Husband does not pray
Fatwa No: 87572

Question

I hereby write in request for an answer to a question that has been crossing my mind lately and I need some guidance for this is a serious matter and I need help.
3 years ago, I got married to my cousin whom I fell in love with and still do al-Hamdu Lillah, and one of the reasons that made me agree to bind with him through marriage was his good religious practices. Later, I started to doubt that he prays because I hardly see him doing so and at some incident, I watched him all night and he didn’t pray Maghrib nor Isha and while he was going to sleep, I confronted him with it and he admitted that he didn’t pray so he got up and prayed. I don’t know if this incident or something else had made him really sensitive towards me to the extent that he does not want me at all to ask him about his prayers or anything to do with his religion-oriented matters. My doubts are killing me and I cannot talk to him about it as I explained. I really do not know what to do or what is the right way to deal with this situation so if you can help me or guide me then may Allah keep it in your Meezan of Hasanat.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

 

Neglecting Salah is a great sin; we seek refuge in Allah from that.  If the wife is sure that her husband is neglecting Salah, then it is not permissible for her to keep quiet even if her husband forbids her to talk about it.

She must enjoin him to do good and forbid him from committing evil, but this should be with good manners and kindness and soft words.  It is also possible for her to give him some booklets and tapes as presents, which talk about the danger of neglecting Salah and what Allah has prepared as punishment for those who neglect Salah. 

This woman has to turn to Allah and ask Him to guide her husband to the straight path and render him righteous.  The husband can also become righteous by approaching someone who could advice him and who can influence him, whether from his family or else.

We ask Allah to make your husband righteous, and to straighten the affairs amongst yourselves, and to make things easy for you and to choose for us and for you whatever is better for us.

 

Allah knows best.

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