“When a man refrains from praying until he is killed, he is not inwardly acknowledging its obligation or committed to performing it. Such a person is a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims, as the reports transmitted from the Companions concerning his disbelief are widespread, and the sound texts prove it.... Whoever persists in abandoning prayer until he dies, never prostrating to Allah even once, can never be a Muslim who acknowledges its obligation. For believing that prayer is obligatory and believing that the one who abandons it deserves to be killed constitute a complete motive to perform it; and when the motive exists along with the ability, it necessitates the occurrence of the action. Thus, if he is able to perform it yet never does so, it is known that the motive did not exist in his case.”
- “No man combines all these qualities in a single day except that he enters Paradise.”
Narrated by Muslim in his Ṣaḥīḥ (7/100), al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (no. 515), and Ibn ʿAsakir in his History (vol. 9, p. 288, no. 1), through Marwan ibn Muʿawiyah, who said: Yazid ibn Kaysan narrated to us, from Abu Hazim, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Who among you has begun this day fasting?” Abu Bakr said, “I have.” He said, “Who among you visited a sick person today?” Abu Bakr said, “I have.” He said, “Who among you attended a funeral today?” Abu Bakr said, “I have.” He said, “Who among you fed a needy person today?” Abu Bakr said, “I have.” Marwan said: “It has reached me that the Prophet ﷺ said”—and he mentioned the hadith.
This is al-Bukhari’s wording. Muslim and Ibn ʿAsakir do not include the words, “Marwan said: It has reached me”; rather,