a disbeliever except in the sense that he was a Muslim, and his Islam was through his acknowledgment of Islam; similarly, his apostasy is only through his denial of Islam. I said: This is sound jurisprudence and solid discourse that cannot be refuted, and it aligns perfectly with the previous statement of Imām Aḥmad (may Allāh have mercy on him), indicating that one does not become a disbeliever merely by abandoning [prayer]; rather, by refusing to pray after being called to it. What further confirms my interpretation of Imām Aḥmad's statement is what is mentioned in the book "al-Inṣāf fī Maʿrifat al-Rājiḥ min al-Khilāf ʿalá Madhhab al-Imām al-Mubajjal Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal" by Shaykh ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn al-Mardāwī; he said (1/402) - as an explainer of Aḥmad's previous statement: "Call him three times" -: "The one who calls him is the imām or his deputy, so if he leaves many prayers before being called, he is not to be killed, nor is he considered a disbeliever according to the correct view of the madhhab, and this is the opinion of the majority of the companions, and many of them have decisively stated this." Among those who chose this view is Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, as mentioned by Shaykh Abū al-Faraj ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Qudāmah al-Maqdisī in his book "al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr ʿalá al-Muqniʿ" by Imām Muwaffaq al-Dīn al-Maqdisī (1/385), and he added that he rejected the statement of those who claimed his disbelief. Abū al-Faraj said: "This is the view of most jurists; among them: Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, and al-Shāfiʿī..." Then he supported this with numerous ḥadīths, most of which are found with Ibn al-Qayyim, including the ḥadīth of ʿUbādah mentioned previously in the words of Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah, and he said afterwards: "If he were a disbeliever, he would not be included in the divine will." I said: This is further confirmed by the ḥadīth of the translation and the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah, providing confirmation that leaves no doubt or ambiguity for anyone, so do not forget. Then Abū al-Faraj said: