Qada Prayer: How to Make Up Missed Prayers

Qada Prayer: What Does Islam Say About Making Up Missed Prayers?

A qada prayer is a missed prayer performed after its normal time has expired, whether it was missed through sleep, forgetfulness, or negligence; making it up is an obligation recognised by the majority of scholars of the four schools of law.

You'll also see this written as qada salah or qadha salah (different transliterations of the same Arabic term, قضاء), and the rules for how to pray qada salah correctly are identical whichever spelling you use. Missed prayers in Islam are never simply dropped: each one must eventually be made up, or resolved through the specific case of sincere repentance covered further down this article.

The main basis for this obligation is the Prophet's ﷺ statement: "Whoever forgets a prayer, he should pray it when he remembers it; there is no expiation for it except that," narrated by Anas ibn Malik, reported by Al-Bukhari (597) and Muslim (684) with slight variation. In the Bukhari narration, the Prophet ﷺ followed this statement by reciting the verse "…and establish prayer for My remembrance" [Surah Ta-Ha: 14], tying the obligation to make up a forgotten prayer directly back to the Qur'anic purpose of prayer itself.

Something that reassures a lot of people: Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) recounts how, during a journey, the Prophet ﷺ and his companions fell into a deep sleep after a long night's march and missed the Fajr prayer, which was only performed after sunrise. When some of the companions grew worried, the Prophet ﷺ said: "There is no negligence in sleep. Negligence lies with the one who does not pray until the time of the next prayer comes. Whoever finds himself in that situation should pray as soon as he remembers!" This is authentic, narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. In other words, falling asleep unintentionally is not a fault; only staying awake and deliberately delaying the prayer is.

A Strong Historical Proof: The Battle of the Trench

One of the strongest proofs for the obligation to make up missed prayers in order comes from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): "The polytheists prevented the Prophet ﷺ from performing four prayers on the day of the Trench (Khandaq). He then ordered Bilal to call the adhan, and prayed Dhuhr, then Asr, then Maghrib, then Isha." This is individually graded Da'if by Darussalam in Sunan An-Nasa'i (662), but authenticated by Al-Albani as Sahih li-ghairihi (authentic through corroboration), on the strength of also being reported by At-Tirmidhi (179) and Ahmad (3555).

In a separate episode, also during the siege of the Trench, Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports: Umar ibn Al-Khattab grew angry at the polytheists of Quraysh and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I nearly wasn't able to pray Asr before the sun was almost setting." The Prophet ﷺ replied: "By Allah, I have not prayed it either." They went down to the valley of Buthan, the Prophet ﷺ performed ablution, they did likewise, then he prayed Asr after sunset, before praying Maghrib normally straight after. This is authentic, narrated by Al-Bukhari (596) and Muslim (631). This episode shows that a made-up prayer is performed with a fresh ablution, and that the following prayer is then performed as normal, without needing to be repeated.

What the Four Schools of Law Say

All four schools agree on the principle of the obligation to make up missed prayers itself; the disagreement concerns immediacy and order, not the obligation itself.

The Special Case of Prolonged, Deliberate Neglect

The majority of jurists of the four schools hold that missed prayers must be made up, whether they were missed with an excuse (sleep, forgetfulness, illness) or without one (deliberate neglect).

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him), a view shared by some Hanbali scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah, held that someone who deliberately abandons prayer, while acknowledging its obligation, cannot truly "make it up"; the qada would not be accepted from him, and he should instead increase his voluntary prayers and sincerely repent.

The most cautious position: someone who has neglected prayer out of laziness should repent and progressively make up everything missed; this is the majority view, and the one that brings the greatest peace of mind.

Once made up, the prayer still needs to be performed correctly in its movements and recitations. See: How to Pray in Islam: A Complete Guide →

How to Make Up Missed Salah, Step by Step

Whether you call it qada, making up missed salah, or simply catching up on a missed prayer, learning how to pray missed salah correctly comes down to five consistent steps.

Step 1: The Intention

A prayer without intention is not valid. When making up a missed prayer, form the specific intention in your heart: "I am making up the obligatory Dhuhr," for example. There's no need to say it out loud; the intention resides in the heart. Important reminder: a made-up prayer requires valid ablution, exactly like an on-time prayer. See the complete guide to wudu in Islam →

Step 2: Estimate the Number of Missed Prayers

• If you know the exact number, make up precisely that many.
• If you don't know it, keep making up prayers until you have a reasonable conviction that you've cleared your debt to Allah.
• It's recommended to note down each day what you've made up, to track your progress.

