Chapter: One Who Says "I Will Not Pray"

• It was said to Ahmad: A man said, "I will not pray"? He seemed to hold the view that he should be asked to repent, and he said: "Between the servant and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer."

1059 - Ishaq narrated to us, saying: Baqiyyah ibn al-Walid narrated to us, from Ziyad ibn Abi Humayd, from Makhul - regarding one who says: "Prayer is from Allah, but I will not perform it; and Zakat is from Allah, but I will not pay it" - he said: "He is asked to repent; if he repents, [well and good], otherwise he is killed."

1060 - And I heard Ishaq say: "Ibn al-Mubarak and Waki' said - regarding the intentional abandonment of prayer -; one of them says: It is to intentionally neglect the Dhuhr prayer until the time of 'Asr, and the other said: It is to neglect the Dhuhr until Maghrib, and the Maghrib until Fajr."

1061 - Ahmad ibn al-Azhar ibn Mani' narrated to us, saying: Marwan ibn Muhammad narrated to us, saying: Abu Muslim al-Fazari narrated to us, saying: I heard al-Awza'i - when he was asked about a man who said: "I do not know that prayer is a truth, and I will not pray" -; he said: "He is threatened with the sword; if he prays, [well and good], otherwise he is killed."

1062 - He said: And I heard Sa'id ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz - when he was asked about him -; he said: "He is imprisoned and beaten until he prays."

1063 - Abu 'Abd Allah Ahmad ibn Nasr narrated to us, saying: 'Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Shaqiq narrated to us, saying: I heard Ibn al-Mubarak say: "If he says: 'I will not pray today'; he is a disbeliever."