What Intention Should I Have When Making up Prayers?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

Based on the opinion I obtained from another answer in regards to make up prayer intentions: “No need to specify which make up.”

Does that mean you can pray Isha makeup prayers and Witr makeup prayers completely separately – with no specific intention of them both being from the same days Isha prayer?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

No, you have to specify which Witr prayer or which Isha prayer you are making up. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

The reason for this ruling is that the Witr last Wednesday is different from the Witr of last Monday. Thus, you have to specify in your intention which Witr prayer you are making up. [Ibid]

Allah (Most High) says: “Indeed, performing prayers is a duty on the believers at the appointed times.” [Quran, 4:103]

In order to make things easy on you, you can intend to make up for each Witr prayer, the last Witr prayer obligatory upon you that you have not prayed. With this intention, all the missed Witr prayers will be properly specified. [Ibid]

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.