Abandoning Some Rites of Islam

11-11-2018 | IslamWeb

Question:

What does the Quran say about Muslims who don’t practise Islam in accordance with sharia? Are they apostates or hypocrites?

---

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, you should know that the Quran advocates the obligation of honoring the rites of Islam, and that honoring them is a sign of piety, as Allah Says (what means): {That [is so]. And whoever honors the symbols of Allah - indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.} [Quran 22:32]

Piety is obligatory on the creation. So, it is obligatory to honor the symbols of Allah.

As regards the ruling of carrying out these rites and performing them, then this differs according to the difference of the rite itself, as the rite could be obligatory and it could be desirable. The rites of Islam are not all of the same degree; rather, they differ. Some of them are obligatory and some are only desirable.

Some of the obligatory rites are among the pillars of Islam and some are not.

If a person abandons some of these rites, the ruling on him differs, whether he becomes a non-Muslim, or is just disobedient, or he just neglects what is desirable, depending on the rites that he had abandoned.

Abandoning the Athaan is not like abandoning the prayer; abandoning the sacrifice of ‘Eed is not like abandoning fasting; abandoning the Sunan (plural of Sunnah) of Fitrah (natural predisposition upon which Allah created mankind) is not like abandoning the Zakat.

There is nothing in the Quran that indicates in general that if someone abandons some of the rites of the religion, he becomes a Kafir, or a hypocrite.

Allah knows best.