Is a Muslim Allowed to Make up an Obligatory Prayer if Missed Intentionally?

A question that has been put forward to me on multiple occasions is: “If a Muslim intentionally misses an obligatory prayer, and its prescribed time has come to an end, are they allowed to make it up?”

When this question was first posed, I thought to myself: “What a strange question to ask.” I was confused and taken aback by the very phrasing of the question, “Are they allowed to make it up?”

What immediately came to mind was:

“It’s not a question of whether they are allowed to; rather, they are obliged to.”

This is not merely my personal opinion but rather the consensus of the scholars. Imam al-Nawawi, the great 7th-century Shafi’i scholar, confirms this matter in his book al-Majmu’.

He says:

There is consensus among all scholars who matter that whoever deliberately misses the prayer is obliged to make it up. Abu Muhammad ‘Ali Ibn Hazm contravened them in this, saying that such a person can never make up the prayer and that doing so can never be valid. What he has said, besides being a violation of scholarly consensus, is untrue from the standpoint of evidence, and despite a prolonged discourse to prove his contention, what he mentions is devoid of anything that bears it out.

I have personally heard YouTube influencers citing the opinion that a person who misses a prayer intentionally is not allowed to make it up.

They push this view as if it is the relied-upon, dominant view, completely oblivious to the fact that they are violating the scholarly consensus.

What is Scholarly Consensus and So What if it is Contravened

Scholarly consensus (Ijma’) is the agreement of the mujtahids (jurists of the highest calibre), in a specific era on a legal ruling.

Once they have agreed upon a legal ruling, it is impermissible for that to be contravened by later generations; this is well established in the books of Islamic Legal Theory (Usul al-Fiqh).

A mujtahid is the one who exhausts their capacity to derive the legal rulings. It is an intellectual and spiritual height that most scholars will never reach, no matter how much time and effort they pour into mastering the various intellectual disciplines in the Islamic scholastic tradition.

One does not simply become a mujtahid by reading every book under the sun and memorising every piece of textual proof that exists.

To reach such a rank could take an entire lifetime, and even then, one may never reach it.

There are a number of extremely difficult-to-attain conditions that are stipulated in order for one to become a mujtahid, these are expounded on in length in the books of Islamic Legal Theory.

And it is not a case of declaring oneself as such once one thinks they have met these conditions. This title is only bestowed when the greatest scholars of the age testify to the knowledge of that individual.

The most important takeaway here is that once these great minds and pure souls come together and agree unanimously on a legal ruling, the violation of that consensus is strictly prohibited.

How They Arrived at This Understanding

The reasoning behind their conclusion — that a Muslim who intentionally misses an obligatory prayer is not allowed to make it up — is that by omitting his prayer, he or she becomes a disbeliever.

And, a disbeliever is not obliged to pray; therefore, as long as they continue to intentionally omit their prayer, they remain a disbeliever. Subsequently, they cannot make any prayers missed during that period.

However, this claim — that missing a prayer renders one a disbeliever — is contrary to the position of the majority of scholars.

The Hanafis, Malikis, and Shafi’is all hold that someone who misses an obligatory prayer out of laziness (intentionally but acknowledging the prayer as obligatory) remains a Muslim; missing the prayer does not render him a disbeliever.

When touching on this point in al-Majmu’, Imam al-Nawawi states: “This is what the vast majority of early and later scholars have held.”

The Hanbali school has two views on this matter. The first is that such a person becomes a disbeliever, and the second is that he does not.

Ibn al-Qudamah, the great Hanbali scholar, declared in his book al-Mughni that the second view is the soundest position.

What Does the Evidence Say?

The difference of opinion regarding this matter — whether or not a person who intentionally misses the prayer becomes a disbeliever — goes back to the evidence from which the conclusions were derived.

Those who interpreted the evidence in a literal manner, concluded that the person who misses an obligatory prayer is a disbeliever. Those who did not interpret the evidence literally, and also used analogical reasoning (qiyas) with other sources of evidence to reach their conclusion, arrived at the opposing view — that the one who intentionally misses an obligatory prayer is not a disbeliever.

