Question:
Assalamualaikum, SS Mufti. I have a question. I missed the Subuh prayer because I was undergoing an operation. After the operation, the time for Zohor prayer has already started. My question is should I qadha’ (replace) my Subuh prayer first or perform the Zohor prayer before qadha’ my missed Subuh prayer?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam.
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Allah SWT states:
إن الصلاة كانت على المؤمنين كتابا موقوتا
“Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.”
Surah al-Nisa’ (103)
When the commandment of prayer to be performed in its specified time, it is also known as al’adaa’ (forthwith) while when the prayer is performed outside of its time, then it is called al-qadha’ (replace).
The majority of scholars stated that it is wajib to hasten in qadha’ the missed prayer, regardless of whether the prayer is missed due to permissible excuses by syara’ or otherwise according to the general hadith:
مَن نَسِيَ صَلَاةً فَليٌصَلِّ إِذَا ذَكَرَهَا
“If anyone forgets a prayer, he should pray that prayer when he remembers it.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (597) and Sahih Muslim (1598)
Scholars of madhhab Syafie detailed this issue as the following: If a person misses a prayer due to permissible excuse by syara’ such as he fell asleep or forgets (within a limit), then it is sunnah for him to quickly qadha’ his prayers, however, if a person misses his prayer without any permissible excuse by syara’ then it is wajib for him to immediately qadha’ his prayer. (Refer Al-Majmu' Syarh al-Muhadzzab, 3/70-71). This is in accordance with a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH:
كُنَّا فِي سَفَرٍ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، وَإِنَّا أَسْرَيْنَا حَتَّى كُنَّا فِي آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ ، وَقَعْنَا وَقْعَةً ، وَلاَ وَقْعَةَ أَحْلَى عِنْدَ المُسَافِرِ مِنْهَا ، فَمَا أَيْقَظَنَا إِلَّا حَرُّ الشَّمْسِ ، وَكَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنِ اسْتَيْقَظَ فُلاَنٌ ، ثُمَّ فُلاَنٌ ، ثُمَّ فُلاَنٌ - يُسَمِّيهِمْ أَبُو رَجَاءٍ فَنَسِيَ عَوْفٌ ثُمَّ عُمَرُ بْنُ الخَطَّابِ الرَّابِعُ - وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا نَامَ لَمْ يُوقَظْ حَتَّى يَكُونَ هُوَ يَسْتَيْقِظُ ، لِأَنَّا لاَ نَدْرِي مَا يَحْدُثُ لَهُ فِي نَوْمِهِ ، فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْقَظَ عُمَرُ وَرَأَى مَا أَصَابَ النَّاسَ وَكَانَ رَجُلًا جَلِيدًا ، فَكَبَّرَ وَرَفَعَ صَوْتَهُ بِالتَّكْبِيرِ ، فَمَا زَالَ يُكَبِّرُ وَيَرْفَعُ صَوْتَهُ بِالتَّكْبِيرِ حَتَّى اسْتَيْقَظَ بِصَوْتِهِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْقَظَ شَكَوْا إِلَيْهِ الَّذِي أَصَابَهُمْ ، قَالَ : لاَ ضَيْرَ - أَوْ لاَ يَضِيرُ - ارْتَحِلُوا ، فَارْتَحَلَ ، فَسَارَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ ، ثُمَّ نَزَلَ فَدَعَا بِالوَضُوءِ ، فَتَوَضَّأَ ، وَنُودِيَ بِالصَّلاَةِ ، فَصَلَّى بِالنَّاسِ
“From Imran bin Husain, he said: Once we were traveling with the Prophet (ﷺ) and we carried on traveling till the last part of the night and then we (halted at a place) and slept (deeply). There is nothing sweeter than sleep for a traveler in the last part of the night. So it was only the heat of the sun that made us to wake up and the first to wake up was so and so, then so and so and then so and so (the narrator `Auf said that Abu Raja' had told him their names but he had forgotten them) and the fourth person to wake up was `Umar bin Al- Khattab. And whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) used to sleep, nobody would wake up him till he himself used to get up as we did not know what was happening (being revealed) to him in his sleep. So, `Umar got up and saw the condition of the people, and he was a strict man, so he said, "Allahu Akbar" and raised his voice with Takbir, and kept on saying loudly till the Prophet (ﷺ) got up because of it. When he got up, the people informed him about what had happened to them. He said, "There is no harm (or it will not be harmful). Depart!" So, they departed from that place, and after covering some distance the Prophet (ﷺ) stopped and asked for some water to perform the ablution. So, he performed the ablution and the call for the prayer was pronounced and he led the people in prayer.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (337)
Imam al-Nawawi said: “And whoever is obligated to pray while he did not perform it until the time of it ends, then it is wajib for him to replace it according to the hadith of the Prophet PBUH: “If anyone forgets a prayer, he should pray that prayer when he remembers it.” And it is sunnah for him to hasten in his qadha’ according to the said hadith. And it is permissible for him to delay it (qadha’ his prayer) according to the narration where the Prophet PBUH missed his Subuh prayer and did not hasten to qadha’ his prayer until he had left the wadi (valley), if qadha’ (replacing) the prayer should be hastened then surely the Prophet PBUH would not delay it. However, if a person misses his prayer without any permissible excuse by syara’, then it is wajib for him to immediately qadha’ his prayer.” (Refer Al-Majmu' Syarh al-Muhadzzab, 3/70-71)
