Is he who combines prayer with abandoning it considered a hypocrite, and how sound is the saying, "The flesh of scholars is poisoned"?

Intentionally abandoning the obligatory prayer is the gravest sin after polytheism (shirk). It nullifies good deeds, and Allah has threatened those who abandon it with "Woe" (wayl) and "Ghayy". Furthermore, negligence in prayer is a characteristic of hypocrites. This is practical hypocrisy if a person exhibits a trait of the hypocrites, such as performing prayer lazily.