Dought & clear, - The difference between a Jewish or Christian wife and a wife who does not pray.

I read a fatwa which you issued to a Muslim man whose Muslim wife does
not pray, and you told him that he had to divorce her. I know that it
is permissible for a Muslim man to have a Jewish or Christian wife,
and Jewish and Christian women do not pray. Is there some mistake?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is no mistake in the fatwa referred to. Rather the mistake comes
from the questioner wanting to regard as equal a woman who is
supposedly Muslim but does not pray and a woman who is Jewish or
Christian, on the basis that neither of them prays.
This regarding them as equal is not valid, because there is a
difference between them, which is that not praying is major kufr and
apostasy that puts a person beyond the pale of Islam. This has been
explained in many answers on this site, such as the answers to
questions no. 9400and 5208.
Based on this, the woman who does not pray is a kaafir and an apostate
from Islam.
The ruling on one who has apostatized from Islam is more severe than
the ruling on a Jew or Christian.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
The apostate is worse than a kaafir in many ways. End quote.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 2/193
Hence meat slaughtered by an apostate cannot be eaten, whereas meat
slaughtered by a Jew or Christian may be eaten. It is not permissible
for a Muslim to marry an apostate woman, and if his wife apostatizes,
the marriage contract becomes null and void, but it is permissible for
a Muslim to marry a Jewish or Christian woman.
The crux of the matter is the ruling that one who does not pray is a
kaafir. Those who are of this view forbade marriage to a woman who
does not pray, and said that it is obligatory to leave a woman if she
stops praying. This is the view of Imam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy
on him) and was stated in fatwas by a number of scholars, such as
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
(may Allaah have mercy on him) and Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may
Allaah preserve him). Our fatwa on this issue and similar issues is
based on their fatwas.
Similarly, if a woman does something that implies kufr, such as
vilifying Allaah, may He be exalted, or vilifying His Messenger(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and she persists in her kufr and
does not repent, then it is not permissible for her to remain the wife
of a Muslim. The same applies if a husband is ruled to be an apostate,
then he and his wife must be separated.
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear, - Ruling on sitting with one who does not pray and who denies that hijab is obligatory and mocks it, and mocks ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her).

What is the ruling on being in company with a person who does not pray
or fast, he also denies that hejab is obligatory and makes fun of it.
I heard him once making fun of A'esha may Allah be pleased with her.
What is the ruling especially if he was not one of my womb-related
relatives?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
These actions of the person you are asking about sitting with
constitute kufr and apostasy, and we are amazed that he claims to be a
Muslim when this is the case. Not praying is major kufr, as is proven
in the Qur'aan and Sunnah and by the consensus of the Sahaabah (may
Allaah be pleased with them).
With regard to women's hijab, if what is meant is covering the face
(niqaab), there is a difference of opinion among the scholars
concerning it. The more correct view is that it is obligatory for all
women and that it does not apply only to the wives of the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said:
With regard to niqaab, covering the face is obligatory, according to
the correct scholarly opinion, and this is what is supported by the
saheeh evidence, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies,
faces, necks and bosoms)"
[al-Noor 24:31].
And Allaah said concerning the wives of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):
"And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from
behind a screen, that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts"
[al-Ahzaab 33:53].
The fact that it is speaking of the wives of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) does not mean that the ruling should
not apply to other Muslim women, because the reason for that is
general, namely "that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts."
So the reason is general and applies both to the wives of the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and to other women.
Purity is required of all, because Allaah says in another verse
(interpretation of the meaning):
"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the
believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e.
screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the
way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free
respectable women) so as not to be annoyed"
[al-Ahzaab 33:59].
End quote fromFataawa al-Shaykh al-Fawzaan(4/242, 243; question no. 250).
For more information please see the answer to question no. 11774.
