We say, first, that all Muslims have unanimously agreed, without disagreement, that purity is obligatory for everyone who is obligated to pray when the time for it has begun, and that it is obligatory for an adult who is of sound mind, and people differed as to whether a condition for its obligation is Islam or not. This is the apparent ruling. As for what is hidden in that, which is the hidden purity, we say that: The essence and spirit of prayer is a monologue with the Almighty, as

He said, “I divided the prayer between me and my servant into two halves ”

The hadith mentioned the monologue. The servant says such-and-such, and God says such-and-such, so whenever the servant wants to commune with his Lord regarding any action. It is obligatory for him to purify his heart from everything that takes him away from communicating with his Lord in that action, and if he does not possess this purity at the time of communicating with him, then whatever he speaks to him a