It is important to remind ourselves that the overwhelming majority of scholars, as Imam al-Nawawi mentions, did not interpret the evidence literally and concluded that the person who misses a prayer intentionally is not a disbeliever.

Some of the evidence relating to this matter is as follows:

Imam Muslim narrates: “Between a man and polytheism and unbelief is the nonperformance of the prayer.”

Imam Tirmidhi narrates: “The covenant between us and them consists of the prayer: whoever leaves it has disbelieved.”

Abdullah ibn Shaqiq ‘Uqayli, a tabi’i who studied under some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and whose eminence is agreed upon, said: “The Companions of Muhammad ﷺ did not view the nonperformance of anything as unbelief besides the prayer.”

In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said: “The first thing you lose from your religion is keeping trusts, and the last thing you lose is the prayer.”

Imam Ahmad commented on this hadith, stating: “Nothing remains of whatever the last has gone,” meaning that if the last thing to go is the prayer, then nothing remains of the person’s religion, i.e., they are a disbeliever.

Someone might say, “Well, this evidence seems pretty clear-cut. Obviously, the one who misses a prayer is a disbeliever.”

If it is so clear-cut, why were the majority of scholars of the opinion that the person who misses a prayer intentionally is not a disbeliever?

Is it conceivable the evidence did not reach them? That is, of course, impossible.

Is it conceivable they ignored it? Again, impossible.

The only conclusion that remains is that in spite of this evidence, the majority of scholars reached the opposing conclusion: the one who intentionally misses an obligatory prayer is not a disbeliever.

It is very possible they knew something you didn’t.

The Necessary Implications of Interpreting Everything Literally

When interpreting scriptural texts and other forms of evidence, it is important to understand that not everything can be taken literally; there are countless examples to illustrate this.

One such example is in a sound hadith narrated by Imam al-Bukhari, in which the Prophet ﷺ said, “None of you believes until I am more beloved to him than his child, his father, and all of mankind.”

Caliph Umar’s response was, “You are more beloved to me than everything, except my own self.”

The Prophet ﷺ then said to Caliph Umar, “No, by the One in whose hand is my soul, not until I am more beloved to you than your own self.”

The literal interpretation of “belief” in this hadith could lead to some absurd conclusions.

One being that we are not Muslims until the Prophet ﷺ is more beloved to us than our children, parents, all of mankind, and even ourselves?

Can any of us truly make that claim — that we love the Messenger of Allah ﷺ more than all of the above?

Remember, it is not just saying it with your tongue; it is acting in accordance with that claim.

Is the love we have for him manifest in every single area of our life?

Do we abstain from everything he forbade by lowering our gaze, refraining from backbiting, and protecting our tongues from talebearing?

Do we teach his biography in our homes, pray in the depths of the night, and cry when reciting the Qur’an as he ﷺ instructed?

Love is not a claim you make with the tongue, but a reality that is substantiated by action.

If we truly loved the Prophet ﷺ more than everything, including our own selves, we would give precedence to the things he wanted for us over anything else.

The Qur’anic verse is clear: “If you love Allah, then follow me.”

Another absurd conclusion of the literal interpretation of “belief” in this hadith would be the negation of the belief of Umar, the second Caliph of Islam, may Allah save us from even thinking such a treacherous and preposterous thing!

Caliph Umar’s initial response when he heard the Prophet ﷺ say, “None of you believes until I am more beloved to him than his child, his father, and all of mankind,” was, “You are more beloved to me than everything except my own self.”

To which the Prophet ﷺ said, “No, by the One in whose hand is my soul, not until I am more beloved to you than your own self.”

As per the literal interpretation the Prophet meant, “You are not a Muslim until I am more beloved to you than everything including your own self”

Of course this is not what was intended!

This hadith is not negating belief from someone who doesn’t love the Prophet ﷺ more than the things he mentioned. Rather, it is encouraging a higher standard of faith.

The word “truly” is often added to translations to help divert the reader’s mind away from a literal interpretation: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his child, his father, and all of mankind.”

The understanding from the hadith is that the more one loves the Prophet ﷺ, the more they have beautified their faith is.

The hadith encourages believers to strive and beautify their faith; strive to be of those who love the Prophet ﷺ more than anything else.

