Q: I work in Ta’if, and when I started working here, I rented a house to live in as I will be here for a while. As all my family lives in the south, in Abha, I rented this house with three of my co-workers. After a month, I have noticed that they neglect their Salah (Prayer). I advised them many times to perform it, but it appears that they do not offer even the obligatory Salah, neither at home nor in the Masjid (mosque); not even the Jumu‘ah (Friday) Prayer. When I reproached them for this, after advising them, and told them it is Haram (prohibited) for a Muslim not to perform Salah as it is one of the Pillars of Islam, they replied that they do not want to perform Salah, and that it was not my business to interfere. I also have noticed that they smoke cigarettes and play cards during the time of the obligatory Salah and all night until 2:00 am. (Part No. 26; Page No. 85) When the time for Salah comes, they intentionally ignore it without an excuse. They also spread out newspapers that contain Qur’anic Ayahs under the plates of food [to use as a table cloth. Ed] and then they throw them away in the trash. They like to take Haram photographs, such as photographs of young women and other things, without a need. They also have other bad habits that I do not want to mention in detail. However, we have rented this house for a whole year, and only a month and a half has passed of that until now, and we share the rent. I cannot afford to rent a house on my own, because my salary is very low, and I cannot afford to pay for rent, food and drinks, clothing, and so on. Please advise me and may Allah reward you with the best!

A: If the situation is as you mentioned, and your housemates neglect Salah and commit other acts of Munkar (that which is unacceptable or disapproved of by Islamic law and Muslims of sound intellect), and they have not accepted your advice, and you cannot afford to rent a house on your own, you should report them to the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) in your area. If they follow the right path, all praise be to Allah, if not, you should dissociate yourself from them, in a separate room of the house if possible, until the end of the year. If this is not possible, try to find other people to stay with away from evil and evil people and to avoid Fitnah (temptation), as evil can spread to a person without their noticing it; and being afflicted in wealth is not as serious as being afflicted in religion and morals.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.