Question: Can one make up prayers for a family member?
Answer:
Dear questioner,
Thank you for your important question.
May Allah reward you for your pious intentions.
It is not permissible to pray (salat) on behalf of any individual, whether alive or deceased. There is no text in the Sacred Law allowing such a thing, unlike Umra’ and Hajj.
“Abdullah bin Buraida’ narrated from his father who said: A woman came to the Prophet and said: ‘My mother died and she did not perform Hajj, should I perform Hajj on her behalf?’ He said: ‘Yes, perform Hajj on her behalf.’” [Bukhari, Tirmidhi]
The Obligatory Prayer (Fard Salat) is in the individual account (dhimma) of every legally responsible believer (mukallaf). The onus is on the individual to make it up before they pass away. [Tahtawi, Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah]
For the deceased family member, one may give expiatory payments (fidya) on their behalf. For more information on this please see:
You should advise your family member to make a schedule of their missed prayers and encourage them to make them up.
Please see: seekersguidance.org/answers/hanafi-fiqh/a-reader-on-missed-prayers/
And Allah alone knows best.
[Ustadh] Omar Popal
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani