What is the importance of the obligatory (fard) and prioritizing it over the supererogatory (nafila)?

There is no room for comparison between the obligatory (fard) and the supererogatory (nafilah); for the one who abandons an obligatory act is punished if he has no excuse, whereas the one who performs a supererogatory act is rewarded, and the one who abandons it is not punished. The obligatory act is the most important and best way for a servant to draw near to his Lord, as stated in the Hadith Qudsi: "My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have enjoined upon him. And My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory deeds until I love him." A Muslim should perform all obligatory acts completely and strive in supererogatory acts as much as possible. If it is possible to combine both, he should do so, but if it is difficult, the obligatory act takes precedence, such as prioritizing the Fajr prayer over its sunnah when time is short, or obeying one's parent over performing a supererogatory prayer.