The apostate is not to be put to death immediately after he falls into apostasy, especially if has doubts. Rather he should be asked to repent and be offered the opportunity to return to Islam and resolve his doubts, if any. If he persists in his apostasy after that, he is to be put to death.

The meaning of the phrase that says the calamity of one who does not pray is greater than the calamity that befell Iblis is not correct for several reasons which are detailed below.

Conclusion: The view that the one who does not pray is a disbeliever does not imply that a specific individual is to be deemed an apostate with consequences such as annulling his marriage, depriving him of inheritance, not burying him in the Muslim graveyard, and so on. Such measures cannot be taken until after the shar‘i judge (qadi) has ruled that he is an apostate. Before that, he is to be treated as one who is outwardly Muslim.

Conclusion: Omitting prayer is one of the gravest of major sins that could bring about a person’s doom. Whoever omits a single prayer deliberately has exposed himself to the wrath, disgrace and punishment of Allah. No one knows how long any of the sinners among those who affirm the oneness of Allah will abide in hell, but they will vary in that regard.