Is it obligatory to prevent one's sister from touching food upon waking up and before washing her hands, if she does not follow the Prophetic Sunnah?
It is permissible to prevent someone who refuses to wash their hands after sleep from touching food, due to the harm involved. Effort must be made to convince the sister to adhere to purity (tahara) and prayer (salat), for prayer is not valid without purity. Prayer is the second pillar of Islam after the two testimonies of faith (Shahadatayn). One who abandons it, denying its obligation, is considered a disbeliever by consensus. Scholars differed regarding one who abandons it out of laziness. One who completely abandons prayer is a disbeliever. If the sister commits to prayer, she must make up for the prayers she missed to the best of her ability.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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