This will never happen, of course, but what an amazing goal to strive for.

Now we can look at the hadith about missing prayers in a different light. It is not saying that one becomes a disbeliever for intentionally omitting an obligatory prayer.

Rather, the point of the hadith is to emphasise the enormity of the crime: that whoever misses a prayer is behaving like an unbeliever who also does not pray.

This hadith is a warning to Muslims; by missing your prayer, you are acting like a disbeliever, not that you are a disbeliever.

Born Muslims and the Growing Convert Community

In the age we live in, there are many Muslims who don’t pray. Are we saying all of them are unbelievers for doing so?

There is no doubt they are sinful for omitting their prayers, but to declare they are all disbelievers is very harsh and, again, contrary to the view of the scholarly majority.

How many family members would people have to declare as disbelievers as a result of this?

It’s also important to take into consideration the growing convert community. Think about the implications for them by labelling someone who omits an obligatory prayer as a disbeliever.

I have had the honour of witnessing and taking part in three shahadas in the past month. Three non-Muslims mustered up the courage to come to the mosque and testify that they believe in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.

This is not easy; I remember when I first went to a mosque as a non-Muslim, I was scared.

The first of the three recent shahadas I took part in was about a month ago. A sister came to my local mosque just after Maghrib to embrace Islam. She was 17 years old, originally from Italy but born and raised in the UK.

It was a massive step for her, mashaa’Allah. But to expect that she was ready to learn everything necessary for her to pray on the first night was just too much to ask.

The Fatiha (the opening seven short verses of the Quran) alone took me hours to memorise. Even the prayer took time — it was so confusing at first: standing, bowing, prostrating; I just couldn’t make sense of the sequence.

Imagine I said to this new sister, “Welcome to Islam, and by the way, if you don’t pray the evening prayer tonight, you are a disbeliever again. And you will be a disbeliever until you start praying.”

Really?

Convert Care

Many born Muslims are unaware of the nuances of dealing with new Muslims. They simply do not know how to welcome converts into Islam with the necessary tact.

There are numerous manifestations of this. One, relevant to our discussion, is that many born Muslims assume that from the moment someone embraces Islam, they are ready to fulfil all their obligations — prayer, fasting, hijab, etc.

This is simply not the case. This expectation — that converts must hit the ground running from day one — is unrealistic and often deters people from entering Islam.

It was one of the things that delayed my own conversion. I thought I had to be perfect from day one. I didn’t convert until I was confident I was ready to pray five times a day. But for most converts, this is too much to ask.

I had numerous friends in the past who loved Islam and wanted to convert but were reluctant because they had bad habits they were not ready to give up. They did not want to embrace Islam until they abandoned all their bad habits and were ready to pray five times a day.

This may be difficult for some born Muslims to stomach, but it is better for a non-Muslim to convert, keep their bad habits, and not pray, than to remain a disbeliever.

Being a sinful Muslim is better than being a disbeliever. On the Day of Judgement, it’s better they stand in front of Allah as a Muslim who didn’t pray than as a disbeliever who rejected Allah and His Messenger.

Of course, what is ideal is that they convert, give up their bad habits, start praying immediately and wear a hijab if she’s a sister. But for many converts, this expectation is just too high.

It takes time for a new Muslim’s belief in Allah and His messenger to manifest into the action of acting in accordance with the Shariah; trust me, I have been on this journey.

Proof That Missing an Obligatory Prayer Does Not Make One an Unbeliever

Sheikh Dr. Noah Ali Salman Al-Qudah, a contemporary Shafi’i jurist from Jordan (1939–2010), in his book Qada’ al-’Ibadat wa al-Niyaba fiha, mentions several proofs supporting the view of the scholarly majority that omitting an obligatory prayer does not render one a disbeliever.

In a sound hadith narrated by Abu Dawud and others, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah has made five prayers obligatory: whoever performs their ablution well and prays them in their time, completing the bowing, the humility, and the awe that is due in them, has entered a solemn pact with Allah to forgive him. And whoever does not, has no pact with Allah: should He want, He will forgive him, and should He want, He will torment him.”

