In the Hadiqat al-Haqiqah, Sana'i contrasts the mere physical performance of prayer with its true spiritual essence. He warns that prayer performed in a state of heedlessness (ghaflah), lacking sincere supplication (du'a), entreaty (tadarru'), and presence of the heart, is spiritually empty and unacceptable. For Sana'i, true prayer is an intimate dialogue that must arise from a place of spiritual pain and genuine need to be received by the Divine.