Does Denying The Obligation Of Namaz (salah) Make Someone Kafir?
Yes — according to the consensus (ijmāʿ) of scholars, denying the obligation of Salah (prayer) takes a person out of the fold of Islam, because it is a clear and established command from Allah ﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ. 📖 Evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah Allah ﷻ says: “Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.” (Surah An-Nisa, 4:103) And the Prophet ﷺ said: “The covenant that distinguishes between us and them (the disbelievers) is the prayer; whoever abandons it has disbelieved.” (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah) 💡 Important Distinction If a person denies that Salah is obligatory — claiming it is not required — this is kufr (disbelief) because it rejects something known by necessity in Islam. However, if a person believes Salah is obligatory but neglects it out of laziness or weakness, most scholars say they are still Muslim but committing a major sin, while some scholars view persistent neglect as disbelief. 🌿 In Summary Denying the obligation of Salah = disbelief (kufr). Neglecting it out of laziness = grave sin, but not necessarily kufr according to the majority. Muslims should repent, return to prayer, and seek Allah’s mercy — for Salah is the pillar of the religion and the first act to be accounted for on the Day of Judgment. “Between a person and disbelief is abandoning the prayer.” – (Sahih Muslim)