What is the Ruling on Qadā-e-ʿUmrī (Lifetime Missed Prayers)?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Mustafa Zaheer Amunpūrī
What is the ruling on "Qadā-e-ʿUmrī" (Lifetime Missed Prayers)?
A fabricated innovation has emerged in the Ummah, specifically practiced on the occasion of Jumuʿat al-Widāʾ (the last Friday of Ramaḍān), referred to as "Qadā-e-ʿUmrī." Some people invented this act by fabricating a ḥadīth to support it. They formulated a new practice against the creed and methodology of the A’immah of Ḥadīth, promoting an individual’s interpretation over the unanimous understanding of the Ummah. Those who propagate such actions have established a dangerous precedent of introducing alien ideas into Islam.
Qadā-e-ʿUmrī is among these innovations. It had no place in Islam — Allah knows who concocted it and falsely attributed it to the Prophet ﷺ. The followers of blind imitation (taqlīd) took hold of it and insisted, “Our scholars have written it, so there must be a basis.” But this has no authentic foundation.
"The ḥadīth that says: ‘Whoever offers the Qadā prayer on the last Friday of Ramaḍān, it will atone for seventy years of missed prayers,’ is absolutely false. This contradicts the consensus (ijmāʿ) of the scholars, which confirms that missed obligatory acts of worship cannot be completely compensated for. Moreover, the attribution of this narration to the authors of al-Hidāyah or its commentators is unreliable, as neither were ḥadīth scholars, nor did they attribute it to any recognized muḥaddith."
(al-Asrār al-Marfuʿah fī al-Aḥādīth al-Mawḍūʿah, p. 356, ḥadīth no. 519)
“There is no disagreement regarding the fabricated nature of this ḥadīth. It is not found in any of the known collections of fabricated narrations (mawḍūʿāt). It has become widespread among the jurists of Ṣanʿā in recent times, and many of them act upon it. I do not know who invented it — but in any case, may Allah destroy the liars.”
(al-Fawā’id al-Majmūʿah, p. 54, ḥadīth no. 115)
✔ The only obligation regarding missed prayers is repentance and making up those prayers if possible.
✔ There is no such thing in Islam as a single prayer — "Qadā-e-ʿUmrī" — that compensates for seventy years of missed prayers.
✔ This practice is a clear innovation (bidʿah) and has no basis in the authentic teachings of Islam.
✔ Stay away from this innovation and inform others as well.
Source: Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Mustafa Zaheer Amunpūrī
❖ Question:
What is the ruling on "Qadā-e-ʿUmrī" (Lifetime Missed Prayers)?
✿ Answer:
A fabricated innovation has emerged in the Ummah, specifically practiced on the occasion of Jumuʿat al-Widāʾ (the last Friday of Ramaḍān), referred to as "Qadā-e-ʿUmrī." Some people invented this act by fabricating a ḥadīth to support it. They formulated a new practice against the creed and methodology of the A’immah of Ḥadīth, promoting an individual’s interpretation over the unanimous understanding of the Ummah. Those who propagate such actions have established a dangerous precedent of introducing alien ideas into Islam.
Qadā-e-ʿUmrī is among these innovations. It had no place in Islam — Allah knows who concocted it and falsely attributed it to the Prophet ﷺ. The followers of blind imitation (taqlīd) took hold of it and insisted, “Our scholars have written it, so there must be a basis.” But this has no authentic foundation.
❀ ʿAllāmah Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī al-Ḥanafī رحمه الله (d. 1014 AH) wrote:
"The ḥadīth that says: ‘Whoever offers the Qadā prayer on the last Friday of Ramaḍān, it will atone for seventy years of missed prayers,’ is absolutely false. This contradicts the consensus (ijmāʿ) of the scholars, which confirms that missed obligatory acts of worship cannot be completely compensated for. Moreover, the attribution of this narration to the authors of al-Hidāyah or its commentators is unreliable, as neither were ḥadīth scholars, nor did they attribute it to any recognized muḥaddith."
(al-Asrār al-Marfuʿah fī al-Aḥādīth al-Mawḍūʿah, p. 356, ḥadīth no. 519)❀ ʿAllāmah al-Shawkānī رحمه الله (d. 1250 AH) said:
“There is no disagreement regarding the fabricated nature of this ḥadīth. It is not found in any of the known collections of fabricated narrations (mawḍūʿāt). It has become widespread among the jurists of Ṣanʿā in recent times, and many of them act upon it. I do not know who invented it — but in any case, may Allah destroy the liars.”
(al-Fawā’id al-Majmūʿah, p. 54, ḥadīth no. 115)
Conclusion:
✔ The only obligation regarding missed prayers is repentance and making up those prayers if possible.
✔ There is no such thing in Islam as a single prayer — "Qadā-e-ʿUmrī" — that compensates for seventy years of missed prayers.
✔ This practice is a clear innovation (bidʿah) and has no basis in the authentic teachings of Islam.
✔ Stay away from this innovation and inform others as well.
