Answered by: Alimah Habiba Akhtar
Question:
I would like to ask a question regarding missed salah and from what age should I make up all the missed salah.
1 – From what age is salah absolutely obligatory that you have to do all 5 daily prayers without excuse?
2 – I started praying properly on a consistent basis in July 2017 but before this date, I would rarely pray. I would pray some salahs here and there but have no record of the ones I have missed so I don’t have an accurate figure of how many salah I have missed.
So this question ties with question 1, from what age is salah obligatory so then I can calculate the number of days from when salah was obligatory for myself up to July 2017 which is the number of days of praying salah I have missed?
Please can you advise on both of the above questions and what I should do?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Salah is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Allah SWT says:
“And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow” (1)
As this is a command of Allah SWT, it is compulsory to perform prayers our entire lives.
Who and when do you pray?
Salah is compulsory on the following:
- Sane
- Mature
- Muslim
(2)
Therefore, once one reaches puberty which in the case of a female is generally menstruation, they are obliged to perform their daily prayers.
From the date of reaching puberty, every prayer will be accounted for except those missed during Haydh (3).
Thus, in response to your first queries, you begin praying and accounting for your prayers from the date of maturity. Any missed prayers should be calculated and should be crossed off. This is the level of responsibility we must take as it is a compulsory element of the shariah, due to this we must be very cautious not only in maintaining our prayers in recording the missed prayers and what’s been fulfilled.
If the recorded prayers have not been listed or there is no record, it is better to pray it again to ensure there are no discrepancies.
Only Allah knows best
Written by Alimah Habiba Akhtar
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
(1)
(وَأَقِیمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱرۡكَعُوا۟ مَعَ ٱلرَّ ٰكِعِینَ)
[Surah Al-Baqarah 43]
(2)
شروط وجوبها يشترط لفرضيتها ثلاثة أشياء الإسلام والبلوغ والعقل
(Nurul Idah, Wasim Charkawi, Page 121)
(3)
ما يحرم بالحيض والنفاس ويحرم بالحيض والنفاس ثمانية الصلاة والصوم