[al-'Asr]. And Allah Most High says:

“Then after them came successors who neglected prayer and followed their desires; they will therefore encounter ruin.” [Maryam: 59] [Maryam]

Allah Most High also says:

“Woe, then, to those who pray—those who are heedless of their prayer.” [al-Mā'ūn: 4–5]

And He says:

“Carefully maintain the prayers and the middle prayer, and stand before Allah in devout obedience.” [al-Baqara: 238] [al-Baqara]

These verses require the censure of anyone who omits any of prayer’s obligations, even if he outwardly appears to be praying—for example, by failing to observe its prescribed time or by failing to fulfill all its conditions and pillars, including its outward and inward acts. This is how the early Muslims explained these verses. In the Tafsīr of 'Abd ibn Humayd—and it is also cited from Ibn al-Mundhir in his Tafsīr—'Abd reports: Rawh narrated to us, from Sa'īd, from Qatāda, concerning the words, “And those who carefully maintain their prayers” [al-Mu'minūn: 9]—that is, by carefully observing the ablution required for them, their prescribed times, and their bowing.

Abū Bakr ibn al-Mundhir also related in his Tafsīr, through Abū 'Abd al-Rahmān, from 'Abd Allāh, who said: “'Abd Allāh was told, ‘Allah frequently mentions prayer in the Quran: “Those who remain constant in their prayer” [al-Ma'ārij: 23], “those who are humble in their prayer” [al-Mu'minūn: 2], and “those who carefully maintain their prayers” [al-Ma'ārij: 34].’ 'Abd Allāh replied, ‘That refers to observing their prescribed times.’ They said, ‘We had understood that, Abū 'Abd al-Rahmān, to mean only abandoning it.’ He replied, ‘Abandoning it is disbelief.’”

Sa'īd ibn Mansūr related: Abū Mu'āwiya narrated to us; al-A'mash narrated to us, from Muslim, from Masrūq: “Concerning Allah’s words, ‘And those who carefully maintain their prayers’ [al-Ma'ārij: 34], he said, ‘By observing their prescribed times.’ They said, ‘We had understood this, Abū 'Abd al-Rahmān, to mean only