Is it permissible to sleep before prayer if one is overcome by sleep, and then pray after waking up? And what is the ruling if food is presented at the time of prayer? And how is the Maghrib prayer made up for someone who remembers it at the time of the ‘Isha’ call to prayer?
It is not permissible for a Muslim to delay prayer beyond its prescribed time without a valid excuse. However, severe drowsiness allows for delaying the prayer until the middle or end of its time, but not beyond the time limit. If there is sufficient time for the drowsiness to clear and for one to be able to pray, then one should lie down. If time is short and one knows that sleep will overtake them, then they should pray and strive to perform their prayer correctly. If they manage to fulfill the obligation, then good; otherwise, they should make it up after they wake up.
As for the presence of food, the principle is to prioritize eating over prayer if one's soul craves it, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "If dinner is served and the prayer is established, begin with dinner," and his saying: "There is no prayer in the presence of food, nor when one is resisting the two impurities (urine and feces)." If the Maghrib prayer is missed and remembered at the time of the 'Isha' adhan, it should be prayed before 'Isha' with the intention of performing it (on time).
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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