In a hadeeth it states that a child should be made to pray at the age of of 7 years and at the age of 10 years he should be beaten, if he does not pray. I was told by a scholar it is obligatory to pray from the age of 10. I am 21 years old and wish to make up all salah in the past.1) Could you explain if I need to make salah from the age of 10 or when I became mature? I wish to make up for all prayers between 1990 (10 years old) and 2001 (21 years old). I have made a timetable to follow in order for me know how many prayers to complete and have completed. I have two problems 2) how do I make my intention? Meaning do I make the intention to make up the lost prayer e.g. 01/01/1990 for Fajr (be specific), or generally make an intention for a missed salah, and then pray? 3) I have prayed my salah between 1990-2001, but I feel many prayers were not accepted (some not all) due to reasons that make salah invalid and some I am just not sure about (praying to fast, not concertrating). I wish to redo all these salah (the ones I did and did not). Can I do this? I wish to account for every salah? So do I pray qadah for this? 4) If some prayers were accepted and I repeat them any way, can these repeats be accepted for another missed salah? If not, is this salah then nafil? 5) If I prayed a salah and I made qadah for it, which one will be accepted (even if the salah was done not to the best of ability but still valid, but qadah salah was prayed in the most excellent manner)?
Maa shaa Allah, your concern for your Qadhaas (completion of the missed
Salaats) is commendable. May Allah Ta’ala make it easy for you to fulfil it.
The manner of completion is as follows:
a) Calculate the number of Fardh Salaats only missed from the time you
became mature up till now. The Witr Salaats is also included (6 Salaats per
day = 180 Salaats per months = 2160 per year)
b) Deduct the Salaats missed during the ‘monthly cycle’ as there is no Qadha
for the Salaat missed during the monthly cycle. Try and determine the number
of the missed Salaats.
c) The number of fasts missed from the age of maturity should be calculated
and completed.
d) The money that you had paid will not suffice for the completion, rather,
it will count as optional charity for which you will be rewarded, Insha
Allah.
Word of Advice
Thank Allah for giving you the concern to complete your missed Salaats.
Allah Ta’ala wants to bring you closer to him. How would you face Allah on
the day of Qiyaamat should you pass away without making the Qadhaas. The big
figures that you might see should not break your courage. Rather, Shaytaan
is going to work on your mind harder now to take you away from this great
step that you would be taking towards getting closer to Allah Ta’ala.
An easy method of fulfilling your Qadhaas is that from now on and after each
Fardh Salaat of the day, read one Qadhaa Slaats of the same kind, e.g. after
you discharge the Dhuhr of today, just read one Dhuhr Qadhaa Salaat of 4
Rakaats. There is no Qadhaa for the Sunnats and Nafls missed. There is no
need to redo the Salaats which you have performed. Your intention for Qadhaa
will be as follows: ‘I intend making Qadhaa of my missed Salaat.’
If you are in a habit of reading Nafl Salaat, rather perform your Qadhaa
Salaats instead. This is your priority. Make maximum use of the big nights,
big days, etc. that fall during the course of the year. For your Qadhaa
fasts, try and fast once or twice a week and complete it.
Lastly, make lots of Du’aa to Allah Ta’ala to make it easy for you, for He
is the solution to all our matters.
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
FATWA DEPT.