Missed prayers — whether from sleep, forgetfulness, emergency, or deliberate abandonment — are among the most practically important questions in Islamic jurisprudence, because they face every Muslim at some point. This article provides the complete ruling: who must make them up, how, and the theological framework for approaching the situation correctly.
The Ruling on Missed Prayers — The Foundation
The Prophet ﷺ established the foundational ruling on missed prayers directly:
“Whoever forgets a prayer, or sleeps through it, let him pray it when he remembers it. There is no expiation for it other than that.” — Bukhari 597, Muslim 684
And: “Whoever forgets a prayer, let him pray it when he remembers it. إِنَّ ذَلِكَ وَقْتُهَا — That is its [appointed] time.” — Muslim 684
The ruling is clear and merciful: the time of the missed prayer, for the person who forgot or slept, is whenever they remember. The missed prayer is not abandoned — it is made up immediately upon remembering, regardless of the current time. Even if one remembers during a time that is normally a prohibited prayer time (after Fajr, after Asr), the make-up prayer is prayed immediately. Several scholars hold the Prophetic precedent (Bukhari 595 — the Prophet ﷺ prayed missed Fajr after sunrise) overrides the general prohibition.
The 3 Categories of Missed Prayers — Different Rulings
Category 1 — Missed Due to Sleep or Forgetfulness
Ruling: Make it up immediately upon waking/remembering. No sin incurred for the missing itself.
The Prophet ﷺ and his Companions once slept through Fajr during a journey. When they woke (after sunrise), there was no panic — the Prophet ﷺ calmly led them in Fajr prayer and then said: “There is no negligence in sleep — negligence is only [for the one who is awake] and delays a prayer until another prayer time enters.” — Muslim 681
The criteria: the person who slept or forgot had no choice in the missing. They intended to pray on time; circumstances outside their control prevented it. No sin is associated with the missing; the make-up prayer fully substitutes for the original.
Category 2 — Missed Due to a Valid Excuse (Illness, Travel Hardship)
Ruling: Make it up when able. No sin. Unique concessions apply.
For illness: if the person was unconscious or physiologically unable to pray (e.g., in surgery, in unconscious state from injury), the majority of scholars hold they must make up those prayers upon recovery. For someone in an extreme medical state lasting multiple days, this can represent a significant number of prayers.
For travel: the traveler performs the qasr (shortening) of four-rak’ah prayers to two, and may also combine (jam’) prayers. These concessions are built into the prayer’s structure — there are no separate “make-up” prayers owed for prayers performed correctly under travel rulings.
Category 3 — Missed Deliberately (Without Excuse)
Ruling: Major sin requiring immediate tawbah. Make up with tawbah and qada.
The deliberate abandonment of salah without valid excuse — either out of laziness, indifference, or intentional skipping — is a major sin (kabira). The Prophet ﷺ described the deliberate abandoner of salah in serious terms (Muslim 82). The required response has two elements:
- Immediate sincere tawbah — genuine remorse, complete cessation of the sin (i.e., begin praying on time from now), and firm resolve not to return to it
- Making up the missed prayers (qada) — performing them in addition to current obligatory prayers
There is scholarly difference on whether qada is valid for deliberately missed prayers (some scholars, notably Ibn Hazm, hold it is not — that deliberately missed prayers have no make-up, only tawbah and righteous deeds). The majority position (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali) holds that qada is both valid and required. Given the severity of the situation, combining sincere tawbah with making up the prayers is the most comprehensive response.
Can a Person Pray a Missed Prayer During a Prohibited Time?
There are three generally prohibited prayer times in the Sunnah: at sunrise, at midday (just before Dhuhr time enters), and at sunset. The majority Hanbali position — and the position preferred by Ibn Taimiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim — holds that a make-up prayer (qada) may be prayed even during these times, based on the direct Prophetic precedent of praying Fajr after sunrise (Bukhari 595, Muslim 680). The principle: the command to pray missed prayers “when you remember them” has no time-qualification in the hadith.
The Hanafi position restricts qada between sunrise and Dhuhr (after the sun has risen fully), and after Asr until sunset has passed. Either way, the practical advice is: pray the missed prayer as soon as you remember it, and do not delay for fear of the prohibited time — the Sunnah precedent supports praying immediately.
What Comes First — Current Prayer or Make-Up Prayer?
When a person has missed prayers and the current prayer time is in, scholars differ on whether to pray the current prayer or the oldest missed prayer first. The Hanbali and Maliki positions prefer the missed prayer first (tartib — maintaining order), so long as doing so will not cause the current prayer to be missed entirely. The Hanafi position allows praying the current prayer first when there is concern about its time. Practically: if you remember a missed prayer while the current prayer time is still ample, pray the missed prayer first; if you are pressed for time on the current prayer, pray the current prayer first.
Dealing with Large Numbers of Missed Prayers — How to Approach It
Some Muslims come to Islam later in life, or return to practicing after years of missed prayers. The prospect of making up potentially thousands of prayers can feel paralyzing. The Islamic framework provides a realistic approach:
- Make sincere tawbah first — this is the essential foundation. Al-Tawwab accepts the return regardless of the accumulation. The tawbah itself has weight before a single qada prayer is made.
- Begin praying on time from now — the cessation of the sin is part of tawbah. No amount of qada compensates for continuing to miss current prayers.
- Make up missed prayers systematically — pray extra prayers daily beyond the five. A common approach: pray an additional set of five (representing one missed day) every day alongside the current prayers. Over time, the debt is cleared.
- Do not be overwhelmed — the Prophet ﷺ said: “The most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are consistent, even if small.” — Bukhari 6464. Regular, sustained effort at making up missed prayers is more effective than sporadic intensive efforts.
See the full guide to Qada Prayer in Islam for the step-by-step method of making up missed prayers.
FAQs — Missed Prayers in Islam
Is there fidyah (redemption payment) for missed prayers?
No — unlike missed fasts where certain situations allow fidyah, missed prayers have no monetary redemption. The only valid response is making up the prayer (qada) for the one who can physically pray. For the dying person who has accumulated missed prayers: the four madhabs differ. The majority Hanafi position holds wills and financial atonement as a possible path; the Shafi’i and Hanbali positions hold there is no fidyah for salah — only the person themselves can make up what they missed while alive.
Does making up missed prayers require the same sunnah prayers?
The qada obligation applies to the fard (obligatory) rak’ahs only. The rawatib sunnah prayers are not made up (with the exception of the two sunnah of Fajr, which the Prophet ﷺ explicitly made up after sunrise on the day the army slept through Fajr — Bukhari 1223). This means a person making up five missed days of prayers makes up 17 fard rak’ahs per day (not the full 48+ with all sunnah prayers).
Part of the Salah Series: What Is Salah? | How to Perform Salah | Khushu in Salah | Qada Prayer | Rakat Chart
Mohammed Basheer is the founder of Sukoonly.com, an Islamic blog focused on duas, prophetic healing, and Qur’anic wisdom. He writes with sincerity and spiritual depth for seekers around the world.