Step 3: Respecting the Order

Between the missed prayers themselves: start with the earliest one. If you owe Fajr, Dhuhr and Asr from the same day, start with Fajr, then Dhuhr, then Asr, as the Prophet ﷺ did for the four missed prayers during the siege of the Trench.

Between a missed prayer and the current one: if the current prayer's time is at risk of expiring while you're making up a missed one, prioritise the current prayer, then make up the missed one afterwards. The schools agree on this point.

Step 4: A Daily Practice

A practical method for gradual catch-up, suited to someone with few missed prayers or limited motivation, is to add one missed prayer after each current prayer. For example:

• After the current Fajr → make up a missed Fajr
• After the current Dhuhr → make up a missed Dhuhr
• And so on for the other prayers

If you want to speed things up, there's nothing stopping you from making up several prayers in a single sitting, as long as it doesn't harm your health or your essential life obligations.

Step 5: Consistency Until You're Fully Cleared

Making up missed prayers isn't something you pause or postpone indefinitely. Consistency is obligatory until everything has been completed.

According to the majority of Malikis, making up prayers should happen without delay, barring a legitimate excuse, as reported in Bannani's commentary on the Charh Zarqani on the Mukhtasar of Khalil. Ibn Rushd nuances this in Al-Bayan, however: the time for a forgotten prayer isn't as strictly bound as a normal prayer time (such as sunset for Asr); the requirement of speed is mainly there to avoid being caught off guard by death, which allows for a reasonable delay so long as you remain confident you'll be able to fulfil it.

In practice: start making up missed prayers as soon as you're able (whether right after Fajr or at another point in the day), without putting it off according to your mood while you still have the ability to act. Delaying it this way keeps the prayer valid but is still a sin.

What Order to Make Up Missed Prayers In

This is the most-searched question on this topic, and the answer depends on two distinct rules: the order between the missed prayers themselves, and the order between a missed prayer and the current one.

Rule 1: Between the Missed Prayers Themselves

The original chronological order must be respected: the earliest one first. This is the position of the Hanafis, Malikis and Hanbalis, based on the Prophet's ﷺ example during the siege of the Trench (Dhuhr, then Asr, then Maghrib, then Isha, in that order). The Shafi'is consider this order recommended, not obligatory: starting with Isha before Maghrib would still be valid for them, though discouraged.

Rule 2: Between a Missed Prayer and the Current One

If the current prayer's time is at risk of running out completely while you're busy making up a missed one, prioritise the current prayer, then make up the missed one afterwards. If there's still plenty of time left, on the other hand, start with the missed prayer to respect chronological order, the position of the Hanafis, Malikis and Hanbalis.

Making Up Days or Years of Missed Prayers

This is the most frequently searched case, and it involves a genuine disagreement among contemporary scholars that's worth understanding.

Repentance First: A Step You Should Never Skip

Before anything else, sincere repentance is obligatory and independent of the question of making up prayers. Its conditions are:

1. Sincere regret over what was neglected
2. Immediately stopping the abandonment of prayer
3. A firm resolve not to go back to it

Is Repentance Enough to Wipe Out Missed Prayers?

Sheikh Ibn Baz's position on the extreme case of abandonment equated with disbelief: in a well-known fatwa, he held that for someone who abandons prayer to this extent, sincere repentance is sufficient without any obligation to make up what was missed, basing this on the fact that the Prophet ﷺ did not ask someone who converted after apostasy to make up what they had missed, and on the verse: "But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance" [Surah Ta-Ha: 82].

The majority position (Hanafis, Malikis, Shafi'is and the majority of Hanbalis) in the case of simple laziness: someone who has neglected prayer while acknowledging its obligation must repent and make it up progressively. Repentance alone does not clear the prayer debt in this case.

A Practical Plan for Years of Missed Prayers

If you're following the majority view (the most cautious for peace of mind), here's the plan:

1. Estimate the number of years during which you abandoned prayer, fully or partially
2. Roughly calculate the number of missed prayers (one year = 365 days × 5 prayers = 1,825 prayers)
3. Set a daily schedule: for example, 5 catch-up prayers a day on top of your current prayers = a full year made up in one year
4. Don't stop: consistency is what matters, even if the pace is slow
5. Increase your voluntary prayers alongside this: they make up for imperfections in obligatory prayers

Note: someone who sincerely intends to make up everything they owe using this method, and is then overtaken by death before finishing, will have their deeds judged according to their intentions; Allah's mercy is vast. Voluntary prayers, meanwhile, never replace a missed obligation, however many there are; they make up for imperfections, they don't substitute for it.

