Warning Against Negligence in Prayer and Laziness Regarding It

Shaykh Abdulaziz! The first message in this episode is from one of the brothers, saying: Riyadh (M. M. 'A. M.). Our brother says: I ask you, may Allah reward you, to please answer this question, which is: Many people have become lax regarding the matter of prayer, and many people delay it from its time, and some also do not pray it in congregation. We ask you to please provide the answer and guidance. May Allah reward you with good?
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance.
As for what follows: There is no doubt that prayer is a matter of great importance, and it is the pillar of Islam, as the authentic hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) states that he said: . And Allah has mentioned it frequently in His great Book in many places; because of the greatness of its status, He the Exalted said: [al-Baqarah: 238], and He said (peace be upon him): [al-Baqarah: 43] in many verses. So it is obligatory for every Muslim man and every Muslim woman to take care of prayer and preserve it in its time, and to beware of being heavy-hearted about it and lazy; for that is among the characteristics of the people of hypocrisy, as Allah the Sublime said: [al-Nisa: 142]. And likewise, it is obligatory for the man to pray it in congregation in the houses of Allah the Sublime and Exalted, as He the Exalted said: [al-Baqarah: 43].
So it is obligatory that he pray with his Muslim brothers, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . A blind man sought his permission and said: . So if a blind man who has no guide suitable for him is not granted a dispensation to leave the congregation, how much more so is the case of one whom Allah has spared and given sight and strength? So it is obligatory for the people of Islam to take care of prayer and to magnify its status as Allah and His Messenger magnified it, and to strive to perform it as Allah has legislated. So the man performs it in its time in the mosque with his Muslim brothers, and he should beware with the utmost caution of being heavy-hearted. And the woman likewise, it is obligatory for her to perform it in her home in its time with tranquility and humility, and without being heavy-hearted about it. And many people perform it without humility and without tranquility, but with haste, and this is a great error, for prayer must include tranquility. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man praying who did not complete his bowing or prostration, he ordered him to repeat it, saying: .
So it is obligatory for everyone to take care of prayer, whether obligatory or voluntary, and that it be performed with tranquility and attention to it, not with haste and clicking. And the greatest of that is the obligatory prayer, so it is obligatory to take care of it more and to perform it as Allah (peace be upon him) has legislated in its times with tranquility, and to complete what Allah has legislated in it of pillars and obligations. And it is also better to take care of the recommended practices so that he performs it completely. And he has no right to delay it from its time; because delaying it from its time is forbidden, and in it is the loss of its performance in congregation as well. And likewise, it is not permissible for the woman to delay it from its time, but it is obligatory that the prayer be performed in its time. And many people now delay it from its time, such as the Fajr prayer, so they stay up at night and are late for the Fajr prayer, and this is a great calamity, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah.
So it is obligatory to beware of that in the case of men and women, and every staying up that leads to this is forbidden, so it is not permissible to stay up in a way that leads to leaving the prayer in its time, or leaving it in congregation in the case of the man. We ask Allah for guidance for everyone.