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The Prayer (Al-Salaat)

The Prayer was made obligatory during the Night of Ascension to heaven before the migration to Madinah.  It is one of the pillars of Islam.  It was the first act required by the Prophet (SAW) after proper belief in Allah.  The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:

“The head of the matter is Islam.  Its pillar is prayer.  And its apex is jihad.” (Sahih Ahmad, at-Tirmithi and others)

Prayer is in gratitude to the great blessings that Allah has bestowed upon his servants.  Similarly, it is one of the clearest demonstrations of the meaning of worship, as it displays one turning to Allah and submission and humility in front of Him and a private conversation with Quranic reciting, words of remembrance and supplications.  Furthermore, it establishes a relationship and connection between the servant and her Lord; by it, the person rises above the materialistic world (and moves on) to the purification of the soul and its tranquility. Furthermore, (in this world) the person becomes immersed in the throngs of life and its attractions and the prayer rescues her before she becomes drowned and, instead, places her in front of the reality of which she was beforehand negligent.  She realizes that there is something greater (than this life).  She realizes that this life could not have been created with such perfection and (this world) subjugated to mankind just so that man can live a life of uselessness, without purpose, just moving from one pleasure to another.  (Instead, there must be a much greater purpose:  the worship of Allah and His pleasure in the Hereafter.)

“Islam is built upon five (pillars):  testifying that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayers, giving the zakaat, making the pilgrimage to the House and fasting the month of Ramadan.” (Sahih Bukhari)

Naafi ibn al-Azraq said to ibn Abbas (RA), “Do you find the five (daily) prayers in the Quran.” He responded, “Yes,” and then recited the verse,

“So (give) glory to Allah, when you reach the evening (for the sunset and the night prayers) and when you rise in the morning; to Him be praise, in the heavens and on earth; and in the late afternoon and when the day begins to decline (for the noon prayer).” (Ar-Rum 30:17-18)

In the hadith of the bedouin, he came to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and said, “Concerning the prayers, what has Allah made obligatory upon us?” The Messenger of Allah (SAW) answered, “Five prayers.” The bedouin said, “Are there any other prayers obligatory for us?” He replied, “No, unless you do so voluntarily.” (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim)

Whoever denies the obligatory nature of prayers has committed an act of unbelief - if she was a person who was not ignorant - even if she performs the prayer.  This is because she is belying Allah, His Messenger (SAW) and the consensus of the Muslim Nation.  The same ruling applies for the one who abandons the prayer due to being unconcerned or lazy, even if she believes in its obligatory nature.  Allah has said,

“Then fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and pay the zakaat, then open the way for them for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (At-Taubah 9:3)

Jaabir (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said,

“Between a man and polytheism (al-shirk) and disbelief (al-kufr) is the abandoning of the prayer.” (Sahih Muslim)

From themuslimwoman.com
Information From Fiqh Made Easy - A Basic Textbook of Fiqh