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a group of them . . . as referring to those who abandon prayer out of denial, just as Joseph, peace be upon him, said: “Indeed, I have abandoned the religion of a people who do not believe in Allah” [Joseph: 37]—an abandonment (1) consisting in the rejection of disbelief.
(1) It is well known that the Prophet Joseph, peace be upon him, had never embraced a religion of disbelief; rather, he turned away from disbelief, rejecting it. Abandoning something does not necessarily imply having previously engaged in it.
جماعة منهم. . . بذلك من تركها جاحدًا لها، كما قال يوسف ﵇: ﴿إِنِّي تَرَكْتُ مِلَّةَ قَوْمٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ﴾ [يوسف: ٣٧] ترك (١) جحود الكفر.
(١) معلوم أن النبي يوسف ﵇ لم يكن تلبس بملة الكفر، ولكن أعرض عن الكفر جاحدا له، ومعلوم أن ترك الشيء لا يستلزم الوقوع فيه أولا.