This hadith highlights that if a Muslim observes his or her five prayers with the desired etiquettes, Allah has promised to forgive them. For example, if someone looks at something impermissible, observing the five prayers serves as a means for this sin to be forgiven.

We also understand from this hadith that the one who does not establish the prayer does not have this promise from Allah: He may choose to forgive them, or He may choose to punish them.

This point is subtle, so it requires focus to grasp.

This hadith clearly indicates that Allah may choose to forgive a person who misses their prayer: “Allah, should He want, He will forgive him.”

The question arises, as per the literal interpretation of the evidence cited earlier: Will Allah forgive someone who has become a disbeliever as a result of intentionally omitting a prayer?

The Qur’an contains a number of verses informing us that disbelievers are destined for Hell; those who understand the message of Islam to be true and then reject it will spend an eternity in Hellfire.

If the claim that intentionally missing prayer renders one a disbeliever was correct, then this person would be destined for Hell; they are a disbeliever for intentionally omitting the prayer and disbelievers spend an eternity in Hell.

After being promised an eternity in the Hellfire, it would therefore be impossible for such a person to be forgiven. The contradiction here is clear as day: How can Allah forgive someone who has been sentenced to an eternity in Hell?

Yet, this hadith explicitly states that Allah can forgive the one who misses their prayer.

As per the conclusion that one who omits prayer is a disbeliever, it would mean that Allah will forgive a disbeliever who has been promised an eternity in Hell.

The indication in this hadith is clear: the one who misses a prayer is not a disbeliever.

A Disbeliever Can’t Inherit a Believer

Another proof mentioned that the one who intentionally misses a prayer is not a disbeliever is that Muslims, from the earliest times to the present, have considered the Muslim who misses the prayer to be entitled to inheritance.

As is well known in Islamic jurisprudence, a disbeliever cannot inherit from a Muslim.

For example, God forbid, if someone’s child left Islam by declaring they do not believe in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, upon the death of that child’s parents, he or she would not be entitled to any inheritance.

The child is a disbeliever, and the parent is Muslim; therefore, this child cannot inherit. This is a well-known part of Islamic law, and I need not establish proofs for this here.

On a side, but related note, this does not prevent a non-Muslim from receiving something in their Muslim parent’s will. In the same example above, the Muslim parent could include in their will that they want a certain amount of money or property to go to their non-Muslim child.

Leaving something in one’s will is different from inheritance by way of estate division, where a predefined amount of one’s wealth and property is distributed to rightful recipients under Islamic law.

In any case, the proof here is clear: from the early generations of Islam up until now, those who didn’t pray received inheritance.

If Muslims had considered the one who omitted the prayer a disbeliever, then such people would not have received inheritance.

Muslim Can’t Pray Over Disbelievers

Yet another proof is the consensus of the Muslims that the body of someone who neglects the prayer must be washed and prayed over.

This is another matter clearly established in Islamic law: the body of a disbeliever is not prayed over.

Non-Muslim bodies in Muslim lands will be dealt with respectfully, of course, but they aren’t prayed over for obvious reasons. Why would a non-Muslim want to be prayed over by a Muslim when they do not share the same beliefs?

This consensus — that a Muslim who doesn’t pray must still be washed, shrouded, and prayed over — is another clear indication that the person who omitted the prayer was considered a Muslim.

If the one who omitted the prayer was a disbeliever, they would not have been washed, shrouded, or prayed over.

Proof That if Intentionally Missed, an Obligatory Prayer Must be Made up

The following evidence serves as proof for the scholarly consensus that the one who intentionally omits an obligatory prayer must make it up.

In a hadith narrated by Imam Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ said: “When any of you sleeps through the prayer or forgets it, then let him pray it when he remembers, for Allah Mighty and Majestic says, ‘Perform the prayer for My remembrance’ (Qur’an 20:14).”

The scholars deduce from this hadith the validity of performing an act of worship after its prescribed time. This is not to say that it is permissible to intentionally delay the prayer until its time comes to an end.

A person who omits an obligatory prayer intentionally has committed a major sin. However, in order to atone for that, they must perform the prayer after its time.

