❖ Making Up Missed Prayers: Intention When Joining the Congregation
Source: Fatāwā ʿUlamāʾ-e-Ḥadīth, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Volume 1
✿ Question:
If a person has missed the Ẓuhr prayer and finds the congregation praying ʿAṣr, should he join with the intention of Ẓuhr or ʿAṣr?
✿ Answer:
According to the majority of scholars, maintaining the sequence (tartīb) in making up missed prayers is obligatory. This means a missed prayer should be offered before the current one, unless there’s a valid excuse.
◈ Position of Imām Ibn Qudāmah (raḥimahullāh):
❝يجب الترتيب في قضاء الفوائت❞
“Maintaining order in making up missed prayers is obligatory.”
(al-Mughnī: 1/352)
This view is also attributed to Imām Aḥmad, al-Nakhaʿī, al-Zuhrī, Rabīʿah, Yaḥyā al-Anṣārī, Imām Mālik, Imām al-Layth, Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, and Imām Isḥāq (raḥimahumullāh).
◈ Position of Imām al-Shāfiʿī (raḥimahullāh):
He held that sequence is not obligatory, as the missed prayer is no longer in its time, akin to missed fasts of Ramaḍān, where order is not binding.
◈ View of Mālikī and Ḥanafī Schools:
They opine that if a person misses more than a day and a night of prayers, maintaining order is no longer obligatory, as it becomes excessively difficult.
✿ Principle of Maintaining Sequence
- If both Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr are missed: perform Ẓuhr first, then ʿAṣr.
- If the order is missed due to forgetfulness or ignorance, the prayer is still valid.
- If prayer time is near expiration, perform the current prayer first, then make up the missed one.
✿ Ruling When Joining Congregation
If Ẓuhr has been missed and ʿAṣr congregation is underway:
✔ Join the congregation with the intention of Ẓuhr.
✔ It is valid even if the imam’s and follower’s intentions differ.
✔ After the congregation ends, pray ʿAṣr separately.
◈ View of Imām Aḥmad and Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah:
In one narration, both scholars preferred joining the congregation first when there’s fear of missing it. This implies that maintaining sequence may be overlooked in such cases.
✅ Conclusion:
If one has missed Ẓuhr and finds a congregation for ʿAṣr:
- He may join the jamāʿah with the intention of Ẓuhr.
- After completing it, he should perform ʿAṣr on his own.
- There is no issue if the imam and follower have different intentions.
