Answered by SunniPath Answer Service Team
A few years ago, I had a strong period of weakness during which I missed obligatory prayers. I am currently in a phase where I am looking to draw nearer to God. My question is: can I proceed with daily dhikr, Al-Ma’thurat for instance, and pray make-up prayers or give all my time to making up missed prayers?
Wa Alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate
Consistency is better than burning yourself out, and leaving the endeavour altogether.
Advice from Shaykh Faraz Rabbani about making-up past prayers:
“Our makeup prayers are also going to be judged by Allah, and we will be rewarded or punished for them. Thus, while we should pray them at a steady, consistent, and fast pace, one should not rush one’s prayer.
Most rushing only fuels one’s delusions and desire to be busy’: experience shows that people who make up the most prayers tend to be those who find sweetness and presence of heart in their prayer, and it is this that fuels their determination and enables them to actually make them up as they should.
Organize your time, make a schedule of make up prayers that you stick to, and perform both your confirmed sunna prayers, which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) essentially never left, as well as your makeup prayers.”
Please search the Sunni Path Hanafi Fiqh archives at www.SunniPath.com for details on the fiqh of making up missed prayers.
Wassalam,
Sunni Path QA Team