyah vol.2