Can we eat meat slaughtered by one who does not pray?

 

I would like to ask what we should do if my brother does not pray, so he is regarded as a kaafir according to sharee’ah; can we eat meat that is slaughtered by him or not?.

Praise be to Allaah.

What you have to do is to advise your brother to pray
regularly, and tell him of the ruling of Allaah concerning one who does not
pray. Do not let him slaughter the meat for you himself, and tell him the
reason why, which is that the one who does not pray is regarded as a kaafir,
so meat slaughtered by him is not halaal. Perhaps knowing the ruling will
have an effect on him, and he will come back to his religion and start to
pray regularly. This will be better for him in his religious and worldly
affairs, in this world and in the Hereafter. 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him)
was asked:  

Is it permissible to eat meat slaughtered by one who
deliberately does not pray, knowing that if he is told of that he will claim
that he says the Shahaadah? What should we do if we cannot find any butcher
who does pray? 

He replied: 

If a person does not pray, we should not eat meat slaughtered
by him. This is the correct view, because the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between a man and shirk and kufr
there stands his giving up prayer.” Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh from
Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him). And the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The covenant
that stands between us and them is prayer; whoever does not pray is a
kaafir.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad and the four authors of Sunan with a
saheeh isnaad from Buraydah ibn al-Husayb (may Allaah be pleased with him).
And he said: “The head of the matter is Islam and its pillar is prayer.”
Narrated by Imam Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi with a saheeh isnaad from Mu’aadh ibn
Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him). If the pillar of a thing falls, it
cannot stand straight or remain; when the pillar falls, whatever rests on it
falls too. 

Thus it is known that the one who does not pray has no
religion, so meat slaughtered by him cannot be eaten. If you are living in a
land where there are no Muslim butchers, you should laughter your own meat
and use your hands to do something that will be benefit to you, or look for
a Muslim butcher to slaughter meat for you even in his own house. Praise be
to Allaah, this is something easy so you should not be heedless about this
matter.  

You should advise this man to fear Allaah and pray. His
suggestion that the Shahaadatayn is sufficient is a serious mistake, because
the Shahaadatayn come with conditions that must be fulfilled, as the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have been ordered
to fight the people until they bear witness that there is no god except
Allaah and that I am the Messenger of Allaah, and establish regular prayer
and pay zakaah. If they do that, then their blood and wealth are safe from
me, except in cases dictated by Islamic law, and their reckoning will be
with Allaah.” Saheeh –  agreed upon. 

So prayer and zakaah are mentioned alongside the
Shahaadatayn. According to another version: “I have been commanded to fight
the people until they say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, and if they say Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah, then their blood and wealth are safe from me, except in cases
dictated by Islamic law, and their reckoning will be with Allaah.” Prayer is
one of these conditions and zakaah is one of these conditions. 

What the believer must do is fear Allaah, and everyone who
claims to be a Muslim must fear Allaah and offer the five prayers regularly,
for prayer is the foundation of Islam and it is the greatest of the five
pillars of Islam after the Shahaadatayn. Whoever neglects it neglects his
religious commitment, and whoever does not pray has left the faith. We ask
Allaah to keep us safe and sound. 

This is the truth and this is what is correct. Some of the
scholars said that such a person is not a kaafir in the sense of major kufr,
rather his kufr is minor kufr, and he is a sinner who has committed a grave
sin, one that is worse than adultery, worse than stealing, worse than
drinking alcohol. But he is not a kaafir in the sense of major kufr unless
he denies that prayer is obligatory. This is the view of a number of
scholars. But the correct view is that which is indicated by the words of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is that
such a person is a kaafir in the sense of major kufr, as stated in the
ahaadeeth quoted above, because he has neglected the pillar or foundation of
Islam which is prayer. 

We should not take this matter lightly. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
Shaqeeq al-‘Aqeeli, the great Taabi’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“The companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) did not regard the omission of anything as being kufr, except in the
case of prayer.” 

And he mentioned that the
Sahaabah were unanimously agreed that the one who did not pray was a kaafir
in their view. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. 

So we must be careful, and adhere to this important
obligation and not take the matter lightly if someone does not pray. We
should not eat meat slaughtered by him, or invite him to any feasts, or
accept his invitations. Rather he should be shunned until he repents to
Allaah and starts to pray. We ask Allaah to guide us all. End quote. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz,
10/274-276 

See also the answer to question no.
1553 

And Allaah knows best.

The difference between a Jewish or Christian wife and a wife who does not pray

 

I read a fatwa which you issued to a Muslim man whose Muslim wife does not pray, and you told him that he had to divorce her. I know that it is permissible for a Muslim man to have a Jewish or Christian wife, and Jewish and Christian women do not pray. Is there some mistake?.

Praise be to Allaah.

There is no
mistake in the fatwa referred to. Rather the mistake comes from the
questioner wanting to regard as equal a woman who is supposedly Muslim but
does not pray and a woman who is Jewish or Christian, on the basis that
neither of them prays. 

This
regarding them as equal is not valid, because there is a difference between
them, which is that not praying is major kufr and apostasy that puts a
person beyond the pale of Islam. This has been explained in many answers on
this site, such as the answers to questions no.
9400 and
5208. 

Based on
this, the woman who does not pray is a kaafir and an apostate from Islam. 

The ruling
on one who has apostatized from Islam is more severe than the ruling on a
Jew or Christian. 

Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: 

The apostate
is worse than a kaafir in many ways. End quote. 

Majmoo’
al-Fataawa, 2/193 

Hence meat
slaughtered by an apostate cannot be eaten, whereas meat slaughtered by a
Jew or Christian may be eaten. It is not permissible for a Muslim to marry
an apostate woman, and if his wife apostatizes, the marriage contract
becomes null and void, but it is permissible for a Muslim to marry a Jewish
or Christian woman. 

The crux of
the matter is the ruling that one who does not pray is a kaafir. Those who
are of this view forbade marriage to a woman who does not pray, and said
that it is obligatory to leave a woman if she stops praying. This is the
view of Imam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) and was stated in fatwas
by a number of scholars, such as Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on
him), Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) and Shaykh Saalih
al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him). Our fatwa on this issue and similar
issues is based on their fatwas.  

Similarly,
if a woman does something that implies kufr, such as vilifying Allaah, may
He be exalted, or vilifying His Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), and she persists in her kufr and does not repent, then
it is not permissible for her to remain the wife of a Muslim. The same
applies if a husband is ruled to be an apostate, then he and his wife must
be separated. 

And Allaah
knows best.

 

He does not remember the number of prayers and fasts that he owes. What should he do?

 

If someone doesn't remember that how many prayers and fasts he/she has left, how should he/she proceed to make over them?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

If prayers have been missed, one of the following three
scenarios must apply: 

1 – The prayer was missed for a reason such as sleeping or
forgetting. In that case it must be made up, because the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever forgets a prayer or
sleeps and misses it, the expiation for that is to pray it when he
remembers.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 572; Muslim, 684. 

He should offer these prayers in order as enjoined, because
of the hadeeth of Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah, according to which ‘Umar ibn
al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) came on the day of al-Khandaq
after the sun had set, and started cursing the kuffaar of Quraysh and
saying, “O Messenger of Allaah, I could hardly pray ‘Asr until the sun had
almost set.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “By Allaah, I did not pray it either.” We went to Bat-haan and he did
wudoo’ for prayer and so did we, then he prayed ‘Asr after the sun had set,
then he prayed Maghrib after that. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (571) and Muslim
(631). 

2 – He omitted the prayer for a reason but he was not aware
of it, such as unconsciousness. In this case the prayer is waived for him
and he does not have to make it up. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: 

I was involved in a car accident and I stayed in the hospital
for three months, where I did not wake up and I did not pray for all that
time. Is it waived for me or do I have to make up all the missed prayers? 

They replied: 

The prayers during the period mentioned are waived in your
case, so long as you were unconscious throughout that period. End quote. 

They were also asked:  

If a person remains unconscious for a month and does not pray
throughout that period, then he regains consciousness after that, does he
have to repeat the missed prayers? 

They replied: 

He does not have to make up the prayers that he missed during
that period, because he comes under the same ruling as one who is insane,
and the Pen is lifted from one who is insane (i.e., his deeds are not
recorded). End quote. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah,
6/21 

3 – He missed the prayers for no reason. One of two scenarios
applies in this case: 

Either he denied and
refused to accept that they are obligatory. In this case there is no dispute
that this is kufr and he has nothing to do with Islam. He has to enter Islam
and then do all the duties and obligations of Islam, but he does not have to
make up the prayers he missed when he was a kaafir. 

