How Should I Go About Making up a Lot of Missed Prayers?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: As salamu alaykum,

1. If I pray the minimum oblgatory requirements for the making up prayers will they be valid and accepted?

2. Can I make up prayers after Fajr (before sunrise), and after Asr?

3. Can I skip the Sunnah prayers and instead make up prayers?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

(1) Yes, they would be valid, yet it would be sinful because the necessary (wajib) actions are operationally obligatory to perform.

(2) Yes, you can pray your makeups after both Fajr and `Asr, yet not during sunrise and sunset. [see: Prohibited times for Prayers and Makeup Prayers]

(3) No, you should pray your sunna prayers as well. Previous mistakes don’t relieve us of current responsibilities, and the sunna prayers are prayers that need to be prayed daily.

Do the best you can, whilst maintaining all you other current duties, and ask Allah Most High to give you strength, determination and facilitation.

Please also see: A Reader on Missed Prayers and: Making up Obligatory Fasts and Prayers

Consider taking the following free class at SeekersGuidance: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Basic Hanafi Jurisprudence (STEP)

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam was born and raised in Ipswich, England, a quiet town close to the east coast of England. His journey for seeking sacred knowledge began when he privately memorized the entire Qur’an in his hometown at the age of 16. He also had his first experience in leading the tarawih (nightly-Ramadan) prayers at his local mosque. Year after year he would continue this unique return to reciting the entire Quran in one blessed month both in his homeland, the UK, and also in the blessed lands of Shaam, where he now lives, studies and teaches.