Does Intending to Neglect an Obligation After Accepting Islam Invalidate the Shahada?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Can someone become Muslim if they intend to neglect an obligation after accepting Islam, or does this invalidate their Shahada?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Allah (Most High) says:

“Whoever Allah wills to guide—He opens their heart to Islam.” [Quran, 6:125]

Becoming a Muslim requires belief in the core tenets of Islam and uttering the Testimony of Faith (Shahada) with conviction. If someone sincerely believes in Islam and declares the Shahada, they enter the fold of Islam, even if they struggle with certain obligations.

However, if a person accepts Islam while simultaneously rejecting the obligation of a fundamental practice—like prayer—despite knowing it is obligatory, this would contradict the essence of belief. Struggling with an obligation or fearing one’s inability to fulfil it does not invalidate the Shahada; what matters is the acknowledgement of its obligatory nature.

The path of faith includes growth and effort. As the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,

“The one who repents from sin is like one who has not sinned.” [Ibn Maja]

May Allah (Most High) make it easy for all who seek His guidance.

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.