Search In Fatwa

Prayer gives a person comfort, tranquility and assurance

Question

I do not maintain my prayer and I am afflicted by grief and I feel that I am sick at heart. What should I do?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

Know that leaving the prayer is a great sin amounting to Kufr (disbelief), as mentioned in the Hadeeth: "Between a man and between Kufr is leaving the prayer." [Muslim]

The Companions of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not consider leaving any action to be Kufr except leaving the prayer.

We say to the questioner: Why do you not pray? Do you not fear Allah? Are you not afraid that you might die while you have abandoned the prayer? What will you tell Allah when He Asks you about the prayer?

Know then that the prayer is an obligation upon you as long as you are able to perform it, even if only by gesture, and these evil whispers and satanic feelings which divert you from the prayer will not benefit you in front of Allah. So seek assistance from Allah and perform what Allah Has Ordained upon you. In fact, in the prayer itself is the cure for what ails you. Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {And seek help through patience and prayer} [Quran 2:45] and: {Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.} [Quran 13:28]

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, when the time for prayer came, would say to Bilaal  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him: "O Bilaal! Establish the prayer! Comfort us with it!" [Abu Daawood; Al-Albaani: Saheeh]

Therefore, prayer comforts one's soul and is a source of tranquility and assurance, and the heart cannot find this anywhere else. We ask that Allah Gives you guidance.

The only obligation in this matter that is upon you, my questioning sister, is to hasten to repentance from not maintaining the prayer, so that death does not surprise you while you are abandoning it.

Allah Knows best.

Related Fatwa