Imam Khatib al-Syirbini and Imam al-Ramli said: “And one should hasten in qadha’ one’s missed prayer and it is sunnah if he missed it due to permissible excuse by syara’ such as if he fell asleep or forgets, whereas it is wajib to immediately qadha’ his prayer if he left it without permissible excuse by syara’ according to the most sahih opinion so that he would quickly bara’ah al-zimmah (free himself from his responsibilities). And the wisdom is it is taghliz (burdening him).” (Refer Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/308; Nihayah al-Muhtaj, 1/381)
Imam Khatib al-Syirbini said: “And it is sunnah to first qadha’ a prayer missed due to permissible excuse by syara’ compared to performing an obligatory prayer if one is certain that there is enough time before its time ends, however, if he fears that he would not have enough time to perform the obligatory prayer in its time (when he first perform qadha’ for his missed prayer), then it is wajib for him to first perform the obligatory prayer to prevent this obligatory prayer from becoming another qadha’ orayer because its time ended. What is meant by one is certain that there is enough time to perform both prayers before the time for the obligatory prayer ends is a certainty that he can perform at least one rakaat from his obligatory prayer, then it is sunnah for him to first qadha’ his missed prayer due to permissible excuse by syara’.”
“Whereas if he remembers that he needed to qadha’ his prayer whilst he was performing his obligatory prayer, then it is wajib for him to first complete his obligatory prayer regardless of whether the time for obligatory prayer is short or still long. However, if when he was performing his qadha’ prayer he is certain that the time for the obligatory prayer would end, then it is wajib for him to stop his prayer (qadha’) and perform his obligatory prayer.” (Refer Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/308-309)
IS IT A CONDITION TO PERFORM THE QADHA’ PRAYERS IN ORDER?
It is sunnah for a person to qadha’ his missed prayers in order which means to qadha the Subuh then Zohor prayer, the Zohor then Asar prayer and so on. Likewise, it is wajib for a person to first qadha’ his missed prayer without permissible excuse by syara’ before his missed prayers left due to permissible excuse by syara’.
Imam Khatib al-Syirbini said: “And it is sunnah to qadha’ ones’ prayers in order, then one should first qadha’ the Subuh before Zohor prayer to avoid the difference of opinions by scholars who ruled it wajib (for it to be performed in order).”
“And if there are both prayers missed with and without permissible excuse by syara’, then it is wajib for him to first replace the prayers he missed without any permissible excuse by syara’.” (Refer Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/308-309)
Thus, according to madhhab Syafie it is wajib to hasten in qadha’ for those who missed his prayer without any permissible excuse by syara’ and sunnah (to hasten in qadha’) his prayer if he missed it due to permissible excuse by syara’. And this is so when he is certain that there is enough time for the obligatory prayer before it ends. Hence, coming back to the above question, it is sunnah to first qadha’ the missed prayer before performing the obligatory prayer and it is not wajib to do so because the questioner missed the prayer due to permissible excuse by syara’.
Conclusion
Thus, after analyzing the above discussion, we can conclude the issue as the following:
- According to madhhab Syafie it is wajib for a person to immediately qadha’ his prayer if a person missed it without any permissible excuse by syara’ such as when he was distracted with playing chess and it is sunnah (to hasten to qadha’ his prayer) if he missed his prayer due to permissible excuse by syara’ such as if he fell asleep or forgets (within a limit).
- And this is applicable when he is certain that there is enough time for him to perform the obligatory prayer which means he is certain that he can perform at least one rakaat from the obligatory prayer in its time.
- It is sunnah to perform the qadha’ prayer in order such as first performing the Subuh before Zohor prayer and so on.
- It is wajib to qadha’ the prayer missed not due to permissible excuse by syara’ first before the prayer missed due to permissible excuse by syara’. Wallahua’lam