Ramadan fasting is not acceptable if one does not pray
Ramadan fasting is not acceptable if one does not pray
I fast Ramadan but I do not pray. Is my fasting valid?
Praise be to Allah.
The Ramadan fast, and indeed any righteous deed, is not accepted if you do not pray. That is because not praying constitutes kufr as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.” Narrated by Muslim, 82.
No righteous deed is accepted from the kaafir, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And We shall turn to whatever deeds they (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners) did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust” [al-Furqaan 25:23]
“If you join others in worship with Allah, (then) surely, (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers” [al-Zumar 39:65]
Al-Bukhaari narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever forsakes ‘Asr prayer, his deeds are in vain.” (al-Bukhaari, 553). What is meant by “his deeds are in vain” means that they become invalid and will not avail him anything.
This
hadith indicates
that in the case
of one who does
not pray, Allah
will not accept
any deed from
him, so the one
who does not
pray will not
benefit at all
from his deeds,
and no good
deeds of his
will ascend to
Allah.
Ibn
al-Qayyim (may
Allah have mercy
on him) said
concerning the
meaning of this
hadith: “The
apparent meaning
of this hadith
is that those
who do not pray
are of two
types: those who
do not pray at
all, which
renders all of
their deeds
invalid, and
those who do not
pray some days,
which renders
his deeds on
that day
invalid. So the
loss of all good
deeds happens to
those who do not
pray at all, and
the loss of some
deeds happens to
those who miss
some prayers.”
From Kitaab
al-Salaah, p.
65.
Our advice to the sister who asked this question is to repent to Allah, to feel regret for her negligence in her duties towards Allah for exposing herself to His wrath, anger and punishment. Allah accepts the repentance of those among His slaves who repent to Him, and forgives their sins; indeed, He rejoices greatly at that. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has given glad tidings to those who repent when he said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin at all.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 4250; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Sahih Ibn Maajah, 3424.
So she
should hasten to
do ghusl and
pray, so that
she may become
pure both
inwardly and
outwardly. She
should not delay
repentance and
say, “I will
repent tomorrow
or after
tomorrow,
because she does
not know when
death will come.
She should
repent to Allah
before regret
will be of no
avail.
“And (remember) the Day when the Zaalim (wrongdoer, oppressor, polytheist) will bite at his hands, he will say: ‘Oh! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger (Muhammad).
Ah! Woe to me! Would that I had never taken so-and-so as a Khaleel (an intimate friend)!
He indeed led me astray from the Reminder (this Qur’aan) after it had come to me. And Shaytaan (Satan) is to man ever a deserter in the hour of need’” [al-Furqaan 25:27-29 – interpretation of the meaning].
By: Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid