Why Am I Being Punished for Growing Up in an Irreligious Family?

Question:

Why am I being punished for growing up in a not so religious family? Why do I have to make up prayers when they never taught me to pray?

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your important question.

When Allah asks us to make up prayers, He is not punishing us. It is just a golden opportunity to develop a relationship with Allah that had all but lost. It is like making up lost time with someone you really want to be with.

You do eventually have to make up the prayers, but you can just start with something easy like making up a day or two’s worth of prayers each day in place of the normal sunna prayers that you would normally do. [Rawdat al-Talibin, Nawawi] Eventually, when you have more free time, you can dedicate more to making them up, and it will feel really good. Everyone who makes up their missed prayers says that.

Please also see:
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/making-up-missed-prayers/

I pray this helps.

[Ustadh] Farid Dingle

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language.