Making Up Missed Prayers on Behalf of the Deceased: Ruling
Source: Fatawa Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
What is the ruling regarding performing missed prayers (qada) on behalf of the deceased?
It is not permissible to perform missed prayers on behalf of either a living person or a deceased person. This is considered a bid‘ah (innovation), because it has no foundation in the Qur’an or Sunnah. In fact, there are evidences against it.
❀ Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما said:
لا يصلي أحد عن أحد، ولا يصوم أحد عن أحد ولكن يطعم عنه مكان كل يوم مدا من حنطة .
"No one should pray on behalf of another, nor should anyone fast on behalf of another. Instead, in place of each day (of fasting), he should feed the needy with one mudd of wheat."
(Al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Nasa’i: 2918, and its chain is authentic)
There is consensus (ijma‘) that no one can pray on behalf of another.
❀ Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr رحمه الله (463H) said:
قد أجمعوا أن لا تقضى الصلاة عن حي ولا ميت .
"The scholars are unanimous that missed prayers cannot be performed on behalf of either the living or the dead."
(Al-Istidhkar 4/167)
❀ Imam Ibn al-‘Attar رحمه الله (724H) said:
أجمعوا على أنه لا يصلى عن الميت صلاة فائتة .
"The scholars are unanimous that missed prayers cannot be performed on behalf of the deceased."
(Al-‘Uddah fi Sharh al-‘Umdah 2/879)
❀ Allama Ayni al-Hanafi رحمه الله (855H) said:
قد أجمعوا أنه لا يصلي أحد عن أحد .
"There is consensus among the Muslims that no one can pray on behalf of another."
(‘Umdat al-Qari 9/125)
Conclusion:
Performing qada prayers on behalf of the deceased is not permissible. It has no basis in Shari‘ah, and there is unanimous agreement among the scholars that no one can pray in place of another.
Source: Fatawa Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
❖ Question:
What is the ruling regarding performing missed prayers (qada) on behalf of the deceased?
❖ Answer:
It is not permissible to perform missed prayers on behalf of either a living person or a deceased person. This is considered a bid‘ah (innovation), because it has no foundation in the Qur’an or Sunnah. In fact, there are evidences against it.
❀ Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما said:
لا يصلي أحد عن أحد، ولا يصوم أحد عن أحد ولكن يطعم عنه مكان كل يوم مدا من حنطة .
"No one should pray on behalf of another, nor should anyone fast on behalf of another. Instead, in place of each day (of fasting), he should feed the needy with one mudd of wheat."
(Al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Nasa’i: 2918, and its chain is authentic)
There is consensus (ijma‘) that no one can pray on behalf of another.
❀ Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr رحمه الله (463H) said:
قد أجمعوا أن لا تقضى الصلاة عن حي ولا ميت .
"The scholars are unanimous that missed prayers cannot be performed on behalf of either the living or the dead."
(Al-Istidhkar 4/167)
❀ Imam Ibn al-‘Attar رحمه الله (724H) said:
أجمعوا على أنه لا يصلى عن الميت صلاة فائتة .
"The scholars are unanimous that missed prayers cannot be performed on behalf of the deceased."
(Al-‘Uddah fi Sharh al-‘Umdah 2/879)
❀ Allama Ayni al-Hanafi رحمه الله (855H) said:
قد أجمعوا أنه لا يصلي أحد عن أحد .
"There is consensus among the Muslims that no one can pray on behalf of another."
(‘Umdat al-Qari 9/125)
Conclusion:
Performing qada prayers on behalf of the deceased is not permissible. It has no basis in Shari‘ah, and there is unanimous agreement among the scholars that no one can pray in place of another.
