❖ The Ruling on Order (Tarteeb) in Making Up Missed Prayers ❖
✍ By: Imran Ayub Lahori
Narrations clearly establish that when multiple prayers were missed, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ made them up in their original order (tarteeb). For example:
◉ Narration from Jābir (رضي الله عنه):
On the Day of the Trench, ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) came after sunset and said:
"By Allah, I did not pray ʿAsr," to which the Prophet ﷺ responded:
“By Allah, I have not prayed it either.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ performed ablution, and they all performed ablution, and the Prophet ﷺ prayed ʿAsr after sunset, followed by Maghrib.
[Bukhārī: 596, 598; Muslim: 631; Tirmidhī: 180; Nasāʾī: 3/84; Ibn Ḥibbān: 2889]
◉ Narration from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه):
“The disbelievers kept us so engaged on the Day of the Trench that we could not perform Ẓuhr until after sunset. After the revelation of the verse: ‘And Allāh sufficed the believers in battle’, the Prophet ﷺ commanded Bilāl (رضي الله عنه) to call the iqāmah. He then led the Ẓuhr prayer, followed by ʿAsr, then Maghrib, all in order, as he would normally perform them.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Nasāʾī: 638; Aḥmad: 3/25; Dārimī: 1/358; Ibn Khuzaymah: 996; Bayhaqī: 1/402]
◉ Narration from Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه):
“The disbelievers preoccupied the Prophet ﷺ so much on the Day of the Trench that four prayers were missed. The Prophet ﷺ instructed Bilāl (رضي الله عنه) to call the adhān and iqāmah. He then led:
All these authentic narrations indicate that the Prophet ﷺ always maintained order (tarteeb) when making up missed prayers, and this is the Sunnah that should be followed.
Scholars differ on whether tarteeb must also be maintained between missed prayers and the current prayer (e.g., a missed ʿAsr before praying Maghrib in its time):
Sources:
⚖ Rajih (Preferred View):
Although Prophetic practice alone does not imply obligation, following his example brings blessing and correctness. Hence, maintaining order is the preferred and prudent approach.
It is legislated (mashrūʿ) to:
✔ Give adhān before the first missed prayer,
✔ Then give only iqāmah for each subsequent missed prayer,
✔ And to perform them in congregation,
—as indicated in the aforementioned ḥadīths.
If a non-Muslim embraces Islam, they are not required to make up prayers missed during their time of disbelief.
As the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Indeed, Islam erases all that came before it."
[Muslim: 173; Aḥmad: 17112]
This may also be due to wisdom and mercy: enforcing such a burden might cause fear or lead new Muslims to abandon their faith.
✍ By: Imran Ayub Lahori
➊ The Practice of the Prophet ﷺ Regarding Missed Prayers
Narrations clearly establish that when multiple prayers were missed, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ made them up in their original order (tarteeb). For example:
◉ Narration from Jābir (رضي الله عنه):
On the Day of the Trench, ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) came after sunset and said:
"By Allah, I did not pray ʿAsr," to which the Prophet ﷺ responded:
“By Allah, I have not prayed it either.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ performed ablution, and they all performed ablution, and the Prophet ﷺ prayed ʿAsr after sunset, followed by Maghrib.
[Bukhārī: 596, 598; Muslim: 631; Tirmidhī: 180; Nasāʾī: 3/84; Ibn Ḥibbān: 2889]
◉ Narration from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه):
“The disbelievers kept us so engaged on the Day of the Trench that we could not perform Ẓuhr until after sunset. After the revelation of the verse: ‘And Allāh sufficed the believers in battle’, the Prophet ﷺ commanded Bilāl (رضي الله عنه) to call the iqāmah. He then led the Ẓuhr prayer, followed by ʿAsr, then Maghrib, all in order, as he would normally perform them.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Nasāʾī: 638; Aḥmad: 3/25; Dārimī: 1/358; Ibn Khuzaymah: 996; Bayhaqī: 1/402]
◉ Narration from Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه):
“The disbelievers preoccupied the Prophet ﷺ so much on the Day of the Trench that four prayers were missed. The Prophet ﷺ instructed Bilāl (رضي الله عنه) to call the adhān and iqāmah. He then led:
- Ẓuhr,
- ʿAsr,
- Maghrib,
- and ʿIshā’,
all in proper order.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Nasāʾī: 639; Tirmidhī: 179; Aḥmad: 1/375; Bayhaqī: 1/403]
Summary: Sunnah is to Maintain Order
All these authentic narrations indicate that the Prophet ﷺ always maintained order (tarteeb) when making up missed prayers, and this is the Sunnah that should be followed.
Scholarly Disagreement on Maintaining Order with Present Prayers
Scholars differ on whether tarteeb must also be maintained between missed prayers and the current prayer (e.g., a missed ʿAsr before praying Maghrib in its time):
- Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, Layth, al-Zuhrī, al-Nakhaʿī, and Rabīʿah:
➤ Order is obligatory even between qadaʾ and the current (waqt) prayer. - Imām al-Shāfiʿī:
➤ Order is not obligatory, as mere action (of the Prophet ﷺ) does not imply obligation.
Sources:
- Al-Mughnī: 2/336
- Sharḥ al-Muhadhdhab: 3/75
- Ḥilyat al-ʿUlamā’: 2/3
- Al-Ḥāwī: 2/276
- Al-Hidāyah: 1/72
- Sharḥ Fatḥ al-Qadīr: 1/422
⚖ Rajih (Preferred View):
Although Prophetic practice alone does not imply obligation, following his example brings blessing and correctness. Hence, maintaining order is the preferred and prudent approach.
Adhān and Iqāmah When Making Up Missed Prayers
It is legislated (mashrūʿ) to:
✔ Give adhān before the first missed prayer,
✔ Then give only iqāmah for each subsequent missed prayer,
✔ And to perform them in congregation,
—as indicated in the aforementioned ḥadīths.
Ruling for New Muslims: No Qadāʾ of Past Prayers
If a non-Muslim embraces Islam, they are not required to make up prayers missed during their time of disbelief.
As the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Indeed, Islam erases all that came before it."
[Muslim: 173; Aḥmad: 17112]
This may also be due to wisdom and mercy: enforcing such a burden might cause fear or lead new Muslims to abandon their faith.
Conclusion
- The Sunnah is to maintain tarteeb when making up multiple missed prayers.
- It is preferable to follow the Prophetic method even if some jurists consider it non-obligatory.
- Missed prayers should begin with adhān and iqāmah, and be performed in congregation where possible.
- New Muslims are exempt from making up past prayers, based on divine mercy and prophetic guidance.
