What is required of a Muslim who has not been regular in prayer for more than 17 years?

Prayer is the pillar of faith and the greatest of the pillars after the Two Testimonies. Whoever observes it will succeed, and whoever neglects it will fail and lose. It is the connection between the servant and his Lord. A group of scholars believes that abandoning prayer out of laziness constitutes disbelief that expels one from the fold of Islam. Therefore, one must repent and feel deep regret for having neglected it. The more cautious approach is to make up these prayers, acting upon the opinion of the majority of scholars, while taking the initiative to do so as much as possible.