Ok folks, this is a public service announcement:

I'm going to discuss an issue where the Hanbali madhab keeps getting mixed with Salafi fiqh. I suggest you buckle up.

People are asking if the fast of the person who does not pray (tarik al-salah) is valid,

And this question is linked back to the view that such a person is kafir.

Well, some salafis say that his fast is indeed not valid because he's a kafir.

This is NOT Hanbali Fiqh. This is a shadh opinion built on another shadh opinion.

In the Hanbali madhab, it is a condition before Takfir can be made for leaving off prayer that the offender must be called on by the ruler or his deputy to start praying. This condition is mentioned by both ibn Muflih and al-Mardawi and is unequivocally the madhab.

Since historically the state has never had the job (nor do i think it should) of spying on people to make sure they're praying, the debate is mostly hypothetical, but it should be clear that takfir of normal people who don't pray out of laziness is not on the table.

Consequently, their fasts are valid, although they are guilty of a grave sin for missing the prayers. As for whether they will be rewarded for their fasts, that is up to Allah.

I should add: personally, I ascribe to the view that leaving the salah out of laziness is not kufr at all, even with this condition. This is the view of ibn Qudama and a group of Hanbali jurists.

Related to this point is the issue of whether there is a hadd for tark al-salah, but I'll leave that for another time.