Ibn Al-Arabi al-Maliki (as reported by Mayyara in Al-Mawrid al-Mu'in) said: "The repentance of someone who has neglected their prayer consists of making it up, without pairing a missed prayer with each current one, without interrupting their voluntary prayers for it, but devoting themselves to it night and day, putting it before anything superfluous in their livelihood and worldly affairs, letting nothing take priority over it except the necessity of sustenance."

Important note: Ibn al-Arabi recommends dedicating genuine, continuous blocks of time to catching up (night and day), rather than limiting yourself to pairing one missed prayer with each current one, since that latter method can be far too slow for someone many years behind. The Step 4 method (one missed prayer per current one) suits someone with few missed prayers or limited motivation; anyone able to do more should prioritise dedicated blocks of time, like Omar Abdul Kafi's method described above.

The best way to avoid building up missed prayers is to make sure you perform them on time in the first place. To understand why this matters so much: The Importance of Praying on Time, in Light of the Hadiths →

Special Cases: Work, Illness, Travel

Missed Fajr Prayer: The Most Common Case

Of the five daily prayers, Fajr is by far the one most often missed, not usually through neglect but through deep sleep before dawn, exactly as happened to the Prophet ﷺ and his companions on the journey described earlier in this article. If this happens to you:

• Make up the missed Fajr prayer as soon as you wake up, even if the sun has already risen. See the FAQ below for the exact ruling on timing.
• Don't treat yourself as having sinned if the oversleeping was genuinely unintentional: the Prophet ﷺ was explicit that "there is no negligence in sleep," only in staying awake and delaying deliberately.
• If a missed Fajr prayer is a recurring pattern rather than a one-off, the practical fix is upstream: a reliable alarm set to the actual Fajr time for your location, since a generic fixed alarm drifts out of sync as sunrise shifts through the year.

For the exact cut-off where Fajr tips over into qada, see What Time Does Fajr End? → And for what makes this prayer worth protecting in the first place: The Benefits and Merits of the Fajr Prayer →

Making Up a Prayer Missed Because of Work

If a work commitment made you miss a prayer (an unexpected meeting, travel, imposed hours), the general rule applies: make it up as soon as possible, in chronological order relative to other missed prayers, and either before or after the current prayer depending on whether its time is at risk of expiring. No rule applies differently for a work-related excuse compared with ordinary forgetfulness; the only practical difference is arranging, in advance where possible, a moment during the day to pray discreetly if your workplace allows it.

Making Up Prayers While Travelling

A traveller who missed prayers during their journey makes them up in shortened form (two rak'ahs instead of four) if they were travelling at the time the prayers were missed, according to the majority of scholars. If they've since returned home, they make them up in full according to the Hanafis and Shafi'is, and in shortened form according to the Malikis and Hanbalis.

Making Up Prayers When Ill

Someone who missed prayers due to fainting or loss of consciousness:

• The majority: makes up what was missed upon waking, if the loss of consciousness didn't exceed a day and a night.
• The Hanafis: no need to make up if the loss of consciousness exceeded five prayers.
• The Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis: makes up regardless of how long the loss of consciousness lasted.

The underlying principle behind this disagreement (that the obligation is lifted during the loss of consciousness itself) is unanimously agreed on, based on Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him): "The pen is lifted from three: the child until puberty, the sleeper until he wakes, and the insane person until he regains his senses." This is an authentic chain, narrated by Abu Dawud (4403), graded Sahih by Al-Albani, and At-Tirmidhi. A concrete precedent supports the position that doesn't require making up prayers after a prolonged loss of consciousness: according to Nafi', "Ibn Umar was ill for several days to the point of losing awareness of prayer; once he recovered and regained consciousness, he did not make up what he had missed." This is established, reported by Abd Ar-Razzaq and Ad-Daraqutni.

Making Up a Missed Congregational Prayer

Someone who missed the congregational prayer at the mosque should pray alone at its time; there's no need to "make up the congregation" itself, since it's a condition of perfection, not of validity, according to the majority. However, someone who missed the prayer altogether must make it up, and it's recommended to do so in a group if possible. To learn more about the merit and rules of congregational prayer: Congregational Prayer in Islam →

Worked Example: Missed Asr, Maghrib and Isha in One Day

This scenario is very common: a whole day, or part of one, goes by without you praying Asr, Maghrib and Isha, because of deep sleep, an unexpected event, or forgetfulness. Here's the detailed, step-by-step answer.

