Is it obligatory for someone who has missed prayers for years to make them up, or is it permissible to offer a monetary expiation for them, and what is the amount of this expiation?
Prayer is the second pillar of Islam, and abandoning it carries severe warnings in the Qur'an and Sunnah. It is the first thing a servant will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgment. Whoever abandons prayer, denying its obligation, is considered a disbeliever by consensus. However, regarding one who abandons it out of laziness, scholars have differed, and the majority opinion is that they are not considered a disbeliever. One who abandons prayer out of laziness must make up all the prayers they missed; paying a sum of money instead is not sufficient. They must hasten to make up these prayers according to their capacity.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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