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Fatwa CenterHe never prays Fajr on time
Question
A person who prays four times in Masjid but never wakes up for Fajr and prays his Fajr prayer at Thuhr time daily. What is the Hukm on this kind of person and how can I advice him since he lives with me?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Allaah Says (which means): {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times}[Quran 4:103] i.e. they have to be performed in their fixed times. Whoever performs them after having passed the prescribed limited time without any acceptable Islamic reason he is negligent of the prayers.
Allaah Says about those who neglect their prayers, (which means): {But there came after them successors [i.e. later generations] who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil.}[Quran 19:59] Neglecting here means, delaying prayers from their prescribed fixed times, it is also said that it refer to giving up the prayers. Allaah Says (which means): {So woe to those who pray. Those who are heedless of their prayer}[Quran 107:4-5] This ruling implies delaying prayer from their prescribed fixed times without any Islamicly valid reason due to laziness.
Not waking up for the dawn prayer and delaying it without any Islamicly valid reason is a among the major great sins. Sleeping through this prayer perpetually is not a religiously valid excuse, rather it is one of the characteristic of hypocrites. The Prophet 
said: "There is no prayers more difficult for hypocrites (to perform) than the dawn and the night prayer. But had they known what is in them (the great reward of these prayers) they would have come to them (these two prayers) even crawling (if they cannot walk)." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Therefore, a Muslim has to fear Allaah and should perform the dawn prayer at it fixed time. He has to use all possible means that are helpful in this matter such as seeking Allaah's help at first, then going to bed early, using an alarm, etc. There is no harm in asking some one to wake him up for the prayer. If one uses such means probably, he will wake up for the prayer, Allaah Willing. If we suppose that after doing his best, one cannot wake up once or twice due to deep sleep, then he will be excused for the saying of the Prophet said: "There is no negligence in sleeping." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] As for delaying prayer habitually on the plea of sleep is nothing but laziness, which is not a valid excuse in Islam rather it is among the characteristics of hypocrites. So, one should keep away from that.
Finally, you have to exhort your friend, remind him of Allaah and give him the books and cassettes that highlight the importance of the prayers and the dangers of giving it up.
Allaah Knows best.
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