I watch a video on YouTube where the scholar is trying to say that if a person that is committing sin like drugs, adultery, pedophile, and so on but still pray is better than a person that doesn't commit any of this sin but don't pray.
My question is, does this saying correct or not and according to which reference
An individual who prays according to all of its conditions but commits major sins is worse than a person who does not pray but commits no major sins. This is because if a person commits a major sin, even though this is an extremely evil act, it alone does not take a person out of the religion. However, if a person stops praying, this is an act of kufr (disbelief), and takes a person out of Islam.
In an authentic hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
الْعَهْدُ الَّذِي بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمُ الصَّلاَةُ فَمَنْ تَرَكَهَا فَقَدْ كَفَرَ “The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is the Salah (prayer); so whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.”
Reference: Ibn Majah Book 5, Hadith 1132 https://sunnah.com/urn/1284270
In another hadith, narrated in Sahih Muslim, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: بَيْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَبَيْنَ الشِّرْكِ وَالْكُفْرِ تَرْكُ الصَّلاَةِ Between man and shirk (polytheism) and kufr is the abandonment of Salah (prayer). Reference: Sahih Muslim Book 1, Hadith 154 https://sunnah.com/muslim/1/154
This doesn’t, by any means, suggest major sins are something small. People will be punished severely because of them. However, leaving off the prayer is worse.
And Allah knows best.
