What are the proofs of those who say that one who abandons prayer does not disbelieve thereby, and how do we reconcile them with the proofs of those who say that he does disbelieve?
Most jurists do not consider the one who abandons prayer to be an infidel. They interpret the transmitted reports that those who deem it as infidelity (kufr) used as evidence to refer to minor disbelief (kufr asghar) or to emphasize severity. Among those who held this view are Abu Hanifa, Malik, and Al-Shafi'i, and it is also the chosen opinion of Abu Abdullah ibn Battah. Their evidence is that the hadiths which suggest the infidelity of one who abandons prayer are for the purpose of severe warning and similitude to disbelievers, not literal infidelity, such as his (peace be upon him) saying: "Abusing a Muslim is Fusuq (disobedience), and fighting him is Kufr (disbelief)," and similar hadiths that are intended to emphasize the severity of the warning.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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