How did the opinion of the imams differ from the opinion of the Companions — may God be pleased with them — regarding the excommunication (takfir) of one who abandons prayer out of laziness, and were they unaware of that?

The majority view is that abandoning prayer does not constitute disbelief that removes one from the fold of Islam. This view was also held by a number of the Companions. The majority apologizes for the hadiths that describe abandoning prayer as disbelief (such as the hadith: "Between a man and polytheism and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer") by explaining that this disbelief either means that he deserves the punishment of a disbeliever (death), or that it applies to one who considers its abandonment permissible, or that it may lead him to disbelief, or that his action resembles that of disbelievers. Al-Shawkani holds that one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever and should be killed, and that the Lawgiver's designation of him as a disbeliever does not preclude this type of disbelief from allowing forgiveness and intercession. The majority has interpreted the disbelief mentioned in the texts as a disbelief that does not remove one from the fold of Islam, in order to reconcile these texts with those that indicate that one who abandons prayer is still a Muslim (such as the hadith of 'Ubadah concerning the five daily prayers). This issue is among the permissible differences of opinion among scholars.