Allah has forbidden him to the Fire.” (1) This is one wording of the hadith. Similar reports have also been narrated from Abu Hurayrah (2), ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit (3), and ‘Itban ibn Malik (4), may Allah be pleased with them.

The third category consists of general texts qualified by a condition that makes it impossible to abandon the prayer, such as the Prophet’s statement in the hadith of Mu'adh: “No one testifies sincerely from his heart that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, except that Allah has forbidden him to the Fire.” (52) And in the hadith of ‘Itban ibn Malik, the Prophet said: “Indeed, Allah has forbidden to the Fire whoever says, ‘There is no god worthy of worship but Allah,’ seeking thereby the Face of Allah.” (52) Narrated by al-Bukhari.

Thus, qualifying the utterance of the two testimonies by sincerity of intention and truthfulness of heart prevents a person from abandoning the prayer. For no one who is truthful and sincere in this can fail to be moved by his truthfulness and sincerity to perform the prayer. Indeed, prayer is the pillar of Islam and the connection between the servant and his Lord. If he is sincere in seeking the Face of Allah, he must do what leads him to it and avoid what stands between him and it.