Ruling
      on one who reads Qur’aan but does not pray
Question

                I
      used to read Qur’aan every day but I did not pray. I heard some people
      say that it is haraam for a person who does not pray to read Qur’aan, so
      I stopped reading Qur’aan. Is this right? Please advise us, may Allaah
      reward you with good.
Praise be to Allah.Prayer
      is the greatest pillar of Islam after the Shahaadatayn. The Messenger of
      Allaah 
 (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between a
      person and kufr and shirk stands the abandonment of prayer.” (Narrated
      by al-Tirmidhi, 2766. Classed as saheeh by Ibn Maajah, 1078,and by al-Albaani).
      
 Salaah
      is so called because it is a connection (silah) between a person and his
      Lord. Whoever does not pray, his zakaah, fasting, Hajj, jihaad, enjoining
      of what is good, forbidding of what is evil, reading of Qur’aan and
      upholding of family ties will not be accepted. Indeed, all his good deeds
      will be rejected if he does not pray.
      
 The
      scholars, including Imaam Ahmad, said that whoever does not pray should be
      executed as a kaafir, and his body should not be washed or shrouded, the
      funeral prayer should not be offered over him, he should not be buried in
      the Muslims’ graveyard and his Muslim heirs cannot inherit from him.
      
 It
      is not permissible for you to abandon prayer, because you never know when
      death will catch you unawares.
      
 The
      Messenger of Allaah 
 (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said
      at the end of his life, during his final sickness:
      
“(Adhere
      to) prayer, (adhere to) prayer and (take care of) those whom your right
      hands possess (i.e., slaves).”
      
(Narrated
      by Imaam Ahmad, 3/117; Ibn Maajah, 2697; Ibn Hibbaan, 1220. Classed as
      saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Irwaa’,
      no.2178).
      
 Prayer
      is the pillar of Islam. Imaam Ahmad said: Your share of Islam is according
      to your share of prayer. What we want for you is for you to pray
      regularly, doing the prayers on time with the Muslims in their mosques. It
      is haraam for you to abandon prayer, for abandoning it is kufr. This issue
      has been discussed in great detail by the scholars in their books. And it
      was said that (the one who abandons prayer) is to be executed as a
      punishment, as is well known. And Allaah knows best.