pray.
Scholars who maintain that such a person is an unbeliever cite in support of their view the second hadith mentioned in this chapter and draw an analogy with the declaration of God’s oneness. Scholars who say that he does not incur the death penalty give an argument based on the hadith that states three situations in which a Muslim is punished by death, but the hadith does not include any mention of prayer. The majority of scholars who say that such a person is not an unbeliever cite in evidence the Qur’anic verse that says: ‘For a certainty, God does not forgive that partners are associated with Him. He forgives any lesser sin to whomever He wills’. (4: 48 and 116) They also cite the following hadiths: ‘Whoever says, “There is no deity other than God,” will be in Heaven’; ‘Whoever dies knowing that there is no deity other than God will enter Heaven’; ‘No human being who meets God [on the Day of Judgement] declaring them,i and entertains no doubt about them, will be debarred entry into Heaven’; ‘God has forbidden the Fire [to burn] anyone who says: There is no deity other than God.’
Scholars who say that such a person incurs the death penalty support their argument with the verse that says: ‘Yet if they should repent, take to prayer and pay the zakat, let them go their way’. (9: 5) They also cite the hadith: ‘I have been commanded to fight people until they say, “there is no deity other than God”, attend regularly to prayers and pay zakat. If they do this, they protect themselves and their property from me’. They mention the hadith that says: ‘What separates a person from being an unbeliever is the neglect of prayer’, and they interpret this as meaning that when a person neglects prayer, he incurs the punishment of disbelief, which is death. Alternatively, this hadith applies to one who believes that to neglect prayer is lawful. It is also suggested that it may lead him to disbelief, or that it means that such negligence is done by unbelievers, but God knows best.
In the first hadith, Satan is quoted as saying ‘woe to him’, meaning himself. Of course, Satan would have said, ‘Woe to me’, as it is clear from Abu Kurayb’s version. Use of the third person pronoun is a form of speech by which the narrator removes from himself the negative part of the quoted speech: this is considered refined speech.
In the second hadith the Prophet says: ‘What separates a person from disbelief and associating partners with God is the negligence of prayer’. This is how it is stated in all copies of Sahih Muslim, using ‘and’ between disbelief and associating partners with God. However, in the works of Abu [Awanah al-Isfarayini and Abu Nu[aym al-Asbahani on Sahih Muslim, ‘and’ is replaced by ‘or’. Each version is valid and acceptable. What the hadith means is that what stops a person from being an unbeliever is that he continues to pray. When he neglects his prayer, there is nothing to prevent him from disbelief. Indeed, he is already there. Moreover, disbelief and associating partners with God may be used as synonyms describing disbelief in God. Alternatively, they may be used discriminatingly with the second applying only to those who worship idols or other creatures, while acknowledging God, the Exalted, as the Arab unbelievers used to do. This means that disbelief has a wider sense than associating partners with God, but God knows best.
Scholars of the Hanafi School cite the wording of the first hadith, ‘Man is commanded to prostrate himself’, as evidence supporting their view that prostrating oneself when reciting certain verses speaking of it is obligatory. The view of Malik and al-Shafi[i, as well as other scholars, is that it is recommended, i.e. Sunnah. They answer the Hanafis’ argument in various ways, the first of which is that ‘the use of the word “command” is by Satan, and as such it provides no evidence’. If they say that the Prophet quoted it without rejecting it, we answer by saying that he also quoted some speeches of believers without rejecting them at the time he quoted them although they are invalid. The second argument is that the order is one of recommendation, not obligation. The third is that it relates to taking part in the prostration, not to make it obligatory on everyone, but God knows best.
Transmission
The chain of transmission of this hadith includes Abu Ghassan, whose name is Malik ibn [Abd al-Wahid, and also Abu Sufyan from Jabir. We have already mentioned that Abu Sufyan’s name is Talhah ibn Nafi[. Abu al-Zubayr’s name is Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Tadrus. All these have been referred to earlier.
i.Related by Ibn Majah, 1052.
i.Related by al-Tirmidhi, 2618.
ii.Related by al-Nasa’i, 463.
iii.Iblis is Satan’s name.
i.That is, declaring the two parts of the declaration of faith: I bear witness that there is no deity other than God and I bear witness that Muhammad is God’s Messenger.
CHAPTER 37
BELIEF IN GOD IS THE BEST OF ALL ACTIONS
[139–135]. (Dar al-Salam 0148) Mansur ibn Abi Muzahim nar-rated:i Ibrahim ibn Sa[d narrated [H]. Also, Muhammad ibn Ja[far ibn Ziyad narrated to me; Ibrahim (meaning Ibn Sa[d) reported; from Ibn Shihab; from Sa[id ibn al-Musayyib; from Abu Hurayrah: ‘God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was asked: “Which action is best?” He said: “Belief in God”. He was asked: “Then which?” He said: “Jihad [i.e. striving] for God’s cause”. [Again] he was asked: “Then which?” He said: “A pilgrimage with complete devotion”. In Muhammad ibn Ja[far’s version, the Prophet said: “Belief in God and His Messenger”.’
This hadith was also narrated to me by Muhammad ibn Rafi[ and [Abd ibn Humayd;ii from [Abd al-Razzaq: Ma[mar reported; from al-Zuhri, with the same chain of transmission: the same.
وَحَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورُ بْنُ أَبِي مُزَاحِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، ح. وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ - يَعْنِي ابْنَ سَعْدٍ - عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْـمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَىُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ: «إِيمَانٌ بِاللهِ». قَالَ: ثُمَّ مَاذَا؟ قَالَ: «الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ». قَالَ: ثُمَّ مَاذَا؟ قَالَ: «حَجٌّ مَبْرُورٌ». وَفِي رِوَايَةِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: «إِيمَانٌ بِاللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ». وَحَدَّثَنِيهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ، وَعَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ مِثْلَهُ.
[140–136]. (Dar al-Salam 0149) Abu al-Rabi[ al-Zahrani narrated:i Hammad ibn Zayd narrated; Hisham ibn [Urwah narrated [H]. Also, Khalaf ibn Hisham narrated (his text): Hammad ibn Zayd narrated; from Hisham ibn [Urwah; from his father; from Abu Murawih al-Laythi; from Abu Dharr: ‘I said: Messenger of God, which actions are best? He said: “Belief in God and jihad [i.e. striving] for His cause”. I said: Which slaves are best [to free]? He said: “The most precious to their masters and the highest in price”. I said: But if I do not do that? He said: “Then help someone or do something for a helpless person”. I said: Messenger of God, what if I cannot do certain things? He said: “Then do not cause
