The Ruling on One Who Abandons Prayer Out of Laziness

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. This questioner from Russia says: We have imams in Russia who do not consider the one who abandons prayer to be a disbeliever, and they say he is an open sinner. And among those present in the mosque, some believe that, saying yes, it is a sin, but he is not a disbeliever. He asks: How

Answer:
regarding the prayer? If he denies its obligation, then he is a disbeliever by consensus; no one differs on that. But if he acknowledges its obligation and abandons it out of laziness, this is a matter of disagreement. The correct view is that he is a disbeliever, based on the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) . So whoever abandons it has committed disbelief.
And the people of the Fire, when asked, "Who led you into the Fire?" What is their answer? They say, what? . Their first answer is: "We were not among those who prayed." They did not say, "We acknowledged it but abandoned it out of laziness." They said, "We were not among those who prayed."
They did not say, "We did not acknowledge or deny the prayer." They did not say, "We deny the prayer." They said, "We were not among those who prayed." And the truth is truth to be followed. This is the truth, and it is the stronger position. The truth is truth to be followed, even if some differ on it. The criterion is not the disagreement; the criterion is the evidence. Yes, so explain it to them. May Allah reward you with good. Take them gently and explain it to them. Yes.