of one who abandons prayer from the Fire by virtue of his faith, even if it amounts to no more than an atom’s weight. This was explicitly affirmed by many of the leading, discerning Hanbali scholars, such as Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi—as mentioned earlier in Abu al-Faraj’s citation from him.

Ibn Qudamah’s exact words are:

“If he neglects any of the five acts of worship out of heedlessness, he does not become an unbeliever.”

This is stated in his book al-Muqniʿ, and something similar appears in al-Mughni (2/298–302), in a lengthy discussion in which he cites the disagreement on the matter and the proofs of each side. He then concludes with the position stated in al-Muqniʿ. It is undoubtedly the truth, and it is the position adopted by the author of al-Sharh al-Kabir and of al-Insaf, as mentioned earlier.

Once you know Ahmad’s sound position, then what al-Subki mentioned in his biography of Imam al-Shafiʿi in The Major Biographical Classes of the Shafiʿis (1/220) does not constitute an objection to it. He said:

“It has been related that Ahmad debated al-Shafiʿi concerning one who abandons prayer. Al-Shafiʿi said to him, ‘O Ahmad, do you hold that he becomes an unbeliever?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’ Al-Shafiʿi said, ‘If he is an unbeliever, then by what does he become Muslim?’ He replied, ‘By saying: There is no god worthy of worship but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’ Al-Shafiʿi said, ‘But this man continues to profess this statement and has never abandoned it!’ He replied, ‘He becomes Muslim by praying.’ Al-Shafiʿi said, ‘The prayer of an unbeliever is invalid, and one cannot judge him to be Muslim on its basis.’ Ahmad was silenced and said nothing.”

I say that this does not constitute an objection to Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, for two reasons:

The first is that this report is not established. Al-Subki himself alluded to this by introducing it with the words, “It has been related”; its chain is interrupted.

The second is that he mentioned it on the premise that Ahmad declared a Muslim to be an unbeliever merely for abandoning prayer. But this has not been established from him, as has already been explained. Rather, this objection applies to certain shaykhs who still declare a person an unbeliever merely for abandoning it. My hope is that they will retract this view after they become aware of this authentic hadith and of the position of Ahmad and other leading Hanbali imams that accords with it;