What is the difference between a pillar, an obligation, and a condition?

The questioner : The distinction between the Sunnah and the obligatory, between the pillars and the obligations, or between the pillars and the Sunnahs of prayer?

The Shaykh : This is much easier than that, because the obligatory is established by the mere command, whereas a pillar or a condition is not established by the mere command; rather, there must be a text that adds to the proof of obligation, such as the phrase "There is no prayer" or "There is no Hajj" or similar expressions. It is from such expressions that the status of being a pillar is derived. Now, as they say, I am throwing one stone at two birds, so I remind you of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) A text like this indicates that wudu is a pillar—excuse me—a condition of the conditions of prayer, because there is a jurisprudential convention, and in the terminology, as the scholars say, a condition is what is external to the act of worship, and a pillar is what is internal to the act of worship. This is a simple matter, and there is no dispute over the terminology. So I say It is an explicit text that prayer is invalid if performed without wudu. A text like this establishes the conditionality. What is the second bird? This is known to everyone: prayer without purity is not valid. But many people do not know, first, that the ruling of the Basmalah in wudu is like the ruling of wudu in prayer. Just as wudu is a condition for the validity of prayer, so the Basmalah is a condition for the validity of wudu. So whoever does not mention the name of Allah over his wudu and then prays, it is as if he did not perform wudu. Therefore, I insist on reminding you that you must all strive with us to mention the name of Allah over your wudu. After this second bird, a third bird occurred to me: how should the mention be? Is it as if you intended to recite the Basmalah before al-Fatihah or any other surah, or is it a shortened Basmalah? The answer is yes, you say "Bismillah." And the fourth bird, and perhaps the last, is the Basmalah over food. It is necessary, it is necessary. Why? Because whoever does not mention the name of Allah over his food has made room for his Shaytan to share in his food. This is the fourth bird, and I thought it would be the last, but perhaps the last is the fifth: the Basmalah over food is like the Basmalah over wudu, not like the Basmalah in recitation, meaning it is shortened, just "Bismillah." And this is perhaps a kindness in the Shari'ah. You are coming to the food, are you going to give a lecture now of dhikr, "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim"? No, the closest way is "Bismillah," and you start with the food.

The questioner : There is a sixth bird, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Bring it so we can see.

The questioner : And that is that acts of worship, meaning if they are gathered by one wisdom, then this one wisdom also makes the phrase with which these acts of worship begin... so, yes, that is correct.

The Shaykh : Subhan Allah, (Glorified and Exalted is He). Now, please, we need to go, everyone, please.