Q: What is the ruling on a person who does not offer one of the Daily Obligatory Five Salahs (Prayers), such as Fajr (Dawn), out of laziness and negligence while believing it to be obligatory?Is such a person rewarded for the four Salahs he offers and will he be punished for only the one Salah he abandons? Is he rewarded for other good deeds he does, such as dutifulness to parents, maintaining kinship ties, and the like?

A: It is obligatory to be punctual in performing all the Five Obligatory Daily Salahs. Allah (Exalted be He) said: Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawât (the prayers) especially the middle Salât (i.e. the best prayer – ‘Asr). Allah (Exalted be He) also said: And those who strictly guard their (five compulsory congregational) Salawât (prayers) (at their fixed stated hours). Actually, abandoning one Salah is equal to abandoning all Salahs, and thus all the other Salahs will not be accepted. Likewise, no other good deed will be accepted from him unless he becomes punctual in performing all Salahs even if he believes Salah to be obligatory. In fact, merely believing Salah to be obligatory may not replace performing it. Moreover, by intentionally abandoning Salah, a person is judged to have committed major Kufr (disbelief), (Part No. 5; Page No. 42) even if they admit it being obligatory, according to the more correct of the two opinions maintained by scholars. In this regard, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: What makes one a disbeliever and a polytheist is abandoning Salah. (Related by Muslim in his Sahih) The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: That which differentiates us from the disbelievers and hypocrites is our performance of Salat. He who abandons it, becomes a disbeliever. (Related by Imam Ahmad and the four authors of Hadith compilations classified by jurisprudential themes through a trustworthy Isnad [chain of narrators])May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.