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Is it permissible to make up missed prayers at distant intervals, while delaying the making up of some prayers for a long time?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Prayer holds a great status in Islam, and it is the first thing a servant will be questioned about on the Day of Judgment. The majority of scholars believe in the obligation of immediately making up missed prayers, whether they were missed intentionally or due to forgetfulness. A Muslim must continue to make up these prayers until he is reasonably certain that he has fulfilled his obligation. Ibn al-Arabi said: "The repentance of one who has been negligent in his prayers is to make them up night and day, and to prioritize them over the superfluities of his livelihood." Ibn Qudamah said: "If one has many missed prayers, he should busy himself with making them up, as long as it does not cause him hardship in his body or wealth. If he does not know the exact number of prayers he owes, he should repeat them until he is certain that he has fulfilled his obligation." It is not permissible to limit oneself to making up only one day's prayers if more can be made up. If some prayers are made up and others are not, the made-up prayers are not invalidated, but you incur sin for delaying the make-up of the others.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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