A message about the ruling on the one who abandons prayer

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen Introduction In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Praise be to Allah, we praise Him, seek His help, ask for His forgiveness, and turn to Him in repentance. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and from the bad consequences of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, there is none to misguide him; and whomsoever He misguides, there is none to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah send peace and blessings upon him, his family, his companions, and those who follow them with goodness until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows: Many Muslims today have neglected prayer and have wasted it, to the extent that some have abandoned it completely out of negligence. Since this matter is among the great and serious issues that people are tested with today, and since scholars and leaders of the nation have differed over it, both in the past and in the present, I wanted to write about it as simply as I can. The discussion is summarized in two sections: First section: The ruling on the one who abandons prayer. Second section: What results from apostasy through abandoning prayer or other acts. We ask Allah to grant us success in understanding and acting upon the truth.