Library Ethics Greater Sins Chapter 38 Omitting Prayer Intentionally Thirty-sixth Greater Sin: Omitting Prayer Intentionally
Thirty-sixth Greater Sin: Omitting Prayer Intentionally
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Chapter 38
Thirty-sixth Greater Sin: Omitting Prayer Intentionally
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The thirty-sixth greater sin is to omit prayer intentionally. The traditions of Imam Taqi (a.s.), Imam RiÄa (a.s.) Imam MÅ«sa Kadhim (a.s.) and Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) (mentioned in Abdul AzÄ«m’s Sahifa) support this view. This fact is also confirmed by the tradition of Amir ul-Mu’minÄ«n (a.s.). In Islam prayer is an obligatory duty which has to be performed without fail. Anyone who does not offer prayer considering it non-obligatory is an infidel and outside the pale of Islam. To deny prayer is to deny the Holy Prophet (S) and to deny the Holy Qur’an and such a person is an unbeliever. Many traditions have been recorded in this connection
(Layali al-AkhbÄr page 394, SalÄt & ZÄsail)
Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says,
A person came to the Holy Prophet (S) and begged him for a moral lesson. The Messenger of Allah (S) said, “Do not omit prayer intentionally because whoever leaves prayer voluntarily has exited from the pale of Islam.
(SalÄt, Wasa’il ul-Shia Vol. 3 page 29)
The Messenger of Allah (S) says:
“The thing that turns a Muslim into Kafir is to omit prayer intentionally or to offer prayer considering it insignificant and unimportant.”
(Wasa’il ul-Shia Vol. 3 page 29)
The Holy Prophet (S) also says,
“There is no difference between faith and infidelity except the omitting of prayer
(Wasa’il ul-Shia Vol. 3 page 29)
Allamah Majlisi (r.a.) writes in the commentary of al-KÄfi that some of these traditions emphasise that to omit all or some obligatory acts is infidelity. This itself is one of the connotations of ‘Kufr’ as recorded in ayats and traditions. It is mentioned, ‘One who intentionally omits prayer is a Kafir, one who doesn’t pay Zakat is a Kafir one who omits Hajj is a Kafir.’
In the traditions omitting obligatory acts is not separately mentioned as a greater sin. This is perhaps so, because when a person commits an act which is HarÄm, he is under some compulsion, either emotional or physical or social or of some other need which he seeks to fulfil. For example a person may commit fornication due to a physical urge; or under the influence of anger he may use foul language or may even commit murder and do injustice to others in many other ways. But in the case of omitting obligatory acts and particular prayers, there are no such compulsions. Obligatory acts are avoided by those who consider religious commands insignificant and attach no importance to them; and this amounts to denial of the Almighty.
In the tradition which equates omitting prayers to infidelity it may be argued that a person may avoid Hajj and Zakat for being a miser, or he may not fast out of concern for his health or because the idea of hunger and thirst deters him. But as far as prayer is concerned, there is not a single factor that can come in the way of a person offering prayer to the Creator, except that he considers religion insignificant and takes prayers lightly.
SadÅ«q (r.a.) quotes a tradition from Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) wherein it was asked from the Imam (a.s.) why adulterers and drunkards are not called Kafirs while one who omits prayer is labelled so? Imam (a.s.) said,“Adultery etc. are committed when a person is subdued with sensuality but prayer is not omitted except that it was considered insignificant because one who commits adultery, does so to derive pleasure but one who leaves prayer does not get any pleasure.”
The above hadith proves that if one leaves an obligatory duty considering religion unimportant one is a kafir. The Messenger of Allah (S) says,
“One who considers prayers light (insignificant) is not from us.” Another hadith mentions that such a person will not get the intercession of Ahl ul-Bayt (a.s.). “And one who consumes intoxicants is not from us and by Allah one who drinks wine will not be able to arrive at the Pool of Kawthar.”
(Furu KÄfi, Vol. 3, page. 271)
In his last moments, Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) has been recorded to have said,
“Our intercession will not reach those who consider prayer light (insignificant).”
(Furu KÄfi, Vol. 3, page. 241)
It may be mentioned that a person who accepts that prayer has been prescribed by the Almighty and he believes in the prophethood and in the message of the Seal of the prophets (S), but fails to offer prayers due to sheer laziness, is not considered an unbeliever, but a transgressor.
