disbelief in action, not disbelief of conviction, as Ibn al-Qayyim stated earlier. This is also how Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah have mercy on him—understood those proofs. In Majmu' al-Fatawa (22/48), when asked whether one who abandons the prayer without an excuse remains a Muslim in that state, he replied—may Allah have mercy on him—with a lengthy discussion full of knowledge. What concerns us here, however, is what relates to this hadith. After mentioning that, according to the majority of scholars—Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad—one who abandons the prayer is to be put to death, he said:
“If he persists until he is killed, is he to be killed as a disbelieving apostate, or as a sinful person like other sinful Muslims? There are two well-known views, narrated as two reports from Ahmad. If he inwardly acknowledges the prayer and believes it to be obligatory, it is inconceivable that he would persist in abandoning it until he is killed without praying. Nothing of this sort is known among people or in their customary conduct. Therefore, this has never occurred in Islam. No case is known of someone who believes it to be obligatory and is told, ‘Pray, or we will kill you,’ yet persists in abandoning it while acknowledging its obligatory nature. This has never occurred in Islam.
“Whenever a man refuses to pray until he is killed, he does not inwardly acknowledge its obligatory nature or commit himself to performing it. Such a person is a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims, as reports from the Companions declaring such a person a disbeliever have become widespread, and as the authentic texts indicate, such as his saying—peace and blessings be upon him: ‘Nothing stands between the servant and disbelief except abandoning the prayer.’ Muslim narrated it …
“Thus, whoever persists in abandoning it until he dies, never prostrating to Allah even once, can never be a Muslim who acknowledges its obligatory nature. For believing it to be obligatory, and believing that one who abandons it deserves to be put to death, constitutes a complete motive to perform it; and a motive, together with ability, necessitates the occurrence of that which one is able to do. A firm conviction that the one who abandons it will be punished prompts one to act. Yet certain factors may at times oppose this.”