What is the ruling on someone who believes in the Oneness of God Almighty but is lazy in performing some duties?
A person’s faith is diminished, and similarly, whoever commits some sins, their faith decreases according to the Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah (People of the Sunnah and the Community); because they say that faith is speech, action, and belief, and it increases with obedience and decreases with sin. Examples of this include: not fasting during Ramadan without an excuse or missing some of it. This is a major sin that diminishes and weakens faith, and some scholars consider it an act of disbelief.
However, the correct view is that it does not constitute disbelief as long as the person acknowledges its obligation but missed some days out of negligence and laziness.
Similarly, if someone delays paying zakat beyond its due time out of negligence or fails to pay it, this is a sin and a weakness in faith, and some scholars consider it an act of disbelief.
Likewise, if someone cuts off ties of kinship or disobeys their parents, this is a deficiency and weakness in faith, and the same applies to other sins. As for abandoning prayer, it contradicts faith and necessitates apostasy, even if the person does not deny its obligation, according to the most correct opinion of the scholars. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is prayer, and its peak is jihad in the way of Allah.” And his saying (peace be upon him): “The covenant that is between us and them is prayer; whoever abandons it has committed disbelief,” and other hadiths that indicate this.
