Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu Alikum

One of my cousin wears hizab but don't pray salat. She had performed hazz along with her parents. She is an intelligent and keep herself update with all kinds of currents affairs like politics, cinema, music, technology  and sports.

Is it ok for her if she does not pray salat but wear hizab.

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Answer:

Wears hijab but no prayers

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 59:

O Prophet, enjoin your wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons. It is expected that they will thus be recognized, and not molested. Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 24 Surah Nur verse 31:

(O Prophet) enjoin the believing woman to restrain their gaze and guard their modesty, and not to display their adornment except that which is displayed of itself, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to display their adornments except before their husbands, their fathers, …….and also forbid them to stamp their feet on the ground lest their hidden ornaments should be displayed.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 103:

Indeed the ‘Salaat’ (prayers) is a prescribed (and obligagtory) duty that should be performed by the believers at (their) appointed times.

In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the Glorious Quran, both the offering of one’s obligatory prayers and the appropriate adorning of the ‘hijaab’ when in the presence of non-mehram males, is absolutely obligatory on every adult, sane, believing woman who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day.

Your Question: Is it ok for her if she does not pray salat but wear hizab.

Although both the prescribed prayers and the ‘hijaab’ are amongst the obligatory duties in Islam, if one merely compares the difference in the degrees of importance between these two obligatory duties of the believing woman, it would be safe to say that the difference between them would be as much as the difference between the heavens and the earth!!!....so much so that the prayers are listed as one of the five pillars upon which the deen of Islam is built and the discarding of this important pillar of prayer is tantamount to the abomination of ‘kufr’ in the Sight of the Lord Most Majestic Who Created!

Jabir reports that the Prophet (saws) said, "Between a person and disbelief is discarding prayer."

Related by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas reported that the Prophet (saws) one day mentioned the prayer and said, "Whoever guards and observes his prayer, they (his prayers) will be a light and a proof and a savior for him on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever does not guard and obvserve them, they will not be a light or a proof or a savior for him. On the Day of Resurrection, he will be with Qarun, Fir'aun, Haman and Ubayy ibn Khalf."

Related by Ahmad, at-Tabarani and Ibn Hibban.

Respected brother in Islam, it is not that only one of the two, the ‘hijaab’ or the ‘salaah’ is deemed as obligatory…..but rather both are absolutely obligatory upon the believing women!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 74 Surah Mudhathir verses 41-44:

41 And (it will be asked) of the sinners:

42 "What led you into the Hell-Fire?"

43 They will reply: "We were not of those who offered the (prescribed obligatory) prayers;

44 Nor were we of those who fed the indigent;"

Thus if the question is ‘is it ok for her if she does not pray salat but wear hizab’ then the simple and straight forward answer, in light of the Guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah would be: IT IS ABSOLUTELY AND CATEGORICALLY ‘NOT OK’ FOR ONE WHO HAS PROFESSED BELIEF TO INTENTIONALLY MISS THE OFFERING OF THEIR OBLIGATORY PRAYERS!!

To intentionally leave or discard the offering of one’s obligatory prayers is tantamount to the abomination and unforgivable sin of ‘kufr’ (disbelief) in the Sight of the Lord Most Majestic, Most Supreme!

The example of a believing woman who scrupulously honors the ‘hijaab’ but discards the offering of her obligatory prayer is like a soldier who is foremost in wearing the ‘uniform’ of the army, but refuses to attend the obligatory training, or the academy, or the battles of the army!!! Would the authorities of the army allow such a person to be a part of their army only because the person wears the ‘uniform’ but refuses to fulfill its mandatory obligations???

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan