Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

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Salaam brother,

My question relates to prayers and the times of praying.

Although I am aware that one should offer prayer at the correct times throughout the day regardless of what their occupation may be, I regret to say that I often do not perform salaat at the prescribed times because I am at work or study. However, once I am home, I `catch-up` by praying the fajr rak`ats of the prayer/s I have missed before performing the rest of the prayers of the day.

my question to you is whether this `catching-up` of missed prayers is permissable and deemed valid? as I was once told that it wasn`t.

If it is not valid, should I stop doing this if i have missed a prayer time?

I await your informed response

Jazakallah. 

Answer:

What to do with missed prayers

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 103:

Indeed the Salaat is a prescribed duty that should be performed by the believers at (their) appointed times.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 45-46:

45 Nay seek (Allah's) help with patient perseverance and ‘salaah’: it is indeed hard except to those who bring a lowly spirit. ⁶¹

46 Who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord and that they are to return to Him.

The Prophet (saws) said, "The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer, and the top of its hump is Jihad in the Way of Allah."

Abu Hurairah reports that the Prophet (saws) said: "The first thing that the people will be called to account for on the Day of Resurrection will be the prayers. Our Lord will say to the Angels although He knows better: 'Look into the ‘Salah’ of My servant to see if he observed it perfectly or been negligent in it.’ So if he observed it perfectly it will be recorded to his credit, but if he had been negligent in it in any way, Allah would say: ‘See if My servant has any supererogatory (nafl) prayers.’ Then if he has any supererogatory prayers, Allah would say: ‘Make up the deficiency in My servant's obligatory prayer with his supererogatory prayers.' Thereafter all his actions will be examined in like manner"

Related by Abu Dawud.

Jabir reports that the Prophet (saws) said, "Between a person and disbelief is discarding prayer."

Related by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas reported that the Prophet (saws) one day mentioned the prayer and said, "Whoever guards and observes his prayer, they (his prayers) will be a light and a proof and a savior for him on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever does not guard and obvserve them, they will not be a light or a proof or a savior for him. On the Day of Resurrection, he will be with Qarun, Fir'aun, Haman and Ubayy ibn Khalf."

Related by Ahmad, at-Tabarani and Ibn Hibban.

Says Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Mirwazi, "I heard Ishaq say, 'It is authentic (that) the Prophet (saws) said: ‘one who intentionally does not pray until the time for the prayer is over is an unbeliever.’

Unless and until one sleeps, or forgets, or it’s a matter of life and death, etc., there is absolutely no reason for one to miss their prayers on time and/or make them ‘qada’! The obligatory prayers are a duty that should be performed by the believers at their appointed times, regardless of whether they are residents or travelers. The travelers have been given a concession that they may shorten and if they wish, join their prayers; but this duty of obligatory prayers must be performed on time.

Your Question: whether this `catching-up` of missed prayers is permissable and deemed valid? as I was once told that it wasn`t.

It is absolutely against the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah that a believer intentionally leaves his prayers, and performs them later as ‘qada’ at his convenience!

The obligatory prayers that one has intentionally missed can never be recompensed; and the only solution to one’s missed prayers is to turn to their Lord Most Merciful in sincere Taubah and seek sincere repentance for their lapse; it is expected that they will find their Lord Forgiving and Merciful. And the best form of manifesting one’s repentance and taubah for intentionally missing one’s obligatory prayer is to offer the missed prayer (qada), in the hope that their Lord Most Gracious will accept their repentance and forgive them their leaving of this paramount and obligatory duty.

Your Question: If it is not valid, should I stop doing this if i have missed a prayer time?

Whoever sleeps through or has forgotten to pray a certain prayer should pray it when he wakes up or remembers the prayer. Abu Qatadah related that sleeping through the prayer time was mentioned to the Prophet (saws) and he said, "There is no negligence in sleep, but negligence occurs while one is awake. If one of you forgets a prayer or sleeps through its time, then he should pray it when he remembers it."

Related by an-Nasa'i and at-Tirmidhi.

Anas related that the Prophet (saws) said, "Whoever forgets a prayer should pray it when he remembers it, and there is no expiation for it save that."

Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Dear and Beloved Sister in Islam, if one accidentally or unintentionally misses one’s prayer on time through sleep or forgetfulness, one should pray it as soon as one wakes up or remembers it.

Intentionally missing an obligatory prayer is not even given as an option in the deen of Islam! Strive as hard as you can to make intention to offer your obligatory prayers on their appointed times, and if Allah forbid, you miss a prayer, then the absolute least you can do is expiate and atone for that lapse by praying it ‘qada’ in the sincere fear and hope that the Lord Most High will accept it.

My dear and beloved Sister in Islam, it takes hardly a few minutes to offer one’s prayers; and Allah is our witness, there is absolutely nothing more valuable or more important between the heavens and the earth that could possibly allow a believer to intentionally miss one’s prayers on time!

As your brothers and sincere well-wishers in faith, in absolute humility, we implore you to turn to your Lord and seek His forgiveness for whatever might have happened in the past, and make a solemn covenant with Him and yourself that never ever will you allow anything to come between you and your obligatory duty of prayer to your Lord and Creator; and make a fervent intention that unless and until it’s a matter of life and death, you will, from this moment onwards, always, and we reiterate, always offer your prayers on time; it is expected that you will find your Lord Forgiving and Merciful.

Allah is our witness sister, these few minutes that you take from your busy schedule to fulfill your obligatory duty unto your Lord will stand in good stead for you not only in the life of this world, but also in the life of the Hereafter.

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan