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and He has also said of a people that they were admitted to the Fire solely because they did not pray; on this basis the heretics cast doubts upon the Qur’an and alleged that it was self-contradictory.
He answered: As for His words, “So woe to those who pray” (al-Maʿūn 107:4), He meant the hypocrites—“those who are heedless of their prayer” to the point that its appointed time passes, “those who only show off” (107:6); when people can see them, they pray, but when unseen they abandon it.
As for His words, “What led you into Saqar? They will answer, ‘We were never among those who prayed’” (al-Muddaththir 74:42-43), the question there is put by the monotheistic believers. This is the very passage that troubled the heretics.⦗1⦘
Your Lord did not say, “Woe to those who first became intoxicated,” but rather, “Woe to those who pray.” If Allah threatens with woe the worshipper who is heedless in his prayer and performs it only to be seen, how much greater is the threat against the one who abandons the prayer altogether! For him is utter woe, and upon him rest the curses of Allah until the Day of Resurrection, unless he repents. See Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti, Daf Iham al-Idtirab, vol. 10, pp. 233–234.
(1) Al-Tabari, Jami al-Bayan, 29:166; 30:311. Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, 4:588. Al-Shawkani, Fath al-Qadir, 5:500.
وقد قال في قوم إنهم إنما دخلوا النار لأنهم لم يكونوا يصلون فشكوا في القرآن من أجل ذلك، وزعموا أنه متناقض.
قال:
وأما قوله:
{فَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُصَلِّينَ}
عنى بها المنافقين:
{الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ}
حتى يذهب الوقت.
{الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ}
[الماعون: ٦]
يقول إذا رأوهم صلوا، وإذا لم يروهم لم يصلوا.
وأما قوله:
{مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ، قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ}
[المدثر: ٤٢، ٤٣]
.
يعني الموحدين المؤمنين، فهذا ما شكت فيه الزنادقة١.
= ما قال ربك: ويل للأولى سكروا
وإنما قال: ويل للمصلينا
فإذا كان الله تعالى توعد بالويل للمصلي الذي هو ساهٍ في صلاته ويرائي فيها فكيف بالذي لا يصلي أصلاً، فالويل كل الويل له، وعليه لعائن الله إلى يوم القيامة ما لم يتب.
انظر: دفع إيهام الاضطراب "٢٣٣/١٠-٢٣٤".
١ انظر تفسير الطبري "١٦٦/٢٩" "٣١١/٣٠"، وتفسير ابن كثير "٥٨٨/٤" وتفسير الشوكاني "٥٠٠/٥".