Or he did not pray because he was negligent and lazy. In this
case the prayers are not valid if he makes them up, because he had no excuse
at the time when he missed them. Allaah has enjoined prayers at certain,
clearly-defined times, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, As‑Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the
believers at fixed hours”

[al-Nisa’ 4:103] 

And the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does an action
that is not part of this matter of ours will have it rejected.” Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 2697; Muslim, 1718.

 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him)
was asked: 

I did not pray until the age of twenty-four. Now with every
fard (obligatory prayer) I offer another fard. Is it permissible for me to
do that? Should I carry on doing that, or is there something else I have to
do? 

He replied: 

The one who missed prayers deliberately does not have to make
them up, according to the correct scholarly view. Rather he has to repent to
Allaah, because prayer is the foundation of Islam, and failing to pray is
the greatest of sins. In fact, failing to pray constitutes major kufr
according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, because it is
narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “The covenant that stands between us and them is prayer;
whoever does not pray is a kaafir.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad and the authors
of al-Sunan with a saheeh isnaad from Buraydah (may Allaah be pleased
with him).  

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up
prayer.” Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Saheeh from Jaabir ibn
‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him). And there are other ahaadeeth
which indicate the same thing. 

What you have to do is repent sincerely to Allaah by
regretting what you have done in the past, giving up not praying, and
sincerely resolving not to go back to it. You do not have to make up
anything, either with every prayer or otherwise. Rather all you have to do
is repent. Praise be to Allaah, whoever repents, Allaah accepts his
repentance. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O
believers, that you may be successful”

[al-Noor 24:31] 

And the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who repents from
sin is like one who did not sin at all.” 

You have to be sincere in your repentance, and take stock of
yourself, and strive to offer prayers regularly on time in congregation. And
you have to ask Allaah to forgive what you have done, and do a lot of
righteous deeds, and be optimistic, for Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents,
believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does
righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his
death)”

[Ta-Ha 20:82] 

After mentioning shirk, murder and zina (adultery) in Soorat
al-Furqaan, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of
Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;

70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic
Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their
sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Furqaan 25:68] 

We ask Allaah to guide us and you, to make our repentance
sound and help us to remain constant in doing good. End quote. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz,
10/329, 330 

Secondly: 

With regard to making up missed fasts, if you did not fast
during the time when you did not pray, then you do not have to make up those
fasts, because the one who does not pray is a kaafir in the sense of major
kufr that puts him beyond the pale of Islam – as stated above. When a kaafir
becomes Muslim, he is not obliged to make up acts of worship that he did not
do when he was a kaafir. 

But if you did not fast at a time when you were praying, then
one of the following two scenarios must apply: 

Either you did not form the intention to fast from the night
before, and you decided rather that you would not fast. In this case making
up the fasts would not be valid in your case, because you failed to do the
act of worship at the time prescribed for it by Islam, with no excuse. 

Or you started to fast then you broke the fast during the
day. In this case you have to make it up, because when the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded the one who had had
intercourse during the day in Ramadaan to offer expiation for that, he said
to him: “Fast one day in its stead.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2393; Ibn
Maajah, 1671; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel,
940. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked about the ruling on breaking the fast during the day in Ramadaan with
no excuse. He replied: 

Breaking the fast during the day in Ramadaan with no excuse
is a major sin, which makes a person a faasiq (disobedient, evildoer) who
has to repent to Allaah and make up the day when he broke his fast. I.e., if
he fasted then during the day he broke his fast with no excuse, then he has
sinned, and he has to make up the day when he broke the fast, because when
he started it, it became binding upon him, so he has to make it up, like a
vow. But if he did not fast at all, deliberately, with no excuse, then it is
most likely that he does not have to make it up, because that will not
benefit him at all, for it will never be accepted from him. The basic
principle with regard to every act of worship which is to be done at a
specific time is that if it is delayed beyond that time with no excuse, it
will not be accepted, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does any action that is not in accordance
with this matter of ours will have it rejected.” And he has transgressed the
limits set by Allaah, and transgressing the limits set by Allaah is zulm
(wrongdoing), and good deeds are not accepted from the wrongdoer. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And whoever transgresses the limits ordained by Allaah,
then such are the Zaalimoon (wrongdoers)”

[al-Baqarah 2:229] 

If he had done this act
of worship ahead of time – i.e., before the time for it began – it would not
have been accepted of him, and by the same token, if he does it after that
it will not be accepted from him, unless he has an excuse. End quote.

 Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (19, question no. 45) 

What he has to do is
repent sincerely from all sins, and perform obligatory duties regularly and
on time, and give up evil deeds, and do a lot of naafil deeds and acts of
worship.

 And Allaah knows best.

 

Some of the rulings on apostasy and apostates

 

I am happy to have found this website of yours. I was born a Muslim and I learned a lot of Islamic teachings after I reached adolescence. I am trying to understand my religion. 


I have read in some of your answers on the issue of apostasy that the punishment for the apostate is to be put to death. But I have read on another website that the apostate who is to be put to death is the one who wages war on Islam (muhaarib). 


I am more inclined towards the second opinion. 


The reason for that is that I have friends who were born in Muslim families and who have Muslim names, but some of them do not know how to do wudoo’ or how to pray, but they acknowledge the Shahaadatayn. 


Can we regard these people as apostates and thus put them to death?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Firstly: 

The Muslim
should not incline more towards one scholarly opinion rather than another
just because it is in accordance with his whims and desires or his
reasoning. Rather he has to accept the ruling based on evidence from the
Qur’aan and Sunnah. It is essential to put the texts and rulings of
sharee’ah before all else. 

Secondly: 

Apostasy
(riddah) and going out of Islam are things that may be done in the heart, on
the tongue or in one's actions. 

Apostasy may
take place in the heart, such as disbelieving in Allaah, or believing that
there is another creator alongside Allaah, or hating Allaah or His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). 

Apostasy may
take the form of words spoken on the tongue, such as defaming Allaah or the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). 

Or apostasy
may take the form of outward physical actions, such as prostrating to an
idol, mistreating the Mus-haf, or not praying.   

The apostate
(murtadd) is worse than one who is a kaafir in the first place. 

Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said, refuting the pantheistic belief of the
Baatinis: 

It is well
known that the kaafir Tatars are better than these (Baatinis), because the
latter are apostates from Islam, of the worst type of apostates. The
apostate is worse than one who is a kaafir in the first place in many
aspects. 

Majmoo’
al-Fataawa, 1/193 

Secondly: 

Not every Muslim who falls into kufr is a
kaafir and apostate. There are reasons why a Muslim may be excused and not
judged to be a kaafir, for example: ignorance, misunderstanding, being
forced, and making mistakes. 

With regard
to the first, a man may be ignorant of the ruling of Allaah, because he
lives far from the Muslim lands, such as one who grows up in the desert or
in a kaafir land, or has only recently come to Islam. This may include many
of those Muslims who live in societies where ignorance prevails and
knowledge is scarce. These are the ones concerning whom the questioner is
confused as to whether they are to be judged as kaafirs and executed. 

The second
reason is if a person interprets the ruling of Allaah in a manner not
intended by the Lawgiver, such as those who blindly follow the people of
bid’ah (innovation) in their misinterpretations, such as the Murji’ah,
Mu’tazilah, Khawaarij and the like. 

The third
reason is if an oppressor overwhelms a Muslim and will not let him go until
he makes a blatant statement of kufr out loud in order to ward off the
torture, when his heart is at ease with faith. 

The fourth
is when words of kufr come to one's lips without meaning it. 

Not everyone
who is ignorant about wudoo’ and prayer can be excused, when he seed the
Muslims establishing prayer and praying regularly, and he can read and hear
the verses on prayer. What is preventing him from praying or from asking
about how it is done and what its essential conditions are? 

Fourthly: 

The apostate
is not to be put to death immediately after he falls into apostasy,
especially if his apostasy happens because of some doubt that arose. Rather
he should be asked to repent and he should be offered the opportunity to
return to Islam and resolve his doubts, if he has any doubts. Then if he
persists in his apostasy after that, he is to be put to death. 

Ibn Qudaamah
said in al-Mughni, 9/18: 

The apostate
should not be put to death until he has been asked to repent three times.
This is the view of the majority of scholars, including ‘Umar, ‘Ali, ‘Ata’,
al-Nakhaii, Maalik, al-Thawri, al-Awzaa’i, Ishaaq and others. Because
apostasy comes about because of doubt, and cannot be dispelled in an
instant. Time should be allowed for the person to rethink the matter, and
the best length of time is three days. 

