salat and zakat
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Suppose a person A believes that eating more fruit is GOOD for health and a person B believes that eating more fruit is BAD for health. Who is more likely to eat more fruit? Obviously the one who believes that eating more fruit is good for health. The stronger that person believes in that the more likely he is to eat more fruit. This is what the main role of beliefs is in our lives. Our beliefs, depending upon their nature, motivate or demotivate us for action. If we have the RIGHT beliefs, we shall be motivated to act RIGHT. If we have wrong beliefs, we shall either be demotivated to act RIGHT or be motivated to act wrongly.
Even if we have the RIGHT beliefs, merely having the RIGHT beliefs is not enough. One must also act RIGHT in order to reap the benefits. A mere belief in the fact that eating more fruit is good for health is not enough. One must actually EAT more fruit to be healthier. However RIGHT a belief is, if one does not act according to it, one cannot reap the real benefits of a RIGHT belief.
Now why so-called Muslims are not reaping the real benefits in this world? They either have developed wrong beliefs which demotivate them to act RIGHT or even if they have the RIGHT beliefs, they do not actually act RIGHT accordingly.
http//quranicteachings.co.uk/belief-actions.htm
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Maybe aqimu salat is the process of acquiring, maintaining and developing the RIGHT beliefs (and the RIGHT state of mind) , and aatu zakat is the process to act RIGHT accordingly.