And it is not lawful for anyone in whose presence a person dies—while he knows that the deceased did not pray—to wash him, shroud him, or bring him forward for the Muslims to perform the funeral prayer over him, for in doing so he would be deceiving the Muslims. Allah the Exalted said to His Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—concerning the hypocrites, who are disbelievers yet show the outward signs of Islam: “And never pray over any of them who dies, nor stand at his grave. Surely they disbelieved in Allah” (Q 9:84). This proves that disbelief bars the funeral prayer and standing at the grave after burial. Allah also says: “It is not for the Prophet and those who believe to seek forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they are close relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are the inhabitants of the Fire” (Q 9:113).

Some people ask about a man suspected of having abandoned the prayer who is presented for the funeral prayer after his death, while you are unsure whether or not he used to pray. We say: if this doubt has a real basis, then when you wish to supplicate for him you should say, “O Allah, if he was a believer, then forgive him and have mercy on him,” thereby conditioning your prayer; in this way you protect yourself from any blame.

As for the matters of the Hereafter that follow from abandoning the prayer, they include:
• The torment in his grave, like that of a disbeliever—and even more severe.
• He will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment with Pharaoh, Haman, Qarun, and Ubayy ibn Khalaf.
• He will enter the Fire and remain therein for all eternity.

Some scholars have held that he does not commit disbelief that expels him from the faith, citing certain texts, yet those texts do not exempt him from five possible states.