Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah - Nasir al-Din al-Albani - (7/139)

Silsilat al-Ahadith al-SahihahNasir al-Din al-Albani

—matters that may necessitate delaying it, omitting some of its obligations, or missing it at times. But as for one who persists in abandoning it, never praying at all, and dies upon this persistence and abandonment, such a person cannot be a Muslim.

However, most people pray at times and abandon it at other times. Such people do not consistently observe it, and they are subject to the warning. They are the ones referred to in the hadith in the Sunan, the hadith of ‘Ubadah from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “Allah has prescribed five prayers for His servants each day and night. Whoever observes them consistently has a covenant with Allah that He will admit him to Paradise; and whoever does not observe them consistently has no covenant with Allah. If He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him.” (1)

Thus, the one who consistently observes them is the one who performs them at their appointed times, as Allah Most High commanded.

As for one who delays them—[the original reads: “does not delay them”]—beyond their time on occasion, or omits their obligations, he is subject to Allah Most High’s will. He may also have voluntary prayers through which his obligatory prayers are completed, as stated in the hadith. (2)

The statements of Imam Ahmad likewise indicate this interpretation. Some of his later followers became known for maintaining, without qualification, that one who abandons the prayer is to be declared a disbeliever; yet his statements indicate otherwise, in a manner that does not contradict this authentic hadith. For how could they, when he himself transmitted it in his Musnad, just as he transmitted the hadith of ‘A’ishah with the same meaning, as mentioned earlier?! Indeed, his son ‘Abdullah recorded in his Masa’il (55):

(1) A sound hadith, recorded in Sahih Abi Dawud (451 and 1276). (2) He is referring to the Prophet's statement: “The first deed for which people will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection is the prayer. Our Lord will say to His angels—although He knows best: ‘Look at My servant’s prayer: did he complete it or leave it deficient?’ If it is complete, it will be recorded for him as complete. If he has fallen short in any part of it, He will say: ‘See whether My servant has any voluntary prayers.’ If he has voluntary prayers, He will say: ‘Complete My servant’s obligatory prayer with them.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be assessed in the same manner.” This is a sound hadith, recorded in Sahih Abi Dawud (810). (Publisher)

توجب تأخيرها، وترك بعض واجباتها، وتفويتها أحياناً. فأما من كان مصراً على تركها لا يصلي قط، ويموت على هذا الإصرار والترك؛ فهذا لا يكون مسلماً. لكن أكثر الناس يصلون تارة، ويتركونها تارة، فهؤلاء ليسوا يحافظون عليها، وهؤلاء تحت الوعيد، وهم الذين جاء فيهم الحديث الذي في "السنن "، حديث عبادة عن النبي ﷺ؛ أنه قال: "خمس صلوات كتبهن الله على العباد في اليوم والليلة؛ من حافظ عليهن كان له عهد عند الله أن يدخله الجنة، ومن لم يحافظ عليهن لم يكن له عهد عند الله؛ إن شاء عذبه؛ وإن شاء غفر له " (١) . فالمحافظ عليها: الذي يصليها في مواقيتها كما أمر الله تعالى. والذي يؤخرها (الأصل: ليس يؤخرها) أحياناً عن وقتها، أو يترك واجباتها؛ فهذا تحت مشيئة الله تعالى. وقد يكون لهذا نوافل يكمل بها فرائضه كما جاء في الحديث " (٢) . وعلى هذا المحمل يدل كلام الإمام أحمد أيضاً؛ الذي شهر عنه بعض أتباعه المتأخرين القول بتكفير تارك الصلاة دون تفصيل، وكلامه يدل على خلاف ذلك " بحيث لا يخالف هذا الحديث الصحيح، كيف وهو قد أخرجه في "مسنده " كما أخرج حديث عائشة بمعناه كما تقدم؟! فقد ذكر ابنه عبد الله في "مسائله (٥٥) قال:

(١) حديث صحيح مخرج في "صحيح أبي داود" (٤٥١ و ١٢٧٦) . (٢) يشير- ﵀ إلى قوله له: "أول ما يحاسب الناس به يوم القيامة من أعمالهم الصلاة؛ يقول ربنا ﷿ لملائكته- وهو أعلم-: انظروا؛ في صلاة عبدي أتمها أم نقصها؟ فإن كانت تامة كتبت له تامة، وإن كان انتقص منها شيئاً قال: انظروا؛ هل لعبدي من تطوع؛ فإن كان له تطوع قال: أتموا لعبدي فريضته، ثم تؤخذ الأعمال على ذاكم " وهو حديث صحيح، مخرج في "صحيح أبي داود" (٨١٠) . (الناشر) .