Aslam

Praise be to Allah.Prayer

is the greatest pillar of Islam after the Shahaadatayn. The Messenger of

Allaah

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between a

person and kufr and shirk stands the abandonment of prayer.” (Narrated

by al-Tirmidhi, 2766. Classed as saheeh by Ibn Maajah, 1078,and by al-Albaani).

Salaah

is so called because it is a connection (silah) between a person and his

Lord. Whoever does not pray, his zakaah, fasting, Hajj, jihaad, enjoining

of what is good, forbidding of what is evil, reading of Qur’aan and

upholding of family ties will not be accepted. Indeed, all his good deeds

will be rejected if he does not pray.

The

scholars, including Imaam Ahmad, said that whoever does not pray should be

executed as a kaafir, and his body should not be washed or shrouded, the

funeral prayer should not be offered over him, he should not be buried in

the Muslims’ graveyard and his Muslim heirs cannot inherit from him.

It

is not permissible for you to abandon prayer, because you never know when

death will catch you unawares.

The

Messenger of Allaah

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said

at the end of his life, during his final sickness:

“(Adhere

to) prayer, (adhere to) prayer and (take care of) those whom your right

hands possess (i.e., slaves).”

(Narrated

by Imaam Ahmad, 3/117; Ibn Maajah, 2697; Ibn Hibbaan, 1220. Classed as

saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Irwaa’,

no.2178).

Prayer

is the pillar of Islam. Imaam Ahmad said: Your share of Islam is according

to your share of prayer. What we want for you is for you to pray

regularly, doing the prayers on time with the Muslims in their mosques. It

is haraam for you to abandon prayer, for abandoning it is kufr. This issue

has been discussed in great detail by the scholars in their books. And it

was said that (the one who abandons prayer) is to be executed as a

punishment, as is well known. And Allaah knows best.