Have I Sinned for Missing a Day of My Daily Schedule of Makeup Prayers?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

1. A few months ago I made the intention to makeup the prayers I didn’t prayand I had been praying at least one day’s worth of make up prayers everyday since. For the last two days, I couldn’t bring myself to pray that amount. Have I sinned?

2. The reason was because of severe waswasa about everything (intention, wudu and prayer). I also have a lot of wind coming from the front end (I’m a woman) and I’m constantly doubting whether it came from the back end. What should I do?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

1. It is not sinful to miss a day of your daily schedule of makeup (qada’) prayers. But it is inadvisable to do so, unless you have an excuse. Some scholars would recommend that you plan and pray ahead so that you don’t fall behind when exigencies occur.

2. The basis is that your ritual ablution (wudu) and prayer are both valid and sound, unless you are certain otherwise. Doubts, feelings and sensations are of no legal consequence, even if they are strong. We act on certainty and nothing else.

3. Wind which passes out from your front private organ does not affect the validity of your ritual ablution. Hence, even if it is actually happening, and it isn’t simply feelings, there is no need to worry.

If you’re encountering misgivings on a regular basis, I’d recommend reading the section on scrupulosity from the book by Dr. Bruce Hyman et al.: The OCD Workbook. Ask Allah Most High for relief and ease, and don’t give up.

[Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah, with Tahtawi’s Gloss (1.131); Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar ‘ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar (1.92)]

Please also see: A Reader on Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings) and: A Reader on Missed Prayers

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.