Some may argue that this hadith specifically applies to the one who has slept through the prayer time or forgotten to pray, meaning it is a dispensation for them alone to make up the prayer after its time and not for the one who intentionally misses it.

This is because they claim that the dispensation for making up a missed prayer exists only for those who omitted the prayer as a result of not being sinful, like the one who slept through the prayer time or forgot to pray altogether. But the one who omitted it intentionally is sinful and therefore not allowed to make up the prayer.

However, this interpretation contravenes the scholarly consensus, as mentioned by al-Nawawi: the one who intentionally omits an obligatory prayer in its time must make it up.

Paying Back Your Debt to Allah

Another proof is found in a hadith narrated by Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim, in which a man came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and informed him that his mother had passed away and she had fasting days to make up from the month of Ramadan. He asked, “Should I make them up for her?”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ responded with a question: “If your mother had a debt, would you pay it off for her?”

The man said, “Yes,” to which the Prophet ﷺ said: “A debt to Allah has better right to be fulfilled.”

The Prophet ﷺ likened missed acts of worship to a debt that must be repaid.

The fasting days his mother missed from Ramadan were acts of worship and debts that had to be paid back to Allah. Similarly, missed obligatory prayers are acts of worship and debts that have to be paid back to Allah.

Another point to mention here is that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not ask the man why his mother missed her fasts — whether she was sinful or not for doing so.

If she had missed them as a result of her menses or postnatal bleeding, she would of course not be sinful. However, if she had missed them without a valid reason like eating or drinking during the daytime in Ramadan, she would have been sinful.

This relates to the point we made earlier; the claim that one can only make an obligatory prayer up if it was missed as a result of not being sinful.

However, in this hadith, about the missed fast days from Ramadan, the Prophet ﷺ did not ask why the mother had fast days to make up, whether she was sinful or not for missing them. She had to make it up regardless of whether she had a valid excuse or not.

Similarly, whether or not one has a valid excuse for missing an obligatory prayer, they must make it up.

You are probably thinking at this point: What is the connection between missing fast days and missed prayers?

The answer is qiyas (analogical reasoning). The scholars used analogical reasoning to reach the conclusion that making up missed prayers is obligatory; because making up missed fasts is obligatory, making up missed prayers is also obligatory.

What is Analogical Reasoning?

Analogical reasoning is one of the agreed-upon methods, by scholarly consensus, of deriving legal rulings.

There are four sources and methods used to derive legal rulings upon which scholars concur: Qur’an, hadith, scholarly consensus, and analogical reasoning.

By sources and methods through which we derive legal rulings, we mean: How do the scholars reach a conclusion about whether something is obligatory, recommended, permissible, disliked, or haram?

They do this with the four agreed-upon methods and sources mentioned above.

Analogical reasoning is reverting the ruling of an occurrence that has been omitted in the Qur’an or by the Prophet ﷺ to a matter whose ruling has been explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an or by the Prophet ﷺ.

In the subject of discussion, we see the ruling of an occurrence regarding the making up of missed prayers, which is omitted in the Qur’an and by the Prophet ﷺ. But we also have a ruling about making up missed fasts, which is explicitly mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ.

So we carry over the ruling about the obligation of making up missed fasts to the making up of missed prayers; making up missed fasts is obligatory, therefore making up missed prayers is also obligatory.

The connection between the making up of fasts and the making up of prayers should now be a lot clearer.

Missed fasts and missed prayers are both debts to Allah that need repaying. There is a hadith that explicitly requires one to make up missed fast days; therefore, missed prayers also must be made up.

One of the reasons Ibn Hazm reached the conclusion he did — that one is not allowed to make up missed obligatory prayers if missed intentionally — is because he did not accept analogical reasoning as a means of deriving legal rulings.

It’s important to remind ourselves here that analogical reasoning is agreed upon by the consensus of scholars as a means of deriving legal rulings.

Sheikh Dr. Noah Ali Salman Al-Qudah mentions that because of this — because Ibn Hazm does not accept analogical reasoning — he can be excused for reaching the conclusion he did: that the making up of missed prayers is not allowed.

The question then arises though: “What excuse do those who accept analogical reasoning have?”

