What is the ruling on one who abandons prayer?

Scholars have unanimously agreed on the apostasy of one who abandons prayer out of denial. However, they differed concerning one who abandons it out of laziness. Abu Hanifa was of the opinion that he does not disbelieve and should be imprisoned until he prays. Malik and Al-Shafi'i held that he does not disbelieve but should be killed as a legal punishment (Hadd). The well-known view from Ahmad is that he disbelieves and should be killed for apostasy (riddah), and this is what has been transmitted from the Companions. They cited as evidence the hadith: "Between a man and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer," and "The covenant between us and them is prayer; whoever abandons it has disbelieved." And the Companions did not consider anything, other than prayer, whose abandonment constituted disbelief.