Making the Abandonment of Prayer a Condition for Giving Up the Ta‘ziya Custom

Question

Zayd performs the prayer and also practises the ta‘ziya custom (processions with replicas of Imam Husayn’s tomb in Muharram). When he is told, “Give up the ta‘ziya custom,” he lays down the condition: “I shall give up the ta‘ziya custom only when I give up the prayer as well.” Bakr, in order to extricate him from this condition, said: “Fine, give up the ta‘ziya custom and give up the prayer.” Was Bakr right to say this?

Answer

The prayer is an ordinance (farida) of the Pure God, the performance of which is obligatory (fard) upon every Muslim, whereas the ta‘ziya as currently practised is obedience to Satan. To lay down, as a condition for desisting from obedience to Satan, that one will abandon God’s ordinance as well is wrong; no one has any right to do so.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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