He—may Allah be pleased with him—was asked about the words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic:

“Then they were succeeded by a generation who neglected prayer and followed their desires; so they will meet with ruin.”

Does this concern those who neglect the appointed time of prayer and pray outside it, or those who neglect prayer and do not perform it? And concerning His words, Exalted is He:

“So woe to those who pray,”

“those who are heedless of their prayer.”

Does this mean heedlessness about performing prayer, or distraction during it, as commonly occurs in the prayers of heedless people who comprehend nothing of their prayer? Give us a ruling; may you be rewarded.

He—may Allah be pleased with him—answered:

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

Rather, these two verses refer to those who neglect what is obligatory in prayer, not merely those who abandon it altogether. This is how the Companions and the Successors explained them, and it is the plain meaning of the wording. For He said:

“So woe to those who pray,”

“those who are heedless of their prayer.”

Thus, He affirmed that they pray, while describing them as heedless of their prayer. It is therefore understood that they were praying despite being heedless of it. A group of the early generations said: “Rather, it means heedlessness of what is obligatory within prayer, such as failing to observe stillness.” Both meanings are correct, and the verse encompasses both. Thus, in Sahīh Muslim, Anas reports that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “That is the hypocrite’s prayer! That is the hypocrite’s prayer!