QUESTION ON INTERNATE

[bamalli]

Some of the Muslims go onto the internet every day for many hours, talking
to their friends in chatrooms. As a result of this, some of them delay the
prayer, and some (of the men) have stopped going to the masjid for prayer in
congregation. What is your advice to them?

*ANSWER* by Shaykh Muhammad 'Umar Baazmool, instructor at Umm Al-Quraa
University in Makkah

Allaah, the Glorified and Exalted, has said about the prayer [1]:

*( Verily the prayer has been prescribed upon the believers at set times )*

So the Muslim must offer his prayers within the times that the
*Sharee'ah*has defined. In a hadeeth of the Messenger (
*sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam*), when he taught a man the earliest time for
the prayers to be offered one day, and then taught him the latest times they
could be offered the next day, he said:

*"The prayer is *(to be offered)* between these two *(times)*."* * *[2]

So the one who does not offer his prayer in the proper time, then he has
fallen into something *haraam*, one of the major sins. And if he has delayed
the prayer beyond its time totally with no legitimate excuse, then he is to
be included in those who the Messenger (*sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam*)
referred to when he said:

*"...Whoever has abandoned the prayer, then verily he has disbelieved. "* [3]

This is due to his abandoning of the prayer on purpose with no legitimate
excuse, this is considered abandoning the prayer. The Messenger (*sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam*) said:

*"The covenant that exists between us and them is the prayer, so whoever has
abandoned the prayer then he verily has disbelieved. " *[3]

From the different ways that are considered abandoning the prayer is
delaying it until its time is over with no legitimate excuse. Being busy
talking to the people about things that are not emergencies is not a
legitimate excuse.

The Muslim has to be one who guards over his time carefully. He must use the
days of his life to benefit him. He must not let his time pass by except in
a beneficial way. The Messenger (*sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam*) said:

*"There are two blessings that many people do not take advantage of: good
health and free time."* [4]

So then free time is a blessing. If you do not use it for what will benefit
you in the Next Life, then you have misused this blessing since you caused
your chance to benefit from it to be lost. In another hadeeth:

*"The two feet of a servant will not move from their places until he is
asked about four things: about his youth and how he spent it; and about his
lifespan and what he did with it; and about what how well he acted upon his
knowledge; and about his earnings - where he got it from and what he spent
it on."* [5]

So he will be asked about his lifespan. And it has also been said: *"Take
benefit from five before five: your free time before you become busy; your
life before your death; your good health before you become sick..."*

And there are many other statements from the early Muslims that are
encouragements for the Muslim to keep close watch over his time and not
waste it.

So then if this is what is said about wasting time alone, then what about
someone who wastes time and neglects Islaamic obligations? ! He occupies
himself talking on the internet in chatrooms, and then misses the times for
the prayers, not praying them in their proper times. He ignores the prayer
in congregation totally, or maybe neglects it occasionally. This person is a
sinner, and he has fallen into one of the major sins, since the
Messenger (*sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam*) said:

*"Whoever abandons the prayer, then he verily has disbelieved. "* [3]

And without a doubt, he is included in this hadeeth. The *kufr* (disbelief)
being referred to in this hadeeth is of two types. If a Muslim agrees that
prayer is obligatory on him, but he acts lazily in the way described here,
then his *kufr* is the lesser form of *kufr*. The word *kufr* here means a
great act of disobedience, as no sin is referred to as *kufr*, except that
it is from the major sins.

So my advice to this brother and those like him is that they must fear
Allaah with regards to their time and their lives, and that they must spend
their time beneficially in obedience to Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic.
They must not neglect their obligations, as they are going to be accountable
for all of that on the Day of Judgement, and Allaah knows best.

*FOOTNOTES*

[1] the meaning of *Soorah An-Nisaa'* (4):103

[2] see *Saheeh Muslim* #1390-1393 (3/115-118 of *Sharh An-Nawawee*)

[3] *Saheeh Sunan At-Tirmithee* #2621(3/44)

[4] *Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree* #6412 (11/267 of *Fat-hul-Baaree* )

[5] see *Saheeh Sunan At-Tirmithee* #2416 and #2417 (2/572) and *
Silsilatul-Ahaadeet his-Saheehah* #946.

[Muhsin]

Nice peice bamalli. Keep it up.