For those who recognise analogical reasoning as a means of deriving legal rulings, what excuse do they have for not reaching the conclusion that aligns with the scholarly consensus: the one who intentionally misses an obligatory prayer must make it up.

Missing Prayer in Battle

Yet another proof can be taken from the rigorously authenticated hadith related by Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim. The Prophet ﷺ was prevented from performing the mid-afternoon prayer until the sun had set because of fighting unbelievers at the Battle of the Confederates (al-Ahzab).

This was before the prayer of peril had been legislated, which explains why he didn’t pray while fighting; they waited until they were able to and then prayed.

After the prayer of peril was legislated, the Muslims could pray the prayer of peril while fighting.

The scholars adduce from this — the fact that the Prophet ﷺ prayed the mid-afternoon prayer after its prescribed time — the validity of performing obligatory prayers after their time if it was missed.

It’s imperitive to understand that the Prophet ﷺ was not sinful for missing the prayer because the prayer of peril had not been legislated.

The pushback on using this hadith as evidence for the validity of making up obligatory prayers when omitted intentionally is the same pushback we mentioned previously; one can only make up a missed prayer if it was missed and one wasn’t sinful, as in this hadith and the one about missing it due to sleeping or forgetfulness, or here when the Prophet ﷺ was obviously not sinful for omitting the mid-afternoon prayer in its time.

We already addressed this contention when we spoke about making up missed fast days.

The making up of missed fast days was obligatory regardless of the reason (whether one was sinful or not for omitting those fast days), therefore the making up of missed prayers is also obligatory regardless of whether one was sinful or not for omitting them.

The attempt to specify the making up of acts of worship to those acts that were missed as a result of being omitted as a result of not being sinful contravenes the scholars’ consensus on this matter; a missed obligatory prayer must be made up regardless of why it was missed.

Self-Induced Vomiting in Ramadan

In a hadith narrated by Imam Ibn Majah, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Someone fasting who unintentionally vomits is not obliged to make up his fast, but whoever causes himself to vomit must make it up.”

The hadith above explains two eventualities for someone who vomits while fasting. If one vomited unintentionally, their fast is not invalidated. However, if one caused themselves to vomit intentionally, their fast is invalidated.

There is a scholarly consensus that when one inexcusably breaks their fast, they are obliged to make it up.

The hadith above is explicit in that anyone who nullifies their fast as a result of causing themselves to vomit must make it up.

This hadith presents a scenario: a person who is sinful for the nullification of their fast who is obliged to make it up.

The argument that making up obligatory prayers is only for the one who missed it without being sinful is, if not already addressed, decisively addressed here.

This hadith establishes that it is valid to make up a time-restricted act of worship, fasting or praying, after its time has expired, even if it was missed intentionally and one was sinful for doing so.

Interestingly, Ibn Hazm agrees with the majority that someone who intentionally vomits while fasting in Ramadan has committed a sin (i.e., is unexcused) and is still obliged to make up the fast.

So why should it not be obligatory for other unexcused persons to make up similar acts of worship, such as missed prayers?

The Implications of the Difference of Opinion

Just to recap, the scholarly consensus, as mentioned by Imam al-Nawawi, is that if someone intentionally misses an obligatory prayer, they must make it up.

The difference of opinion is less at the practical level, and more at the theoretical.

Ibn Hazm says they are not allowed to make it up. But what he requires of a person who intentionally omits an obligatory prayer is to perform an equivalent amount of supererogatory prayers and more, so as to be counted for his missed obligatory prayers on the Day of Judgement.

As he mentions in his book al-Muhalla: “There is a certain amount of good in the obligatory prayer and a certain amount in the supererogatory, so the cumulative amount of good when many supererogatory prayers are performed must equal some fraction or more of the amount in the obligatory prayer.”

So the difference of opinion goes back to the intention and the name of such a prayer one is making up. Do we call it supererogatory or a makeup prayer, and does the person praying it intend an unconditional supererogatory prayer to take the place of the missed obligatory prayer, or intend the missed obligatory prayer?

The first thing you will be asked about on the Day of Judgment is your obligatory prayers.

Do you want to be in debt to Allah on that day…?

Pay your debt to Allah, before it is too late.