QUESTION:

Assalamu Alaikum, 

 

I would like to know if I have to make up for salah that i missed earlier in my life due to not following islam properly. I was borned into a muslim family but we never practiced the deen and only went to jumuah and fasted during ramadan as a more muslim cultural thing. Emphasis on most spheres of the religion was never taken seriously (besides not eating pork) and we never knew a lot of the do’s and don’t’s for really being a muslim. Listening to scholars speaking about this issue on youtube i’ve come to understand there are two opinions, one where the missed salah is to be made up no matter how many years i’ve missed and the other where i make taubah and repent to Allah and start a fresh as missed salah cannot be made up and there’s no expiation for it by missing it in this manner. Any clarification on this issue would be greatly appreciated, JazakAllah.

 

ANSWER:

Wa Alaikum As Salaam,

With respect to what you have asked about, you need to do two things:-

  1. You need to make sincere Taubah (repentance) to Allah for neglecting your duties as a Muslim in your past life and beg for His forgiveness and make the firm resolve not to be negligent like that in the future.
  2. You must make up for all the Salah which you have missed in the past. This begins from the age of puberty, since Salah becomes compulsory on a Muslim upon reaching the age of puberty.

The law of making up for your missed Salah is clearly evident from the blessed words of the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W) in which he said, ‘When one of you sleeps over Salah or is unmindful of it, let him perform it when he remembers (it). For certainly Allah says, ‘Establish Salah for my remembrance’ (Sahih Muslim from Anas bin Malik).

Another hadith states that the Prophet (S.A.W) said, ‘Whoever forgets a Salah or sleeps over it, let him perform it when he remembers it. There is no expiation for it except this’. (Sahih Muslim).

Based on the above traditions, all scholars are unanimous on the ruling that making up for the missed Salah is essential on one who forgot to perform his Salah or was unmindful, or slept over his Salah’. (Al Fiqh Al Islami Wa Adillatuhu Vol. 2 pages 1152-1155 Maktaba Rasheediya Queta Pakistan).

And Allah Knows best

Mufti Waseem Khan

10/11/2022