End quote. 

The saheeh
Sunnah indicates that it is essential to put the apostate to death. 

Al-Bukhaari
(6922) narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever changes his religion,
put him to death.” 

Al-Bukhaari
(6484) and Muslim (1676) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim who bears witness that
there is no god except Allaah and that I am the Messenger of Allaah, except
in one of three cases: a soul for a soul (i.e., in the case of murder); a
previously-married person who commits zina; and one who leaves his religion
and separates from the main body of the Muslims.” 

The general
meaning of these ahaadeeth indicates that it is essential to put the
apostate to death whether he is waging war on Islam (muhaarib) or not. 

The view
that the apostate who is to be put to death is the one who is waging war on
Islam (muhaarib) only is contrary to these ahaadeeth. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that the reason why he
should be put to death is his apostasy, not his waging war against Islam. 

Undoubtedly
some kinds of apostasy are more abhorrent than others, and the apostasy of
one who wages war against Islam is more abhorrent than that of anyone else.
Hence some of the scholars differentiated between them, and said that it is
not essential to ask the muhaarib to repent or to accept his repentance;
rather he should be put to death even if he repents, whereas the repentance
of one who is not a muhaarib should be accepted and he should not be put to
death. This is the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah
have mercy on him). 

He said: 

Apostasy is of two types: ordinary apostasy
and extreme apostasy, for which execution is prescribed. In both cases there
is evidence that it is essential to execute the apostate, but the evidence
indicating that the sentence of death may be waived if the person repents
does not apply to both types of apostasy. Rather the evidence indicates that
that is allowed only in the first case – i.e., ordinary apostasy – as will
be clear to anyone who studies the evidence that speaks about accepting the
repentance of the apostate. In the second type – i.e., extreme apostasy –
the obligation to put the apostate to death still stands, and there is no
text or scholarly consensus to indicate that the death sentence may be
waived. The two cases are quite different and there is no comparison between
them. It does not say in the Qur’aan or Sunnah, or according to scholarly
consensus, that everyone who apostatizes in word or deed may be spared the
death sentence if he repents after he is a captured and tried. Rather the
Qur’aan and Sunnah, and scholarly consensus, differentiate between the
different kinds of apostates. 

Al-Saarim
al-Maslool, 3/696 

Al-Hallaaj
was one of the most well known heretics who were put to death without being
asked to repent. Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad said:  

The Maaliki fuqaha’ of Baghdad at the time of
al-Muqtadir were unanimously agreed that al-Hallaaj should be killed and
crucified because of his claim to divinity and his belief in incarnation,
and his saying “I am al-Haqq [God],” even though he outwardly appeared to
adhere to sharee’ah, and they did not accept his repentance. 

Al-Shifa
bi Ta’reef Huqooq al-Mustafa, 2/1091. 

Based on
this, it is clear that what the questioner says about the apostate not being
killed unless he is waging war on Islam is mistaken, and the differentiation
that we have quoted from Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah may dispel any
confusion and make the matter clearer. 

Waging war
against Islam is not limited only to fighting with weapons, rather it may be
done verbally such as defaming Islam or the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), or attacking the Qur’aan, and so on.
Waging verbal war against Islam may be worse than waging war against it with
weapons in some cases. 

Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: 

Muhaarabah (waging war against Islam) is of
two types: physical and verbal. Waging war verbally against Islam may be
worse than waging war physically – as stated above – hence the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to kill those who waged war
against Islam verbally, whilst letting off some of those who waged war
against Islam physically. This ruling is to be applied more strictly after
the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Mischief may be caused by physical action or by words, but the damage caused
by words is many times greater than that caused by physical action; and the
goodness achieved by words in reforming may be many times greater than that
achieved by physical action. It is proven that waging war against Allaah and
His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) verbally is
worse and the efforts on earth to undermine religion by verbal means is more
effective. 

Al-Saarim
al-Maslool, 3/735 

Fifthly: 

With regard
to not praying, the correct view is that the one who does not pray is a
kaafir and an apostate. See question no.
5208. 

And Allaah
knows best.

 

When is a person regarded as neglecting prayer, and what is the ruling on him?

 

Persons who are “not praying at all” are considered non-Muslims. Are those praying only during Eid’l Fitr, Eid’l Adha , and sometimes every Friday and / or sometimes during one of the five daily prayers fall in the term “not praying at all” hence they are considered as non-Muslims? How is “not praying at all” construed or interpreted?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

The one who neglects prayer is one who does not pray at all,
and he is a kaafir regardless of whether that is due to laziness or denying
that the prayer is obligatory, according to the more correct of the two
scholarly opinions. This is based on a great deal of evidence, some of which
has been mentioned in the answer to question no.
5208. 

Secondly: 

If a person is not omitting all prayers, rather he prays
sometimes and does not pray sometimes, then those who say that the one who
does not pray is a kaafir differed in this case. Some of them said that he
is a kaafir if he deliberately does not offer an obligatory prayer until the
time for it is over on one occasion; so the one who deliberately does not
pray Fajr until the sun has risen becomes a kaafir, and the one who
deliberately does not pray Zuhr until the sun sets becomes a kaafir, because
Zuhr may be joined with ‘Asr, so the time for both is the same, when one has
an excuse; and the same applies to Maghrib and ‘Isha’, the one who
deliberately does not pray Maghrib until the time for ‘Isha’ ends becomes a
kaafir. 

Some of them say that he does not become a kaafir unless he
fails to pray permanently. 

Imam Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said: I heard Ishaaq say: It was narrated in a saheeh report from the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that
the one who does not pray is a kaafir. This was also the view of the
scholars from the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) until the present, that the one who deliberately does not pray
with no excuse, until the time for the prayer ends, becomes a kaafir. Until
the time ends means delaying Zuhr until sunset or delaying Maghrib until
dawn comes. 

The end of the time for prayer is described thus because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) joined two prayers
in ‘Arafah and Muzdalifah, and when travelling, so he prayed one of them at
the time of the other. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) did the first prayer at the time of the second in one case, or
the second at the time of the first in another case, the time for both
became the same in cases where there is an excuse. Hence if a menstruating
woman becomes pure before sunset, she is enjoined to pray both Zuhr and
‘Asr, and if she becomes pure at the end of the night she is enjoined to
pray Maghrib and ‘Isha’. End quote from Ta’zeem Qadr al-Salaah
(2/929). 

Ibn Hazm (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: We have
narrated from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him),
Mu’aadh ibn Jabal, Ibn Mas’ood, a number of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be
pleased with them), and from Ibn al-Mubaarak, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaaq ibn
Raahawayh (may Allaah have mercy on them)and from other Sahaabah (may Allaah
be pleased with them),a total of seventeen, that the one who deliberately
and knowingly does not offer an obligatory prayer until the time for it has
ended becomes a kaafir and apostate. This is the view of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
al-Maajishoon, the companion of Maalik, and of ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Habeeb
al-Andaloosi and others. End quote from al-Fasl fi’l-Milal wa’l-Ahwa’
wa’l-Nihal (3/128). 

And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It was narrated
from ‘Umar, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf, Mu’aadh ibn Jabal, Abu Hurayrah and
others among the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) that the one who
deliberately does not offer an obligatory prayer once, until the time for it
has ended, is a kaafir and an apostate. End quote from al-Muhalla
(2/15).

Fatwas based on this view have been issued by the Standing
Committee, under the leadership of Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may
Allaah have mercy on him). Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (6/40, 50). 

Among those who have issued fatwas stating that the one who
does not pray is not a kaafir unless he stops praying altogether or
permanently is Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him). He was
asked about a person who prays sometimes and does not pray at other times.
Is he a kaafir? 

He replied: It seems to me that he is not a kaafir unless he
does not pray at all. As for one who prays sometimes, he is not a kaafir
because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Between a man and kufr and shirk there stands his giving up prayer.” He did
not say “giving up a prayer” (tarku salaatin) rather he said “giving
up [the] prayer” (tark al-salaah). This implies not praying
altogether. Similarly he said: “The covenant that distinguishes between us
and them is prayer; whoever does not pray is a kaafir.” Based on that we
say: The one who prays sometimes and does not pray sometimes is not a
kaafir. End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (12/55). 

But he was asked about one who only prays Jumu’ah (Friday
prayer) and he replied: He only prays Jumu’ah? Why does he only pray
Jumu’ah? 

The questioner said: That is his habit. 

