The Ruling On The One Who Leaves Off The Prayer By Shaykh Muhammad Taqiud Deen al-Hilali

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Between a man and shirk and kufr is the abandonment of the prayer." (Sahih Muslim 82) And in another narration: "The covenant between us and them is the prayer. Whoever abandons it has disbelieved." (Sunan at-Tirmidhi 2621, graded sahih by Shaykh al-Albani) These are among the most serious statements in the entire Sunnah — and they have prompted centuries of scholarly discussion about what exactly they mean and what ruling applies to the person who leaves the prayer.

The Ruling on the One Who Leaves Off the Prayer by Shaykh Muhammad Taqiuddin al-Hilali examines this question with precision — surveying the positions of the classical scholars, weighing the evidence for each, and establishing the correct ruling based on the strongest textual proofs.

What This Book Covers

The Scholarly Positions

The scholars have differed on this question into several positions: that the one who leaves the prayer while denying its obligation is a disbeliever by consensus; that the one who leaves it out of laziness while acknowledging its obligation is also a disbeliever according to one scholarly camp; and that such a person is a major sinner liable for execution but not necessarily a disbeliever according to another. Shaykh al-Hilali surveys these positions with their evidence.

The Evidence From Qur'an and Sunnah

The hadith establishing that abandoning prayer is kufr are examined with their chains and their meanings, alongside the Qur'anic verses that address this question. The Shaykh identifies which evidence is decisive and which is subject to interpretation.

The Spiritual and Legal Consequences

Beyond the fiqh ruling, the book addresses the devastating spiritual consequences of abandoning prayer — what the Muslim who has fallen into this situation should understand and what the path back to Allah requires.

About the Author

Shaykh Muhammad Taqiuddin al-Hilali (1894–1987) was a Moroccan-born scholar of hadith and co-translator of the Noble Qur'an with Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan. He was a graduate of Al-Azhar and taught at the Islamic University of Madinah. Published by Authentic Statements Publications.

Who This Book Is For

Muslims who want clarity on what the Qur'an and Sunnah say about abandoning prayer, students of Islamic law studying the rulings on major sins and apostasy, and anyone seeking to understand one of the most serious warnings in the entire prophetic tradition.

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For the prayer this book warns against abandoning, see al-Albani's A Textbook on the Prayer and Common Mistakes Regarding Prayer. The same Shaykh co-translated the Qur'an edition we carry as Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an. Browse the full salah collection.