1. The Order of Making Up

The principle is to make up the missed prayers in their original chronological order: Asr first, then Maghrib, then Isha. This is the majority position (Hanafis, Malikis, Hanbalis), based on the Prophet's ﷺ example of making up, in order, the four prayers missed during the siege of the Trench. The Shafi'is consider this order recommended rather than obligatory: starting with Isha before Maghrib would still be valid for them, though discouraged.

In practical terms: start with Asr (4 rak'ahs), then Maghrib (3 rak'ahs), then Isha (4 rak'ahs). Don't change this order unless necessary.

2. The Intention for Each Prayer

Each of the three prayers has its own intention, formed in the heart:

• To make up Asr: "I am making up the obligatory Asr."
• To make up Maghrib: "I am making up the obligatory Maghrib."
• To make up Isha: "I am making up the obligatory Isha."

There's no need to say it out loud. It's enough to keep in mind the name of the prayer and the fact that it's a qada prayer rather than an on-time one.

3. Can You Combine These Three Prayers?

Legal combining (jam') is, in principle, conditional on an excuse of travel, heavy rain or illness. But making up missed prayers isn't called "combining" in the fiqh sense; it's the successive performance of independent prayers. So:

• It is permitted to make up Asr, Maghrib and Isha in a single, uninterrupted sitting; this isn't called combining, but successive making-up.
• It is not permitted to merge two intentions into a single set of rak'ahs; each prayer must be performed in full, with its own number of rak'ahs and its own independent intention.
• If you were travelling when these prayers were missed, you make up the four-rak'ah prayers (Asr and Isha) in shortened form of two rak'ahs, according to the majority.

4. What If I Remember the Next Day?

Remembering the next day doesn't change the rules: making up the prayer is obligatory as soon as you remember, whether that's an hour, a day, or a week later. One important detail, though:

• If you remember before Fajr: make up Asr, Maghrib and Isha in order first, then pray the current Fajr at its time.
• If you remember after daybreak and Fajr's time is close to expiring: prioritise the current Fajr so as not to miss it, then make up the three prayers afterwards, in order.
• If you remember at Dhuhr time or later: pray the current obligation first, at its time, then make up the three missed prayers afterwards. There's no harm in delaying the catch-up to perform the current prayer first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make up Asr, Maghrib and Isha missed on the same day?

Make them up in order: Asr first (4 rak'ahs), then Maghrib (3 rak'ahs), then Isha (4 rak'ahs). Each prayer has its own intention formed in the heart. You can make them up in a single, uninterrupted sitting without this being considered a forbidden combining of prayers. If you remember the next day and a current prayer is at risk of being missed, prioritise it, then make up the three prayers in order afterwards.

What if I remember I missed Dhuhr while praying Asr behind the imam?

Continue praying Asr with the imam to the end; don't interrupt it. Once it's finished, pray the forgotten Dhuhr first, then repeat the Asr you've just prayed with the imam (since it took place before Dhuhr, which precedes it in order). This is what an established report from Ibn Umar states on this exact question.

Can you pray a missed prayer the next day at the same time?

No, that's a very weak and incorrect view. A missed prayer is made up as soon as you remember it or wake up, whether or not its usual time has passed; you're not allowed to wait until the next day to make it up alongside the equivalent prayer. The proof is explicit: "Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it should pray it as soon as he remembers it."

Does making up a prayer after a later one cancel out the good deeds of the day?

No, the good deeds of the day remain recorded, regardless of the reason for the delay (forgetfulness, redoing a prayer after invalid ablution, negligence or sleep). What matters is that the prayer itself is valid; if the delay was due to negligence, the person should repent and resolve not to repeat it.

Can you make up a missed prayer during the discouraged times?

Yes, it's permitted to make up a missed prayer during the times when voluntary prayers are discouraged (after Fajr and after Asr), according to the majority of jurists, because this restriction concerns voluntary prayers, not obligations. The Prophet ﷺ himself made up the Dhuhr sunnah after Asr, and said: "Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it should pray it as soon as he remembers it." Remembering can perfectly well happen during a discouraged time.

Do you have to make up missed sunnah prayers?