He replied: If it is his habit then he does not believe that
his prayer is an act of worship. So he prays Jumu’ah out of habit and he
gets dressed and makes himself look good and puts on perfume and goes. Even
if I do not think that anyone is a kaafir except the one who does not pray
at all, I would still have doubts about this man’s Islam, because he is
taking Jumu’ah prayer as a special occasion only, and he dresses up and goes
to meet people, when he is wearing perfume and dressed up. I doubt whether
he is still Muslim. According to the opinion of our Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez he
is a kaafir. End quote from Liqa’ al-Baab il-Maftooh. 

And Allaah knows best.

Not praying causes all kinds of distress and anxiety

 

I am a 23 year old girl, and to be honest I do not pray and if I do I do not offer all the obligatory prayers. I also listen to music, but this puts me in a bad mood and Allah is watching, I want to pray. I want to obey Allah and I fear Him, I am proud of being a Muslim, My God is Allah alone with no partner, and I love the prophet Muhammad and his (Seera) Way of life, and it affects me when I hear about it. All praise be to Allah Who honoured me with an Umrah this year, and I was happy for this, but I feel I am being hard-hearted and that there is no difference between me and the disbelievers because I do not offer prayers. I have tried so many times to keep on praying but I do not know why this keeps happening with me, knowing that I have not been praying for a very long time and I feel ignorant of so many Islamic issues. I feel that Allah will not accept any of my deeds, prayers, Zakat, Umrah, or any other Islamic duty, I feel that my destiny is surely in hell. I need someone who takes my hand and advises me and helps me leave this loss, I hate being in this case!!


Moreover, there is another problem; I feel that I missed fasting some days of Ramadaan with no excuse to fast not!!


Frankly I am not sure if those days were of Ramadaan or Shawwal, as it is a habit in our home to fast the six of Shawwal every year so I am confused. This problem has happened to me when I was far from the path of Allah, I know that who breaks his fasting without an excuse one day of Ramadaan Allah does not accept his fasting ever, and he has to offer penance, so what shall I do now?


Please help me and enlighten me, please, I am very desperate, may Allah add this to your good deeds and reward you.

Praise be to Allaah.

It is essential first of all to define the cause of the
problem, then you can go ahead and deal with it. If you ask us to help you
define it, we would say that the problem is in yourself and not in anything
else. The help that others offer you will never be of benefit unless you
take steps towards salvation.  

The feelings that you express in your question indicate that
the elements of righteousness are present in your case, for the believer is
the one who takes stock of himself and rebukes himself, and it seems that
you are doing that. 

The believer is afraid of his shortcomings and sins, and sees
them as a mountain that is about to fall on him. It seems that you feel this
way too. 

The believer holds his Islam and faith in high esteem, and is
proud to belong to this great religion, and he loves his Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – and your letter shows
this clearly. 

So how can all these qualities be present in one who falls
short in the greatest religious duty, which is prayer? 

We do not have any explanation for that except poor
self-management and a lack of self control. Otherwise, performing the prayer
does not take up a great deal of effort or time. It is only a few minutes in
which a person is alone with his Lord, asking Him to fulfil his needs and
complaining to Him the heavy burden of his worldly concerns, and expressing
to Him his longing for Him and His mercy. 

If we cannot put up with making the commitment of these few
minutes, then we do not think that we could ever succeed in our lives.
Self-discipline requires commitment and resolve, and our Lord has not
burdened us Muslims with more than we can bear, rather He has not even
burdened us with anything that is too difficult for us; He loves to accept
our repentance and make things easier for us. 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allaah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make
things difficult for you”

[al-Baqarah 2:185] 

“Allaah wishes to make clear (what is lawful and what is
unlawful) to you, and to show you the ways of those before you, and accept
your repentance, and Allaah is All‑Knower, All‑Wise.

27. Allaah wishes to accept your repentance, but those who
follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously
away (from the Right Path).

28. Allaah wishes to lighten (the burden) for you; and man
was created weak”

[al-Nisa’ 4:26-28] 

Prayer is a mercy that Allaah has enjoined upon us by His
bounty and kindness. The one who adheres to it and prays regularly and
properly will see the bounty of Allaah to us which He has decreed for us and
will understand that the one who is truly deprived is the one who deprives
himself of the joy of contact with Allaah, may He be exalted. 

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: 

“Prayer is the best of prescribed things, so the one who is
able to do a lot of it, let him do a lot of it.” 

Narrated by al-Tabaraani (1/84); classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (390). 

See what Allaah says after the verses in which He enjoined
purification for prayer (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allaah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He
wants to purify you, and to complete His Favour to you that you may be
thankful”

[al-Maa'idah 5:6] 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
whom you love and whose Seerah you love, says: “My delight has been made in
prayer.” Narrated by al-Nasaa’i (3940); classed as hasan by al-Haafiz ibn
Hajar in al-Talkhees al-Habeer (3/116) and classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i. 

How can the believer agree to miss out on this goodness and
these blessings? 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Alas! How can a person spend his time and live his life
deprived of smelling this fragrance, and leave this world as he entered it
without having tasted the best that it has to offer, and having lived in it
like a dumb animal, departing from it like one who is bankrupt. He lived a
life of helplessness, he died a death of sadness and his resurrection will
be loss and regret. O Allaah, to You be praise, to You we complain, You are
the One Whose help we seek, You we ask for aid, in You we put our trust, and
there is no power and no strength except with You.  

Tareeq al-Hijratayn (p. 327). 

I am not saying this to you in order to increase the despair
that you are feeling, but so that you will strive to rid yourself of it. It
has only befallen you because of your failure to perform the easiest of
duties, so you should know that you are more incapable of doing others. 

You should not leave any room in your life for despair with
regard to  Allaah. You must understand that He hates those who despair
(interpretation of the meaning): “And who despairs
of the Mercy of his Lord except those who are astray?” [al-Hijr 15:56]
and He loves those of His slaves who are optimistic of His mercy and grace.
By His vast kindness He forgives bad deeds and pardons mistakes, indeed He
says (interpretation of the meaning):

“70. Except those who
repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for
those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is
Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful

71. And whosoever
repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards
Allaah with true repentance”

[al-Furqaan 25:68-70]” 

A wise man said: “Nothing brings hope but good deeds.” You
will never escape the trap of despair into which the shaytaan has caused you
to fall unless you start to strive and try to commit yourself to
righteousness, even if you fall short at the beginning. 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“and never give up hope of Allaah’s Mercy. Certainly no
one despairs of Allaah’s Mercy, except the people who disbelieve”

[Yoosuf 12:87] 

Hope means that a person must work and strive hard for
whatever he hopes for, but despair means that he will be sluggish and slow.
The best that people can hope for is the bounty, kindness, mercy and grace
of Allaah.

 “Certainly no one despairs of Allaah’s Mercy, except the
people who disbelieve” – because of their kufr, they think that the
mercy of Allaah is unlikely, and His mercy is far from them. So do not be
like the kaafirs. This indicates that the more faith a person has, the more
hope he will have of the mercy and grace of Allaah. Tafseer Ibn Sa’di. 

The first thing you must do is to become eager to offer
prayers regularly and on time, as you would feel eager for other worldly
matters such as food, drink, study, marriage and so on. Every action is
preceded by concern and thought. One of the early generation strove hard to
do many naafil prayers, until Thaabit al-Banaani (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said: I strove hard to do qiyaam al-layl (supererogatory prayers
offered at night) for twenty years, and I enjoyed it for the next twenty
years. 

This thinking and concern will not be sufficient unless you
focus on means that will help you to pray regularly and think about ways to
make yourself adhere to that which Allaah has enjoined. Man possesses a
great ability to choose the means that will help him to do what he wants. 

Strive to get up straightaway, as soon as you hear the voice
of the muezzin saying takbeer, and remember that Allaah is greater than all
of this world by which you are distracted. Then go to your prayer-place and
pray what Allaah has enjoined on you. Do not forget to say that du’aa’ that
our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us: ‘Allaahumma
a’inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ibaadatika (O Allaah, help me
to remember You, give thanks to You and worship You properly).” 

You say that your family is eager to fast six days of
Shawwaal, and this is a sign of goodness and righteousness that will help
you to offer prayers on time, when you see your mother and siblings getting
up at this time. Praise Allaah for this; how many complaints come from
children whose families smack them to stop them praying and hijab, but
Allaah has honoured you with a family who can help you to fear Allaah. 

Keep company with girls who pray and are righteous, and ask
them to help you with prayer and to remind you of it and encourage you to do
it. That may be the best help for you. 

