‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb on Prayer (Ṣalāh) Being the Most Important of Affairs

عَنْ نَافِعٍ أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَتَبَ إِلَى عُمَّالِهِ: إِنَّ أَهَمَّ أَمْرِكُمْ عِنْدِي الصَّلاَةُ مَنْ حَفِظَهَا وَحَافَظَ عَلَيْهَا حَفِظَ دِينَهُ وَمَنْ ضَيَّعَهَا فَهُوَ لِمَا سِوَاهَا أَضْيَعُ

‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allāh be pleased with him) wrote to his deputies, saying:

“Verily, the most important of your affairs to me is the prayer (ṣalāh). Whoever maintains it and watches over it will maintain his religion. Whoever wastes it will be even more wasteful of other things.”