Short answer
In the Hanafi school the nikah is valid, because a Muslim who neglects prayer but believes it is obligatory is a sinner, not a disbeliever. But it is not wise to choose such a spouse, since the sunnah is to marry for religion, and a practising family may object on grounds of suitability. The Hanbali school holds that someone who abandons prayer completely is not a Muslim.
Leaving prayer while believing it is fard is a major sin (fisq), not kufr, so the nikah is valid. Piety (diyanah) is part of kafa'ah, so if a woman from a practising family marries an openly sinful man without her wali's consent, the wali has grounds to object.
Other madhhabs
- Hanbali
- Someone who abandons prayer completely, even out of laziness, is a disbeliever in the relied-upon view, so a Muslim may not marry them until they repent and pray.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said that between a person and disbelief is abandoning the prayer. The Hanafis, with the Shafi'is and Malikis, read this as a severe warning about someone who still believes prayer is obligatory, while the Hanbali school reads it literally. Either way, the hadith shows how central prayer is, and why it should weigh heavily when choosing a spouse.
The sunnah is to win the one with religion. A spouse who does not pray will find it hard to lead the family in the deen, to teach children to pray, or to support you in your own worship. Allah tells believers to protect themselves and their families from the Fire (66:6), and marriage is where that work happens day by day.
Before marriage:
- Ask directly. See questions to ask.
- Do not marry on the hope that you will change them. Some people change; many do not.
- If they are sincerely starting to pray, that is a good sign. Look for steady practice, not promises.
- Pray istikhara and consult people who know them.
If you are already married to someone who does not pray, the nikah stands in the Hanafi school. Encourage them gently, pray in front of them, invite them to pray with you, and make dua. Harshness tends to push people away. The same applies whether it is the husband or the wife.
The evidence
Quran, Surah At-Tahrim 66:6
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًۭا وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَٰٓئِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌۭ شِدَادٌۭ لَّا يَعْصُونَ ٱللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ ﴿٦﴾
O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.
A spouse shares the duty of guiding the family.
Sahih Muslim 82
Sahih... إن بين الرجل وبين الشرك والكفر ترك الصلاة ...
"Between a man and shirk and disbelief is abandoning the prayer."
Prayer is central to a person's faith.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5090
Sahih... فاظفر بذات الدين تربت يداك ...
"So win the one with religion, may your hands be covered in dust."
Religion comes first in choosing a spouse.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Nikah, Bab al-Kafa'ah. Piety is part of kafa'ah, and a sinful man is not the equal of a righteous woman from a righteous family.
- Kashshaf al-Qina' (al-Buhuti), Kitab al-Salah, on the ruling of one who abandons prayer. The Hanbali position that abandoning prayer is kufr.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.