This excerpt is taken from the book Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh an-Nabī ﷺ, authored by al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz, published by Maktabah Dār al-Andalus.
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا
“Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers at fixed times.”
❀ However, if a prayer is missed due to a genuine excuse, it may be offered later. This is established by the practice of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Companions رضي الله عنهم, who made up the missed prayers after the Battle of the Trench (Aḥzāb).
❀ When an opportunity arises to make up a missed prayer, it should be offered immediately without further delay. During the Battle of Aḥzāb, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ offered the missed prayers as soon as time allowed.
مَنْ نَامَ عَنْ صَلَاةٍ أَوْ نَسِيَهَا فَلْيُصَلِّهَا إِذَا ذَكَرَهَا، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ وَقْتُهَا
“Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it, let him pray it when he remembers it, for that is its time.”
❀ As for other prayers, if they are missed, offering their Sunnah prayers is permissible but not obligatory. There is no authentic narration indicating that the Sunnahs of the prayers missed during the Battle of Aḥzāb were offered.
❀ Some people argue that maintaining order in missed prayers is not obligatory and that the mere action of the Prophet ﷺ does not indicate obligation. However, it should be remembered that praying missed prayers out of order is not established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, therefore it is better and safer to follow his practice and maintain the sequence.
Some people believe that such a person must make up all previously abandoned prayers, suggesting methods such as:
“Then there came after them successors who neglected the prayer and followed desires; so they will soon meet misguidance. Except those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds—such people will enter Paradise and will not be wronged in the least.”
In this verse, entry into Paradise for those who wasted prayers is conditioned upon repentance, faith, and righteous deeds, not upon repeating past prayers.
❀ Furthermore, Islamic law has excused women from making up prayers missed during menstruation and postnatal bleeding due to hardship. How then could Sharīʿah allow the abandonment of thirty-five prayers but obligate the making up of prayers for thirty-five years? This contradicts established principles.
❀ Therefore, when such a person begins praying regularly, he should repent sincerely for past negligence. There is no requirement to make up the previously abandoned prayers.
Making Up Missed Prayers (Qaḍāʾ of Missed Ṣalāh)
❀ Every prayer is obligatory within its prescribed time. Allah Almighty says:إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا
“Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers at fixed times.”
Reference: an-Nisāʾ: 103
❀ However, if a prayer is missed due to a genuine excuse, it may be offered later. This is established by the practice of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Companions رضي الله عنهم, who made up the missed prayers after the Battle of the Trench (Aḥzāb).
❀ When an opportunity arises to make up a missed prayer, it should be offered immediately without further delay. During the Battle of Aḥzāb, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ offered the missed prayers as soon as time allowed.
Making Up Prayers Missed Due to Sleep or Forgetfulness
❀ Whoever sleeps through a prayer time or forgets to pray should offer the prayer as soon as he wakes up or remembers, for that moment becomes the time of the prayer. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:مَنْ نَامَ عَنْ صَلَاةٍ أَوْ نَسِيَهَا فَلْيُصَلِّهَا إِذَا ذَكَرَهَا، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ وَقْتُهَا
“Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it, let him pray it when he remembers it, for that is its time.”
Reference: Muslim: 684
Sunnah Prayers with Missed Obligatory Prayers
❀ If the Fajr prayer is missed, its Sunnah prayers should also be offered. During a journey, when the Fajr prayer was missed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ first prayed the Sunnah and then led the congregation in the obligatory prayer after sunrise.
Reference: Muslim: 681
❀ As for other prayers, if they are missed, offering their Sunnah prayers is permissible but not obligatory. There is no authentic narration indicating that the Sunnahs of the prayers missed during the Battle of Aḥzāb were offered.
Order When Combining Missed Prayers
❀ When making up multiple missed prayers, they should be offered in sequence. On the Day of the Battle of the Trench, when the ʿAṣr prayer was missed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ first prayed ʿAṣr and then Maghrib.
Reference: Muslim: 631; al-Bukhārī: 945
❀ Some people argue that maintaining order in missed prayers is not obligatory and that the mere action of the Prophet ﷺ does not indicate obligation. However, it should be remembered that praying missed prayers out of order is not established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, therefore it is better and safer to follow his practice and maintain the sequence.
The Issue of Lifetime Qaḍāʾ (Qaḍāʾ ʿUmrī)
❀ If a person abandoned prayers for many years due to negligence and later repents and begins praying regularly, the making up of those past prayers is referred to as “Qaḍāʾ ʿUmrī”.Some people believe that such a person must make up all previously abandoned prayers, suggesting methods such as:
- Praying one missed prayer with each current prayer while omitting Sunnahs and Nawāfil due to lack of time.
- Women calculating days of menstruation and postnatal bleeding and making up prayers for the remaining days.
- A widely practiced method in some regions: after the last Friday prayer of Ramaḍān, offering one Fajr, one Ẓuhr, one ʿAṣr, one Maghrib, and one ʿIshāʾ prayer on behalf of all missed prayers of the past.
“Then there came after them successors who neglected the prayer and followed desires; so they will soon meet misguidance. Except those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds—such people will enter Paradise and will not be wronged in the least.”
Reference: Maryam: 59–60
In this verse, entry into Paradise for those who wasted prayers is conditioned upon repentance, faith, and righteous deeds, not upon repeating past prayers.
❀ Furthermore, Islamic law has excused women from making up prayers missed during menstruation and postnatal bleeding due to hardship. How then could Sharīʿah allow the abandonment of thirty-five prayers but obligate the making up of prayers for thirty-five years? This contradicts established principles.
❀ Therefore, when such a person begins praying regularly, he should repent sincerely for past negligence. There is no requirement to make up the previously abandoned prayers.
