What Is the Ruling of a Person Who Is Able to Pray More than Five Makeup Prayers in a Day but Does Not?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
If a person can pray more than five make-up prayers in a day but does not, is he sinful? Also, please give some advice on how to maintain prayer in general.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health.
One is not sinful as long as one is performing them and has a plan as you have. However, you can be potentially sinful due to laziness. So, you should be able to build on what you are currently doing and try to make a solid plan. It is a debt that you owe Allah Most High. Make this point remind you of its importance.
First and foremost, one must remember that prayers have the highest status after testimony of faith, and the first one will be held accountable for in the Hereafter. Please check all the links at the bottom and watch the video completely.
Highest Status after Testimony of Faith
The Prayer is the first affair the people will be asked about on the Day of Resurrection. Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The first thing that a person will be accounted for on the Day of Resurrection will be the Prayer – if it is sound, then the rest of the deeds will be sound, and if it is corrupt then the rest of the deeds will also be corrupted.” [Tabarani, al-Mu’jam al-Awsat]
A Barrier Between a Person and Sins
The Prayer is the barrier between a person and sins, just as Allah (the Most High) said, “Recite, O Prophet, what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish the Prayer. Indeed, the Prayer keeps away lewd and immoral conduct and wrongdoing.” [Quran, 29:45]
Expiation For Sins
The Prayer is an expiation for mistakes and sins. Allah Most High stated, “And establish the Prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds wipe away misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.” [Quran, 11:114]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Do you think that if there was a river by the door of any of you, and he bathed in it five times each day, would any trace of dirt be left on him?” His Companions replied, “No trace of dirt is left on him.” So he said, “That is the likeness of the five daily Prayers — with them, Allah erases sins” [Nasa’i]
Prayer is a Guiding Light
The Prayer is a bright guiding light for those who worship Allah. Abu Malik Al-Ashari (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Purification is half of faith, and the utterance al-hamdulillah (praise be to Allah) fills the scale. The words subhanallah (glory be to Allah) and al-hamdulillah (praise be to Allah) fill whatever is between the Heavens and earth. Prayer is a light, charity is proof [of one’s faith], patience is brightness, and the Quran is evidence either for you or against you. Each person goes out early in the morning and sells his soul, thereby either setting it free or destroying it.” [Muslim]
Related:
A Reader on the Virtues of Prayer
Prayer Reader: The Ultimate Guide To Prayer in Islam
Praying with Presence: The Virtues of Prayer
SeekersNotes: Nine Keys to Presence of Heart in Prayer [Video]
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