But if what is meant by hijab is covering the head, then there is no
difference of opinion among the scholars concerning the fact that it
is obligatory. His rejection of both types, and his making fun of
them, is apostasy from Islam, because even though covering the face is
not obligatory according to some scholars, they are unanimously agreed
that it is prescribed in Islam and that it is part of the religion of
Allaah, so denying it and making fun of it is kufr which puts one
beyond the pale of Islam.
There is no excuse at all for this heretic to make fun of the Mother
of the Believers 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), rather it
is indicative of what is in his heart of hypocrisy and heresy, which
shows itself in this slip of the tongue. 'Aa'ishah is the Mother of
the Believers and the wife of the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), whose innocence was declared by Allaah in verses
that will be recited until the Day of Resurrection. The one who makes
fun of her is in fact making fun of her husband, who is the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the one who
denies that she is the Mother of the believers is putting himself
outside of their circle, but he does not harm her at all.
Secondly:
If this is the case with this relative, then he should be told that he
is doing something which implies that he is an apostate, and that he
must repent and come back to his religion. If he meets his Lord in
this state, he will not be meeting Him as a Muslim.
What you must do - after advising him - is shun his company and beware
of him, unless the one who wants to sit with him has a sufficient
level of knowledge to repel his kufr. His companions should beware of
his evil, and upholding ties of kinship with him is not obligatory,
rather it is not permissible to initiate the greeting of salaam with
him.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And when they hear Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk), they
withdraw from it and say: 'To us our deeds, and to you your deeds.
Peace be to you. We seek not (the way of) the ignorant'"
[al-Qasas 28:55].
Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Sa'di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"And when they hear Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk)" from an
ignorant person who addresses it to them, "they say" - the words of
the slaves of the Most Merciful who have understanding - "To us our
deeds, and to you your deeds" i.e., each will be requited for his
deeds that he did by himself, and he will not bear anything of the
burden of another. This implies that they are innocent of what the
ignorant do of laghw (vain talk), falsehood and idle talk.
"Peace be to you" i.e., you will not hear anything from us but good,
and we will not address you as your ignorance deserves. Even if you
allow yourselves to indulge in this rotten talk, we declare ourselves
to be above it and we protect ourselves from indulging in it. "We seek
not (the way of) the ignorant'" in any sense.
Tafseer al-Sa'di(p. 620).
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:
Is it permissible for me to sit with one who does not pray?
They replied:
The one who does not pray deliberately and denies that it is
obligatory is a kaafir, according to scholarly consensus. If he does
not pray because he is heedless and lazy, then he is a kaafir,
according to the correct scholarly opinion. Based on that, it is not
permissible to sit with these people, rather they should be shunned
and cut off, after explaining to them that not praying is kufr, if
they are the type of people who may be unaware of the ruling. It is
narrated in a saheeh report from the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he said: "The covenant that
stands between us and them is prayer; whoever does not pray is a
kaafir." And it is narrated in another saheeh report that he(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Between a man and kufr and
shirk there stands his giving up prayer." Narrated by Muslim in
hisSaheeh. This includes both the one who denies that it is obligatory
and the one who does not do it out of laziness.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi, Shaykh
'Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah(12/374, 375)
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:
Is it permissible to say salaam to one who does not pray?
They replied:
The one who does not pray because he denies it is obligatory is a
kaafir according to scholarly consensus, and the one who does not pray
out of laziness, but does not deny that it is obligatory is a kaafir,
according to the correct scholarly view. So it is not permissible to
say salaams to him, or to return his salaam if he greets you with
salaam, because he is regarded as an apostate from Islam.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi, Shaykh
'Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh 'Abd-Allaah ibn Qa'ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah(24/141, 142)
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
The one who makes fun of the religion of Islam or the Sunnah that is
proven from the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), such as letting the beard grow, shortening the clothes to
above the ankles or halfway up the calves, when he knows that this is
proven, is a kaafir. The one who mocks the Muslim and makes fun of him
because of his adhering to Islam, is a kaafir, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: 'Was it at Allaah (عز و جل(, and His Ayaat )proofs, evidences,
verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.( and His Messenger )صلى الله
عليه وسلم( that you were mocking?'
66. Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed"
[al-Tawbah 9:65-66]
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi, Shaykh
'Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh 'Abd-Allaah ibn Qa'ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah(2/43-44).
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
What you must do is shun the one who does not pray, and cut off ties
with him, and do not accept his invitation, until he repents to Allaah
from that; but you should also advise him and call him to the truth,
and warn him of the consequences of not praying in this world and in
the Hereafter, in the hope that he may repent and Allaah may accept
his repentance.
Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz(10/266)
Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) was asked:
Is it permissible for me to sit and eat and drink with someone who
does not pray and persists in not praying?
He replied:
It is not permissible for you to sit with him and eat and drink with
him, unless you are advising him and rebuking him, and you hope that
Allaah may guide him at your hands. If you are sitting with him, then
this is what you must do with him, because this comes under the
heading of denouncing evil and calling people to Allaah, and perhaps
Allaah may guide him at your hands.
But if you are sitting with him and eating and drinking with him
without denouncing him, and he is persisting in not praying, or is
persisting in some major sin, then it is not permissible for you to
mix with him. Allaah cursed the Children of Israel for something
similar to this. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the
tongue of Dawood (David) and 'Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). That
was because they disobeyed (Allaah and the Messengers) and were ever
transgressing beyond bounds.
79. They used not to forbid one another from Al-Munkar (wrong,
evildoing, sins, polytheism, disbelief) which they committed"
[al-Maa'idah 5:78-79].
In the commentary on this verse it is narrated that one of them would
see another committing sin and tell him not to do that, then he would
meet him the next day and he would still be persisting in sin, and he
would not tell him not to do that and he would mix with him, and would
eat and drink with him and sit with him. When Allaah saw that they did
that, He set them against one another, and cursed them on the lips of
their Prophets.
And the Prophet of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
warned us against doing such things, lest there befall us the
punishment that befell them.
And Allaah knows best.

Prejudice and Islam, Muslims and Racism, Asabiyyah is a Disease of the Soul

So you think you are superior to others because you belong to a
different ethnic group, or you speak a different language, or you are
from a different country or you belong to a specific family, group,
clan or race.
And you will support others on the basis of their language, ethnicity,
relationship, origin.even though they do injustice, commit crimes, in
the name of tribalism, racism, nationalism or any other ism, other
than their moral superiority, good qualities or for justice.
And you will not help or support other human beings because they do
not belong to 'your' group, country, clan, race, family. Even though
they are oppressed, denied their rights, they deserve to be supported,
they are on truth.
Are you aware that this type of fanatic behavior is known as Asabiyyah
or Prejudice?
Do you know what Islam says about Asabiyyah or Prejudice?
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "Whosoever possesses in his heart
Asabiyyah even to the extent of a mustard seed, God will raise him on
the Day of Resurrection with the (pagan) Bedouins of the Jahiliyyah
(the pre-Islamic era)."
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said: "Whosoever practices Asabiyyah (against
someone), Allah (SWT) shall wrap around him a fold of Fire."
Imam Ali (as) said: "Almighty Allah (SWT) will punish six groups of
people for six kinds of sins: .He will punish the Arabs for
Asabiyyah..."
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "One who calls towards Asabiyyah is
not from us, one who fights for Asabiyyah is not from us and the one
who dies on Asabiyyah is not from us."
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "Best among you is the person who
defends his tribe till they do not commit a sin."
Imam Ali (as) said: "If it becomes unavoidable for you to be among
those who practice Asabiyyah, then do Asabiyyah to uphold the truth
and support of the oppressed."
Imam Ali (as) said: "The one whose deeds lower him, his family
background or ancestry cannot elevate him."
Thus, remember that the superiority is only on the basis of pure
intentions and sincere and lofty deeds. Asabiyyah is a dangerous
condition for an individual and the society. It is an evil trait,
inspired by satanic forces. One must ponder seriously about its
consequences in this world and hereafter.
A true believer annihilates his own will in the Will of his Lord. He
is free from all traces of ignorant Asabiyyah's and thick and dark
curtains of blind Asabiyyah's would not obstruct his vision.
When called to deliver justice and utter the word of truth, he puts a
firm foot on the head of all associations and ties, sacrificing all
ties of kinship and customary affinities at the altar of the aims and
orders of his Lord. He supports truth and justice under all
circumstances.
So if you love or hate someone, or support or are against a group of
individuals or a nation, think wisely for a while, what has motivated
you for it. If it is other than promoting truth and justice or help of
oppressed or preventing aggression and tyranny, than give up your
support of the people you are associated with. It will be certainly
difficult for you to take a bold step and give up love, friendship,
and affinity of your relatives, friends and colleagues. But your
decision to give up blind Asabiyyah will not only save you from the
fire of hell, but also motivate others to do the same.

Hatred in Islam, Diseases of the Soul, Islam and Hate, Human Vices, Hatred (Nafrat)

In the time of a caliph, a rich man bought a slave whom he treated,
from the beginning, like a gentleman, giving him the best of food and
clothes, and money exactly like his own child or even more lavishly.
But the slave noticed that his master always felt uneasy.
Eventually the rich man made up his mind to set him free and provide
him with some capital. One night as they were sitting together, the
master said: "Do you know why I have treated you so well?" The slave
asked the reason. The master said: "I have one request to make which
if you fulfill, you would enjoy all I have given and will give you!
But if you refuse, I will be discontented with you." The slave said:
"I will obey whatever you ask. You are my benefactor who has given me
my life." The master said: "You must promise me in good faith to do
it, for I am afraid you may refuse it."
The slave said: "I promise to do what you want." The master said: "My
proposal is that you must behead me at a specific time and place." The
slave exclaimed: "What? How can I do that?" The master said: "That is
what I desire." The slave said: "That is impossible." The master said:
"I have got your promise. You must do it."
One midnight, he awakened the slave and gave him a sharp knife and a
bag full of money and climbed up a neighbor's roof, and told the slave
to behead him there and then go wherever he liked. The slave asked the
reason for such an act. The rich man answered: "I hate this one man
and prefer death to seeing his face. We have been rivals but he, my
neighbor has gone ahead of me and excels me in everything, and I am
burning with hatred. I desire my neighbor to be jailed for this fake
murder and this idea is a relief to me. Everyone knows him to be my
rival, and so my neighbor will be condemned to death for this act."
The slave said: You seem to be a foolish man and deserve this death."
So he beheaded the rich man and ran away, His rival neighbor was
consequently arrested and imprisoned, but no one believed that he
would have killed his rival on his own roof. It had become a mystery.
At last, the slave felt a prick of conscience, went to the authorities
and confessed the truth. When they understood the matter, they freed
both the slave and the neighbor.
This is a fact that Hate is a disease of the soul. The Noble Qur'an
says in Chapter "The Sun" (Shams 91:9-10). "He will indeed be
successful who purifies it, and he will indeed fail who corrupts it."
Thus, the first proposal of the Noble Qur'an is purification of the
self from ailments, complexes, ignorance, deviations and
metamorphoses.
You could have heard that in the past there were people who, because
of excess of sins, were cursed by the Prophets of their time and were
thus metamorphosed, that is, they were transformed into animals such
as a monkey, a wolf, a bear etc.
Someone said: "We had made a pilgrimage to Makkah along with Imam
Sajjad (as)and when we looked down at the Desert of Arafat it was full
of Hajis (pilgrims). There were so many of them that year. The Imam
Sajjad said: "There is much uproar, but few are true Hajis
(pilgrims)." The man says: "I don't know how Imam Sajjad gave me the
insight, but when Imam Sajjad asked me to look down again, I saw a
desert full of animals, like that in a zoo, among whom a few human
beings were moving about." The Imam Sajjad told him how things looked
to those who had a clear sight and were concerned with the inward
concept of things.