Finally, beware of sins, for they are the basis of all
problems. One sin leads to another, and so on, until they accumulate and
destroy a man, making it too hard for him to pray and depriving him of its
light and blessing. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  

Sins generate more sins, and one leads to another, until they
overpower a man and he finds it difficult to repent from that. As one of the
earlier generation said: One of the punishments of bad deeds is more bad
deeds, and one of the rewards of good deeds is more good deeds. 

Al-Jawaab al-Kaafi (p. 36). 

Secondly: 

As for your question about fasting Ramadaan and that you are
uncertain about not fasting on some days, with no excuse, we say to you: Do
not pay any attention to these doubts, if it seems most likely to you that
you did this act of worship at the right time with your family. Thinking
something most likely is sufficient to have discharged one’s duty, and
doubts count for nothing after that. 

In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (7/143) it says:  

Doubts after having finished tawaaf, saa’i and prayer should
be ignored, because what seems to be the case is that the act of worship is
valid. 

End quote. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

If the doubt comes after finishing the act of worship, then
no attention should be paid to it, so long as there is no certainty about
the matter. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen
(14/question no. 746). 

Moreover, if a fast is not observed with no excuse, it does
not have to be made up and no expiation is to be offered, rather one has to
repent and seek forgiveness, as has previously been explained in he answer
to question no. 50067. 

I ask Allaah to decree your reward for you and to make you
steadfast in adhering to truth and Islam, and to protect you from the
accursed shaytaan. 

And Allaah knows best.

 

Condition of saying Bismillaah in order for meat to be halaal

 

What is the ruling on saying Bismillaah over the sacrifice, especially if the slaughterman does not pray?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Meat slaughtered by one who does not pray is not halaal,
whether he says the name of Allaah over it or not. See question no.
70278. 

With regard to saying Bismillah when slaughtering meat, the
fuqaha’ differed concerning that and there are three points of view: 

1 – That it is mustahabb only, which is the view of
al-Shaafa’i. 

2 – That it is a condition of the meat being halaal, but if a
person forgets it by mistake it is still permissible. This is the view of
the Hanafis, Maalikis and Hanbalis.  

3 – That it is essential and cannot be waived under any
circumstances, whether it is omitted by mistake or deliberately or out of
ignorance. This is the view of the Zaahiris and was narrated from Maalik and
Ahmad, and it was the view of some of the salaf; it was also the view
favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: It is the correct view. 

He also said: They quoted as evidence the general meaning of
the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Eat not (O believers) of that (meat) on which Allaah’s
Name has not been pronounced (at the time of the slaughtering of the
animal)”

[al-An’aam 6:121] 

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said:  

“If the blood flows and the name of Allaah is mentioned, then
eat.” So in order for the meat to be halaal, it is essential that the name
of Allaah be mentioned. It is well known that if the condition is not met,
the thing is invalid, so if the name of Allaah is not mentioned, the meat is
not halaal, as with any other condition. Hence if a person prays but he
forgot to do wudoo’, he has to repeat the prayer. Similarly if he prays not
realizing that he had broken his wudoo’ because he thought that breaking
wind does not invalidate wudoo’, or that eating camel meat does not
invalidate wudoo’, for example, then he must repeat it, because the thing is
not valid without the conditions being met. So if he slaughtered it but the
blood did not flow, by mistake or out of ignorance, then it is not halaal,
and the same applies if he does not mention the name of Allaah, because it
is mentioned in the same hadeeth. End quote from al-Sharh al-Mumti’
(6/358). 

See also: al-‘Inaayah Sharh al-Hidaayah (9/489);
al-Fawaakih al-Dawaani (1/382); and al-Majmoo’ (8/387). 

Based on this, he should not slaughter sacrifices or anything
else unless he is one of those who pray regularly, and it is essential that
he mentions the name of Allaah when slaughtering and says Bismillaah (in the
name of Allaah). 

It is also mustahabb to say takbeer, so he should say:
Bismillaah, wa Allaahu akbar (In the name of Allaah and Allaah is Most
Great). 

Al-Bukhaari (5558) and Muslim (1966) narrated that Anas (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) sacrificed two horned black and white rams.
I saw him placing his foot on their sides, and he said the name of Allaah
and he said takbeer, then he slaughtered them with his own hand. 

And Allaah knows best.

 

Burying one who neglected prayer with the Muslims

 

In our country the Muslims are buried in
a graveyard of their own, but anyone who bears the label of “Muslim” may be
buried there, and most of them were people who did not pray or observe the limits set down
by the religion. What should be done when visiting these graves in which there is no
distinction between true Muslims and those who were not Muslim? What about me, if I die
and am buried with people who did not pray? Can I leave instructions that I am to be
buried with people who did pray, or what should I do? Please advise me, may Allaah reward
you with good.

Praise be to Allaah.

Muslims have to have graveyards of their own, in which
no one else should be buried. The person who does not pray and who dies when he is a
person who has neglected prayer should not be buried in the Muslim graveyard, because the
one who does not pray and denies that it is an obligation is a kaafir according to
scholarly consensus. If he does not pray out of laziness, then he is a kaafir according to
the more correct scholarly view. It is prescribed in Islam for a Muslim to leave
instructions that he should be buried in the Muslim graveyard if there is also a
non-Muslim graveyard in the vicinity, lest he be buried with the non-Muslims.

And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet
Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace.

 

 

He used to masturbate and pray without doing ghusl – does he have to make up those prayers?

 

I used to masturbate since I reached puberty and I did not know that it is haraam, and I used to pray without doing ghusl. Now I have repented, praise be to Allaah. My question is: should I make up the prayers that I missed with every obligatory prayer, or should I offer them all at one time? Should I offer them in order i.e., should I start with Fajr first and then Zuhr and so on?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Deliberately praying without having purified oneself is a
grave sin, and the one who does that comes under the same ruling as one who
does not pray, because he has failed to do something without which his
prayer is not valid. 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The ruling
on not doing wudoo’ or ghusl in the case of janaabah, and not facing the
qiblah when praying, and not covering the ‘awrah, is the same as the ruling
on the one who does not pray. Similarly the ruling on not standing, bowing
or prostrating when one is able to do so is like the ruling on not praying.
End quote from al-Salaah wa Hukm Taarikiha, p. 42. 

It seems from your question that you did not do ghusl in the
case of janaabah because you were unaware that it is obligatory. The
scholars differed concerning one who does that – does he have to repeat the
prayer or not? 

This has been discussed in the answer to question no.
9446 and
45648. 

If it never occurred to you that it is obligatory to do ghusl
after masturbating, then we hope that you do not have to make up the
previous prayers, but you have to repent and be righteous, and do a lot of
good deeds. Allaah say (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents,
believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does
righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his
death)”

[Ta-Ha 20:82] 

And Allaah knows best.

He used to miss some prayers – does he have to renew the marriage contract?

 

We live in a society where prayer is neglected to a large extent. I grew up praying, praise be to Allaah, but I did not care sometimes if I prayed Zuhr on time or I made it up with ‘Asr, for example. I also missed some prayers at some points in my life, as did my wife. After we got married, this continued for a while, then we decided to repent to Allaah and now, praise be to Allaah, we offer all the prayers regularly on time. What is worrying me and making me feel that this deed is not rewarded is the view of some scholars, such as Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen and Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on them) that the one who does not pray out of laziness or carelessness is a kaafir and apostate, and they quoted evidence for that from the Qur’aan and Sunnah, even though there are scholars such as Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) who say that it is a lesser form of kufr. Even though I feel that this is the right opinion, I am afraid that I may be wrong, and I want to follow the view of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen so that I can put an end to doubt, but this involves several things, some of which I can do and some I cannot. They are:


1 – My wife and I doing ghusl for entering Islam and uttering the Shahaadatayn. This is something we can do.


2 – We need to renew the marriage contract, because it is regarded as invalid. My question is: how can we do this? Do we need the wife’s wali (guardian) and two witnesses? How can I tell my wife’s father about this and bring witnesses? This would be very difficult for my wife’s father and he may reject this idea or remain angry about it for the rest of his life, so I can never renew the marriage contract and the problem will get worse and worse. Also I cannot be certain that the witnesses always prayed regularly from the time they reached puberty until now. If I follow the view of Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him), will I be regarded as falling short? Do I have to make up the missed prayers even though I do not know how many they are, or can I offer more Sunnah and naafil prayers? How should I make them up? Can I pray ‘Asr for today, for example, then pray Fajr, Zuhr and ‘Asr for the past days, or should I offer every obligatory prayer that I missed at the time of that prayer? Please advise me, may Allaah reward you with good, because I am very confused and it is almost killing me. I do not want my good deeds to go to waste and I do not want to die a kaafir, Allaah forbid.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

The difference of opinion among the scholars concerning the
ruling on one who does not pray out of laziness is justifiable. But what is
indicated by the sound evidence is that he is a kaafir. For more information
on the evidence please see question no. 5208. 