No, it isn't obligatory, but it's recommended. The Prophet ﷺ made up the Dhuhr sunnah after Asr on a day he'd been prevented from praying it. Regarding Witr, Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "If anyone sleeps before praying Witr or forgets it, let him pray it once he remembers it." This is authentic, reported by Ibn Majah, At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ahmad, also reported by Abu Dawud in his Sunan (no. 1431), authenticated by Sheikh Al-Albani in Sahih Abi Dawud. For Witr, then, this recommendation is explicitly established by a hadith, rather than being a simple analogy. Important point: Witr is normally prayed in an odd number of rak'ahs, but when it's made up during the day, it's prayed in an even number instead.

What if I don't know the exact number of missed prayers?

Keep making up prayers until you have a reasonable conviction that you've cleared your debt. Absolute certainty about the number isn't required; a reasonable conviction is enough. It's advisable to make up a few extra as a precaution, and to increase your voluntary prayers.

Can Fajr be made up after sunrise?

Yes, it must be made up as soon as you wake up or remember, even after sunrise. The explicit proof is the hadith: "Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it should pray it as soon as he remembers it." It's recommended to wait until the sun has risen a little (roughly a quarter of an hour after sunrise) to avoid the discouraged time, according to those who hold that view. Unlike other missed prayers, the two-rak'ah sunnah of Fajr is prayed first in this case, followed by the obligatory Fajr. This is how the Prophet ﷺ himself made it up after oversleeping, see Sunan Abi Dawud 437.

Can you make up a missed prayer by praying in congregation?

Yes, if you attend a congregational prayer while you owe missed prayers, you can intend to make up a missed prayer by praying with the imam (whether it's the same type of prayer or not), provided the current prayer isn't itself an obligation due from you at that moment. This is the position of the majority of scholars.

Are missed prayers cancelled after death?

They're lifted upon a person's death, and no one can pray on their behalf after they've passed away, according to the majority of jurists, since prayer is a physical act of worship that doesn't admit representation. Relatives can supplicate and ask forgiveness for the deceased, and their good deeds along with sincere repentance can wipe out their sins.

Useful Sources

• sunnah.com: "whoever forgets a prayer, he should pray it when he remembers it" with the Qur'anic recitation of Ta-Ha 14 (Sahih al-Bukhari 597)
• Ad-Durar As-Saniyyah: commentary on the hadith "whoever forgets a prayer or sleeps through it..."
• sunnah.com: corroborating narration from Anas ibn Malik, "he performs it when he remembers it" (Sunan Ibn Majah 695, graded Sahih by Darussalam)
• Ad-Durar As-Saniyyah: commentary on the hadith of the four prayers made up on the day of the Trench
• sunnah.com: Ibn Mas'ud's narration of the four prayers made up on the day of the Trench (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 179, graded Hasan by Darussalam) and Sunan An-Nasa'i 662 (graded Da'if individually by Darussalam, Sahih li-ghairihi by Al-Albani through corroboration)
• sunnah.com: the episode of Umar and Asr prayed after sunset (Sahih al-Bukhari 596) and Sahih Muslim 631
• Ad-Durar As-Saniyyah: commentary on the hadith "the pen is lifted from three" and sunnah.com: Sunan Abi Dawud 4403, graded Sahih by Al-Albani
• Established report from Ibn Umar (via Nafi') on making up a forgotten prayer while praying behind an imam: Al-Awsat by Ibn al-Mundhir (3/119), reported by Abd Ar-Razzaq, At-Tahawi and Ad-Daraqutni
• hadeethenc.com: the full account of Abu Qatadah on the missed Fajr while travelling (authentic, Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
• sunnah.com: Abu Dawud's version specifying the sunnah of Fajr was prayed before the obligatory prayer (Sunan Abi Dawud 437, graded Sahih by Al-Albani)
• Established report from Ibn Umar on not making up prayers after a prolonged loss of consciousness due to illness: Al-Awsat by Ibn al-Mundhir (4/453), reported by Abd Ar-Razzaq and Ad-Daraqutni
• Hadith "there is no negligence in sleep," from Abu Qatadah: authentic, reported by Muslim (681) in more detail, and by At-Tirmidhi (177), graded Hasan Sahih by At-Tirmidhi and Sahih by Darussalam
• Sheikh Ibn Baz's fatwa on making up abandoned prayers after repentance
• hadeethenc.com: hadith on making up missed Witr (Ibn Majah, At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ahmad)