Prayer is the second pillar of Islam and is mentioned probably over 100 times in the Qur'an. Failing to perform prayer during the prescribed times is a sin: It's listed as Major Sin 4 in Major Sins by Imam Shamsu ed-Deen Dhahabi (pdf). See also If someone does not pray 5 times, is he/she Kafer?

...why do none of the Muslims that I know do that?

They will have their own individual reasons; it's not appropriate to speculate. However, maybe they actually perform their five prayers, but you just don't notice. When I've asked people in the past, they've replied: "I pray in my heart", "I'm not all that devout", and "we only need to pray three times per day". I pray five times per day.

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Maulana is the title preceding the name of respected Muslim religious leaders, in particular graduates of religious institutions, e.g. a madrassa or a darul Aloom, or scholars who have studied under other Islamic scholars. In short a person who have huge knowledge about Islam in all manners can be a Maulana.