Secondly: 

If the one who does not pray repents and prays, then he has
come back to Islam and he does not need to repeat the Shahaadatayn. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said: As for the one who does not pray sometimes and does not make them up
and does not intend to make them up, or he misses some of the obligatory
parts of the prayer and does not make them up or intend to make them up,
many of our companions ruled that he becomes a kaafir thereby… Then when he
prays again he becomes a believer, as is indicated by the words of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever misses
‘Asr prayer deliberately, his good deeds will be lost.” And he (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever misses a prayer
deliberately is no longer under the protection of Allaah.” End quote. 

He also said: If he prays after stopping praying, he comes
back to Islam from apostasy, and his prayer is valid, unlike the one who was
originally a kaafir, whose prayer is not valid until after he says the
Shahaadatayn, because the kufr of the former is due to failing to do
something, and if he does it he comes back to Islam. In the case where a
person’s kufr results from rejecting (some of the obligations of Islam), if
he then accepts and affirms the obligation, then he rejoins Islam. 

If it is said that in cases other than this, the apostate’s
return to Islam is not valid unless he utters the Shahaadatayn, no matter
what form his apostasy took, the answer is that it is because he denied
something, so he must speak words of affirmation, starting with the
Shahaadatayn, which implies accepting everything else. But in this case (the
one who does not pray), he accepts that it is obligatory, so all he needs to
do is to do it in order to rejoin Islam. End quote. 

Based on this, your saying “thus I am still a kaafir and
Allaah will not accept any deed from me” is incorrect, rather your having
repented to Allaah and your performing the prayers mean that you are no
longer a kaafir, and the one who repents from sin is like one who did not
sin at all. 

Thirdly: 

You do not have to renew your marriage contract, unless it
was done when one or both of you was not praying, in which case you have to
renew it. 

But if the prayers were missed after you got married, you do
not have to renew the marriage contract, because if one of the spouses
apostatizes then returns to Islam during the ‘iddah period, then the
original marriage contract is still valid and they do not need to repeat the
contract. Some scholars are even of the view that the original contract is
still valid even if he comes back to Islam after the end of the ‘iddah, so
long as they both agree to come back. This is the correct view. For more
information on that please see question no.
21690. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked: What is the ruling on a married woman staying with a husband who does
not pray and he has children from her? 

He replied: 

If a woman is married to a man who does not pray in
congregation or at home, then the marriage is not valid, because the one who
does not pray is a kaafir, as is indicated by the Holy Qur’aan and the
Sunnah and the views of the Sahaabah. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Shaqeeq said: The
companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
did not regard the omission of any deed to be kufr except prayer. 

It is not permissible for a kaafir to marry a Muslim woman
because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“then if you ascertain that they are true believers send
them not back to the disbelievers. They are not lawful (wives) for the
disbelievers nor are the disbelievers lawful (husbands) for them”

[al-Mumtahanah 60:10] 

If he stops praying after getting married, then the marriage
contract is annulled, unless he repents and comes back to Islam. Some of the
scholars limited that to the end of the ‘iddah; once the ‘iddah ends then it
is not permissible for him to go back to her if he becomes Muslim, except
with a new marriage contract.  

The woman has to separate from him and not allow him to be
intimate with her unless he repents and starts to pray, even if she has
children from him, because in this case the father does not have custody of
the children.” End quote from Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam, p. 279. 

This applies if he has stopped praying altogether. But if he
misses some of the prayers, then some of the scholars do not regard him as
having become a kaafir thereby. This is the view of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah and Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him). And some of the
scholars say that the one who misses a single obligatory prayer deliberately
until the time for it and the time for a prayer to which it may be joined is
over, becomes a kaafir thereby, such as if he delays Zuhr until the sun
sets. But if this person who has missed an obligatory prayer starts to pray
again before the ‘iddah is over, he comes back to Islam and his marriage
continues. 

Your question does not suggest that either of you stopped
praying for a long time that would include the ‘iddah period, rather at the
most you did not pray sometimes, then you went back to praying. This means
that the marriage contract is still valid, as stated above. 

It seems to us from your question that you do not have to
renew the marriage contract. 

Firstly, because when you did not pray, you did not stop
praying altogether, rather you missed some prayers, and this does not
constitute kufr according to many scholars, unless one stops praying
altogether. 

Secondly: This missing some prayers – even if we assume that
it is kufr – was for a short time during which the ‘iddah could not have
ended, and going back to prayer before the ‘iddah ends does not invalidate
the marriage contract and it remains valid as it was before missing
prayers. 

Fourthly: 

If a person stops praying then repents from that, he does not
have to make up the prayers that he missed, according to the more correct
view, but he should do a lot of naafil acts of worship and good deeds,
because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents,
believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does
righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his
death)”

[Ta-Ha 20:82] 

For more information on that, please see the answer to
question no. 91411. 

We ask Allaah to guide us and you. 

And Allaah knows best.

 

He does not pray for one or two days or more

 

Sometimes the shaytaan tempts me and makes me do what is called masturbation, which leads me to stop praying for five days or two days or more or less according to the circumstances. What do I have to do? Do I have to repeat the obligatory prayers I missed? Or can I do naafil prayers to expiate for that?.

Praise be to Allaah.

You have to hasten to give up that bad habit, which is
contrary to dignity and chivalry. In the answer to question number
329 we have quoted the evidence
for it being haraam. 

You also have to repent for missing the prayers, because not
praying is a serious major sin; in fact many scholars say that it is kufr. 

Repentance includes giving up the sin, regretting what one
has done and resolving not to go back to that haraam deed. 

Do a lot of naafil prayers, to make up for the prayers that
you have missed, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: “The first deed for which the people will be brought to account
on the Day of Resurrection will be prayer. Our Lord will say to His angels,
although He knows best: ‘Look at the prayer of My slave and see whether it
is complete or lacking.’ If it is complete, it will be recorded for him as
being complete, and if anything is lacking from it, He will say: ‘Look and
see whether My slave has any involuntary (prayers to his credit).’ If he has
involuntary (prayers to his credit), He will say: ‘Complete the obligatory
prayers for My slave from his voluntary prayers.’ Then other deeds will be
judged in the same manner” Narrated by Abu Dawood (864). 

We ask Allah to forgive us, you and all the Muslims, and to grant us all well being and to make us all steadfast.

And Allah knows best.

Can he do Hajj on behalf of someone who did not pray?

 

If someone does hajj on behalf of another does it forgive all the sins of the other especially not performing Salat either he willed this Hajj or not?


Another thing: does Hajj removes all the sins of the performer (pilgrim) even not praying?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Firstly: 

The fact that you refer to “the sin of not
praying” twice indicates that you think that not praying is a grave sin before Allaah, and this is indeed the case. The scholars differed
concerning the level of kufr of the one who does not pray; the correct view is that he is a kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam. The evidence
for that is as follows: 

1 – It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
Buraydah that his father said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The covenant that distinguishes
between us and them is prayer; whoever does not pray is guilty of kufr.” 

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2545; al-Nasaa’i,
459; Ibn Maajah, 1069. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2113. 

2 – It was narrated that Abu Sufyaan said: I
heard Jaabir say: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his
giving up prayer.” 

Narrated by Muslim, 116. 

The Sahaabah are agreed that the one who does
not pray is to be regarded as a kaafir, and this was the view of the scholars who came after them such as ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Shaqeeq, Ibraaheem
al-Nakha’i, Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak, al-Hakam ibn ‘Uyaynah, and others. 

Prayer is the first thing concerning which a
person will be asked on the Day of Resurrection. If his prayer is sound then all his deeds will be sound, but if it is not good then none of his
deeds will be good. 

The one who does not pray will not benefit
from any of his deeds, rather all his deeds will be in vain. Allaah says of the kuffaar (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And We shall turn to whatever deeds they
(disbelievers, polytheists, sinners) did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust”

[al-Furqaan 25:23] 

“And indeed it has been revealed to you (O
Muhammad), as it was to those (Allaah’s Messengers) before you: “If you join others in worship with Allaah, (then) surely, (all) your deeds will
be in vain”

[al-Zumar 39:65] 

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever fails to pray ‘Asr, all his deeds are in vain.” 

