In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

The prescribed prayers are the pillar of religion.¹

If you want to understand with the certainty that two plus two equals four just how valuable and important are the prescribed prayers, and with what little expense they are gained, and how crazy and harmful is the person who neglects them, pay attention to the following story which is in the form of a comparison:
One time, a mighty ruler gave each of two of his servants twenty-four gold pieces and sent them to settle on one of his rich, royal farms two months' distance away. "Use this money for your tickets," he commanded them, "and buy whatever is necessary for your house there with it. There is a station one
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1- Tirmidhi, Iman, 8; tbn Maja, Fitan, 12; Musnad, v. 231.