The point is that incurring the status of a flagrant sinner by allowing a prayer’s time to expire is well recognized among the jurists.

But if someone were to say, “The major sin consists in continually missing prayers, for that constitutes persistence in a minor sin,” the response would be:

The evidence already presented shows that the threatened punishment applies to missing even a single prayer. Furthermore, persistence means resolving to repeat the sin. Someone who commits a minor sin, repents of it, and then returns to it has not thereby committed a major sin.

Moreover, whoever stipulates that prayers must be missed continually needs to provide a precise criterion. If he means continually throughout one’s entire life, those previously mentioned would not fall into this category. If he means a specified period, he must provide evidence for it.

Furthermore, imposing the death penalty for abandoning a single prayer goes further than classifying it as a major sin. And Allah, glorified be He, knows best.