Monday, April 12, 2010

How Should Missed Solah Be Made Up?



How a missed solah that is permissible by syari’ah should be made up?

How missed prayers in cases permissible should by syari’ah is made up? How many raka’ats you have to do it? Some say, one need to do it as on time prescribe and some say, I don't have to do it if the time has passed.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the Praise is to Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala. Peace and Blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad His Messenger.

Firstly: The Five daily Solah is a mandatory.

The Five daily Solah is a mandatory tenet of Islam. It is not permissible for a Muslim to delay the prayer until its time is over without excuse permitted by syari’e (the rule of Allah).

Allah says:

“Verily, as Solah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours”

[An-Nisa’, 4:103]

But the situation that is permissible to be delayed until their time is over. It is in the cases of over slept and forgetting.

It was narrated that Anas Ibn Malik said that the Prophet of Allah s.a.w said:

“Whoever forgets a prayer or sleeps and misses it, its expiation is to make it up as soon as he remembers it.”

[Muslim, 684]

With regard to work, study, etc, these are not excuses that allow delaying a prayer until its time is over.

Allah praises some people by saying:

“Men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the remembrance of Allah (with heart and tongue) nor from performing As Salah (Iqamat as Salah) nor from giving the Zakah. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will be overturned (out of the horror of the torment of the Day of Resurrection)”

[An-Nur, 24:37]

Secondly: The person who missed soalh has committed a major sin.

Whoever neglects to pray until the time for that prayer is over, with no excuse, has committed a sin which is one of the major sins. He has to repent to Allah and resolve to offer that prayer regularly on time. Making it up after its time is over will not avail him anything when he has missed it with no excuse. He should also do a lot of naafil solah (supererogatory prayers), in the hope that they will make up the shortfall in his obligatory prayers.

Thirdly: How should missed prayers because of legitimate excuse be made up?

1.To perform the prayer as soon as that excuse is no longer in effect.

In the cases of one who delays a prayer until its time is over because of a (legitimate) excuse, such as sleeping or forgetting, he has to perform the prayer as soon as that excuse is no longer in effect (i.e immediately he got up and he realised that he had forgotten about it), as commanded by the Prophet s.a.w.

The Prophet s.a.w said:

“Whoever forgets a prayer let him offer it as soon as he remembers it, and there is no other expiation but that.”

[Muslim]

2.It should be done the same and in sequence

He should pray the number of raka’ahs he would have prayed if he had offered it on time, no more and no less, and without changing the way it is done.

In the hadith of Abu Qatadah there is the story of how the Prophet s.a.w and his companions slept and missed Fajar prayer when on a journey, and (they did not wake up) until the sun had risen.

Abu Qatadah said:

“Then Bilal gave the call to prayer, and the Messenger of Allah s.a.w prayed two raka’ahs, then he prayed Fajar, and he did the same as he did every day.”

[Muslim (681)]

Al-Nawawi said: “The same as he used to do every day” indicates that the way in which missed prayers are to be made up is the same way as they would normally be done, [should be done in sequence].

The basic principle according to the scholars is that making up of missed prayers is identical to the original action.

And Allah knows best.
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Fatwa No 20882 Islam Q&A

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