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 553. 

Based on this, if a person who does not pray
performs Hajj, and he persists in not praying, then his Hajj is not valid and nothing will expiate for his sin of not praying. Similarly, if he
dies whilst he is persisting in not praying, he will not benefit after death from any good deeds that are done on his behalf after he has passed
away. It is not permissible for anyone who knows that he died whilst persisting in not praying to pray for forgiveness or mercy for him or to
perform Hajj on his behalf, because he is a kaafir and mushrik, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“It is not (proper) for the Prophet and
those who believe to ask Allaah’s forgiveness for the Mushrikoon, even though they be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are the
dwellers of the Fire (because they died in a state of disbelief)”

[al-Tawbah 9:113] 

But if the one who does not pray repents and starts to pray regularly, and regrets what he did, and comes back to Islam, then Allaah will forgive
him all his past sins. 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say to those who have disbelieved, if
they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven”

[al-Anfaal 8:39] 

The phrase “if they
cease” means, if they cease being disbelievers by submitting to Allaah alone with no partner or associate. (Tafseer
al-Sa’di) 

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam erases what came before it (i.e., of sins).”

(Narrated by Muslim, 121).  

And Allaah knows best.

Ruling on one who neglects prayer

 

The saheeh ahaadeeth state clearly that
the one who neglects prayer is a kaafir. If we take the hadeeth at face value, it appears
that we are obliged to deprive the person who neglects prayer deliberately of all his
rights of inheritance, a separate cemetery should be allocated for such people, and we
cannot pray for them or greet them with salaam, because there is no greeting of peace for
a kaafir. Let us not forget that if we were to calculate the number of men, believers and
non-believers alike, who pray, we will find it is only 6%, and among women the number is
even less. What does Islam have to say about this? What is the ruling about giving or
returning the greeting of salaam to one who neglects prayer?

Praise be to Allaah.

The scholars have differed concerning the Muslim who deliberately
neglects salaah without denying that it is obligatory. Some of them say that he is
definitely a kaafir who has gone beyond the pale of Islam. He is considered to be a murtadd
(apostate) who is to be given three days to repent – if he does not, he is to be
executed for his apostasy. The funeral prayer will not be recited over him, and he will
not be buried in the Muslim graveyard. The greeting of salaam is not to be given to him,
in life or in death, and his greeting is not to be returned; prayers for forgiveness and
mercy for him cannot be offered; he cannot inherit, neither can his wealth be inherited,
instead it is to be given to the Muslim treasury (bayt al-maal). This ruling
applies whether the number of people who are neglecting their prayers are many or a few.

This opinion is the soundest and most correct, because of the words of
the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “The difference between
us and them is salaah. Whoever neglects it is a kaafir.” (Reported by Imaam
Ahmad and the authors of Sunan with a saheeh isnaad); and:
“(Nothing stands) between a man and kufr and shirk, except prayer: (whoever neglects
it becomes a kaafir and a mushrik).” (Reported by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh,
with other similar ahaadeeth).

The majority of scholars said that if a person denies
that prayer is obligatory, he is a kaafir and an apostate from the religion of Islam. The
ruling concerning such a person is as described above. If he does not deny that it is
obligatory, but he neglects it because of laziness, for example, then he is guilty of a
major sin (kabeerah), but he is not considered to be beyond the pale of Islam. He
should be given three days in which to repent. If he does, then al-hamdu lillah (praise be
to Allaah); if he does not, then he should be executed, but this is a punishment, not
because he became a kaafir. In this case, he should be washed (ghusl, after death)
and wrapped in a shroud (kafn). The funeral prayer should be offered for him,
prayers can be offered for forgiveness and mercy for him, and he should be buried in the
Muslim graveyard. He can inherit and be inherited from. In general, all the rules
concerning Muslims who are sinners apply to him, in life and in death.

Praying ‘Ishaa’ the next morning

 

At this time of year the Isha prayer is
around 10:25 pm. I have school the next day so i'm not aloud to stay up that late. I
wanted to know if it is haraam to pray it the next morning. My parents are willing to
allow me to stay up for the Isha prayer if praying it the next morning is haraam.

Thank you for your time.

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible to delay praying Salaat
al-‘Ishaa’ or any of the other prayers. Whoever prays them late, not at the
proper time, is a sinner who is guilty of a major sin, because Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“Verily, Al-Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at
fixed hours.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:103]

“Guard strictly (five obligatory) al-Salawaat (the prayers),
especially the middle prayer (i.e., the best prayer – ‘Asr). And stand before
Allaah with obedience” [al-Baqarah 2:238]

You have to pray on time, without delaying it, and advise your parents
with regard to the issue of prayer times. Tell them that they have to let you stay awake
so that you can pray, and try to help yourself by taking a nap during the day, which will
make it easier for you to stay up for the prayer. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) forbade sleeping before ‘Ishaa’ lest a person miss the
prayer. If your parents force you to sleep, do not obey them, even if that means
pretending to be asleep until the time comes and you pray. May Allaah bless you and help
you to adhere firmly to the Straight Path.

 

Boycotting someone who is not praying

 

Respected Sheikh,my question is, a person's relative is not performing his/her prayers(Salah),therfore he/she has left the fold of Islaam.Is it permissable to greet them? Or should they be completely ignored

Praise be to Allaah. 

Not performing one’s prayers
is a dereliction of the most important duty among the pillars of Islam.
Prayer is the pillar and cornerstone of the faith, and it is not permissible
under any circumstances to be lenient towards the one who is not praying.
First of all his family should advise and enjoin him to pray, then they
should boycott him and turn away from him, and not greet him with salaam,
or eat with him or sit with him, in order to point out to him the seriousness
of sin, so that he will come back to Allaah and repent. The opinions
of the scholars with regard to the one who does not pray may be summed
up under the following two headings:

 1.     
The opinion that the one who does not pray is a kaafir, which
is the opinion narrated from ‘Umar, ‘Ali and Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah
be pleased with them). It was also the opinion of al-Hasan, al-Sha’bi,
al-Oozaa’i, Ibn al-Mubaarak and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan; it was also reported
from Ahmad, and is indicated by the hadeeth of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “All that stands between
a person and kufr is his not praying.” (Reported by Muslim, Ahmad, Abu
Dawood and Ibn Maajah).

2.    
The opinion that the one who does not pray is not a kaafir. This
is the opinion of Abu Haneefah, Maalik, and al-Shaafa'i, and is indicated
by the hadeeth of ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit, who reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “There are five prayers which Allaah has prescribed
for His slave during the day and night, whoever does them and does not
wilfully neglect them, Allaah will be bound to grant him admittance
to Paradise. Whoever does not do them will have no such guarantee; if
He wills, He will punish him and if He wills, He will grant him admittance
to Paradise.” (Reported by al-Daarimi, 1531; Maalik, al-Muwatta’,
248; Ahmad, 21690).

 However, according to both opinions,
if a person insists on not praying, he should be asked three times to
repent, and if he refuses, then his fate will be execution.

 

His father denies that prayer is obligatory and reviles the Sahaabah. What is the ruling concerning him, and how should he interact with him?

 

Praise be to Allaah Who has guided us and blessed us with the blessing of Islam. I started to become religiously committed a few months ago, but my father is opposing me in that. My father does not pray, because he does not acknowledge that prayer is obligatory. He even reviles some of the Sahaabah and speaks against ‘Aa’ishah, and he speaks ill of some of the righteous such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah. He doubts any hadeeth and he favours the Shi’ah. He treats me, my mother and my siblings badly, and he even mistreats my mother and humiliates her. He does not let my younger brother go to the mosque on the grounds that he should study, and he does not let me speak to my siblings about religious matters. He does not like anyone to advise him, and he cannot bear to listen to Qur’aan or to religious programs, and he thinks they are tools of misguidance. Every time he sees me watching a religious programme, he changes the channel. 


What is the Islamic ruling concerning him? How can I deal with him? Please note that I treat him kindly, praise be to Allaah, and I pray for him, but he mistreats me and humiliates me, and he tells my siblings that I am a terrorist, and he encourages them to listen to music and not to watch religious programs or listen to me. 


I hope that you can answer my question. May Allaah reward you with good.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

We ask Allaah to increase your reward for the hardship that
you are going through, and we ask Him to guide your father before his life
ends. 

As for the ruling on your father, he has done and said things
some of which imply that he is a kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam, so
how about if they are taken all together? That includes not praying even if
that is due to laziness, and denying that prayer is obligatory. These two
things constitute kufr and put one beyond the pale of Islam. With regard to
the former, according to the correct scholarly view, that applies even if
one does not pray because of laziness, and the latter is something on which
there is scholarly consensus. There is no difference of opinion concerning
the fact that the one who does not pray because he denies that it is
obligatory is a kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam. 

Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy
on him) said: 

The scholars are unanimously agreed that the one who does not
pray and denies that it is obligatory is a kaafir, and that he should be
executed as a kaafir if he does not repent. 

Adwa’ al-Bayaan (4/335). 

Your father is not failing to pray because he is lazy, rather
he is failing to pray because he denies that it is obligatory. Even if he
failed to pray due to laziness he would still be a kaafir, so how about if
does not pray because he denies that it is obligatory? 

As for his reviling some of the Sahaabah, it seems that he
only spares some of the Sahaabah and reviles some of the others. It seems to
us from your question that your father is a believer in the evil Raadifi
school of thought, which accuses the Sahaabah of being apostates apart from
a very few of them. This means that they are kaafirs, and those scholars who
did not rule that they are kaafirs ruled that they should be imprisoned
until they repent or die. 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: 

Reviling the Sahaabah falls into three categories: 

1 – Reviling them by saying that most of them were kaafirs or
that all of them were evildoers. This is kufr because it is a rejection of
the praise of Allaah and His Messenger for them and their approval of them.
The one who doubts that such a person is a kaafir is himself a kaafir,
because this view implies that those who transmitted the Qur’aan and Sunnah
were kaafirs or evildoers. 

2 – If he reviles them by cursing them, then there are two
scholarly views as to whether he is a kaafir. According to the view that he
is not a kaafir, he is still to be flogged and imprisoned until he dies or
recants what he said. 

3 – If he reviles them in a way that does not reach the level
of doubting their religious commitment, such as saying that they were
cowardly or miserly. He is not a kaafir, but he should be given a
disciplinary punishment (ta’zeer) to serve as a deterrent. This was stated
by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah in al-Saarim al-Maslool, where he
narrates on p. 573 that Ahmad said: It is not permissible for anyone to
mention any of their bad qualities or to criticize any of them for a fault
or shortcoming. Whoever does that should be disciplined, then if he repents
all well and good, otherwise he should be flogged in prison until he dies or
recants. 

Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen
(5/83, 84). 

One of the implications of criticizing the Sahaabah (may
Allaah be pleased with them) is that one is criticizing the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and Islam, and the Lord of
mankind, may He be glorified and exalted. 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: 

Reviling the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) is
not only an insult against the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them),
rather it is an insult against the Sahaabah, against the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), against the laws of Allaah and against
Allaah Himself, may He be glorified and exalted. 

-        
As for its being an insult
against the Sahaabah, that is clear.

-        
As for its being an insult
against the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), that is by suggesting that his companions, confidants and successors
as rulers of his ummah were among the worst of people.

It is also an insult against the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in another sense, which is that
it is a rejection of what he said about their virtues and good qualities.

-        
As for it being an insult
against the laws of Allaah, that is because the intermediaries in the
transmission of the sharee’ah from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) to us were the Sahaabah. If they were not
of good character, then the sharee’ah that they transmitted cannot be
trusted either.

-        
As for it being an insult
against Allaah, may He be glorified, that is by suggesting that He sent His
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the worst of
mankind and chose them to be his companions and to convey his sharee’ah to
the ummah. 

Look at the serious issues that are implied by reviling the
Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them). 

We disavow the way of these Raafidis who revile and hate the
Sahaabah. We believe that loving the Sahaabah is obligatory and that
refraining from speaking ill of them is obligatory. Our hearts – praise be
to Allaah – are filled with love for them, because of the faith and piety
that they had, and because they spread knowledge and supported the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). 

And we disavow the ways of the Naasibis (such as the
Khawaarij) who revile the Ahl al-Bayt in word or deed. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Rasaa’il Ibn ‘Uthaymeen
(8/616). 

So it comes as no surprise that the scholars of Islam
described as a heretic everyone who criticized the companions of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).  

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

The imam of his age, Abu Zar’ah al-Raazi – one of the
greatest of Muslim shaykhs – said:  If you see a man criticizing any of the
companions of the Messenger of Allaah, then you should know that he is a
heretic, because the Messenger is true, the Qur'aan is true, and what he
brought is true. All of that was transmitted to us by the Sahaabah, so
whoever criticizes them is intending to prove that the Qur’aan and Sunnah
are false. So he is the one who most deserves to be criticized and the
ruling that he is a heretic who has gone astray and is a liar and evildoer
is more apt. 

Al-Sawaa’iq al-Muhriqah (2/608). 

The same may be said about slandering the Mother of the
Believers ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) – the one who does that
is a kaafir and apostate. 

For more details please see the answer to question no.
954. 

If the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) are not safe from a person, then the imams of guidance
who came after them will not be safe from him either, such as the Taabi’een
and those who followed them, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah. By
reviling the Sahaabah and criticizing their religious commitment, he has
proven that he follows a religion other than ours. 

Secondly: 

As for how to deal with your father: 

You have to use different ways of explaining the truth to him
and strive to guide him. Do not despair or give up. By his beliefs, words
and actions he has gone out of Islam altogether, but you have to do what you
think is best for him. We advise you to do several things such as the
following: 

1-   
You have to disavow his
beliefs, words and deeds.

2-   
Be gentle in conveying the
truth to him.

3-   
Use various means of calling
him and explaining the truth to him. There are debates that have taken place
between Ahl al-Sunnah and the Raafidis, in which they were roundly defeated.
So you can make use of them to convince him to watch and listen to them.
There are also audio tapes and books that may suffice to call those who
criticize the Sahaabah and refute their specious arguments.

4-   
Strive not to let your father
influence your mother and siblings, so that the influence of kufr and
apostasy will not spread any further.

5-   
Defend yourself by means of
your good attitude and good manners with him and your family.

6-   
Do not despair about him being
guided, and continue to call him, either directly or through others of Ahl
al-Sunnah whom you know and trust.

7-   
Always pray for him and choose
good times such as the last third of the night, and good situations, such as
when prostrating in prayer. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: 

How should we deal with a man who reviles the three
companions? 

They replied: 

The companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) are the best of this ummah, whom Allaah
praised in His Book. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And the foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhaajiroon and
the Ansaar and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allaah is
well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared
for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein
forever. That is the supreme success”

[al-Tawbah 9:100] 

“Indeed, Allaah was pleased with the believers when they
gave the Bay‘ah (pledge) to you (O Muhammad صلى
الله عليه وسلم) under the tree, He knew what was in their hearts, and
He sent down As‑Sakeenah (calmness and tranquillity) upon them, and He
rewarded them with a near victory”

[al-Fath 48:18] 

And there are other verses in which Allaah praises the
Sahaabah and promises them admittance to Paradise. Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan
and ‘Ali are among the foremost to embrace Islam and those who swore
allegiance (bay’ah) to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) under the tree. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) himself swore allegiance on behalf of ‘Uthmaan [who had been sent
as a envoy to negotiate with Quraysh in Makkah] which was testimony in his
favour and a sign of his trust in him, and this oath of allegiance was
stronger than the oath of others to the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), according to many ahaadeeth, especially the oath of Abu
Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan and ‘Ali. They were given the glad tidings of Paradise
along with a number of other Sahaabah, and the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against reviling them, as he said:
“Do not revile my companions, for if one of you were to spend the equivalent
of (Mount) Uhud in gold, that would not equal the mudd of one of
them, or even half of it.” Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh via Abu
Hurayrah and Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri. Al-Bukhaari also narrated it from Abu
Hurayrah.  

The one who reviles or insults the companions of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
especially the three: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthmaan, who are asked about
here, has gone against the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger,
and has contradicted them by reviling them. He will be deprived of the
forgiveness which Allaah has promised to those who follow them and pray for
forgiveness for them and pray to Allaah not to allow hatred in their hearts
towards the believers.  

Because of his criticism of these three and their like, he
must be advised and told of their virtue and status, and their seniority in
Islam. If he repents, then he is one of our brothers in faith, but if he
persists in reviling them, then he must be disciplined, whilst paying
attention to the shar’i policy of denouncing according to what one is able
to do; the one who is unable to denounce with his tongue or hand (i.e., by
speaking out or taking action) must do so with his heart, but this is the
weakest of faith, as is proven in the saheeh hadeeth. 

Fataawa Islamiyyah (1/12). 

We ask Allaah to help you in your efforts and to make you
steadfast in adhering to the truth, and to guide your father. 

And Allaah knows best.