Faith Through Behavior, Not Ritual Alone
Whether someone prays or does not pray — frankly, that does not concern me at all. It is between them and themselves. I view the matter this way: suppose I have a neighbor named Muhammad, but every morning he disturbs me, throws garbage over the fence into my courtyard, and so on. On the other hand, there lives a man named Marko on the other side — a wonderful person who greets me every morning saying, "Good morning, neighbor, how are you?" Who is better for me? Who is better for me? What is faith? Faith is conduct. Faith is conduct.
The Messenger's Teaching on Character
The Messenger ﷺ said: "Faith is good character — it is the closest, the best, the nearest, the most beloved to me." Among you, says the Messenger ﷺ, on the Day of Judgment, the one who will be best is the one with the best character and conduct.
Ritual as Gratitude, Character as Faith
Therefore, whether you pray, whether you fast — these things are understood; they are acts of worship. They are an expression of gratitude to Allah for the fact that you see, that you hear, that you walk, that you smell, and so on. But faith — faith is how you conduct yourself.