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Prayer is one of the greatest obligations in Islam and the very pillar of the religion. A Muslim should never lose hope because of past shortcomings. Rather, they should turn back to Allah with sincere tawbah (repentance), maintain the current prayers carefully, and begin making up the missed prayers according to their ability.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever forgets a prayer or sleeps through it, its expiation is to pray it when he remembers it.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

Based on this and other evidence, the overwhelming majority of scholars from the four madhhabs held that missed obligatory prayers must be made up.

Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله said:

“Whoever is required to perform a missed prayer must make it up, whether it was missed due to an excuse or otherwise.” (Al-Majmūʿ)

Similarly, Ibn Qudāmah al-Ḥanbalī رحمه الله wrote:

Scholars are unanimously agreed that whoever misses prayers due to sleep or forgetfulness must make them up. Likewise, the majority held this regarding one who leaves them deliberately.” (Al-Mughnī)

If a person knows how many prayers they missed, they should make up that exact number. If they do not know the exact number, they should estimate to the best of their ability and continue until they feel reasonably confident that their obligation has been fulfilled.

Shaykh Ibn ʿArabī al-Mālikī رحمه الله said regarding one who neglected prayers:

“His repentance is to make up those prayers and remain occupied with them day and night according to his ability.” (Quoted in al-Tāj wa al-Iklīl)

A practical way of making up prayers is to pray additional qaḍāʾ prayers every day alongside the current obligatory prayers. For example:

• one missed Fajr with the current Fajr,
• one missed Ẓuhr with the current Ẓuhr,
  and so on.

If a person is able to do more, that is better, as long as it does not severely affect their health, work, or necessary livelihood.

The Mālikī and Ḥanbalī scholars generally emphasised making up missed prayers immediately. Imām al-Nawawī noted that many Shāfiʿī scholars also considered immediate make-up obligatory when prayers were missed without excuse.

Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله stated:

“If the prayer was missed without excuse, then the stronger opinion is that it must be made up immediately.”  (Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn)

As for maintaining order between missed prayers, the scholars differed:

• The Mālikīs and Ḥanbalīs generally considered order obligatory.
• The Ḥanafīs required it when the missed prayers were few.
• The Shāfiʿīs regarded it as recommended, not obligatory.

Therefore, the following order is preferable when possible, but if it becomes difficult, the qaḍāʾ prayers are still valid according to many scholars.

It is also important to note that if the time of the current prayer is ending, the present prayer should be prayed first before continuing with qaḍāʾ prayers.

Finally, one should never despair of Allah’s mercy. Allah accepts sincere repentance, and consistency is beloved to Him. Even if the number of missed prayers is many, beginning today is better than delaying further.

May Allah accept our repentance, strengthen us in preserving prayer, and forgive our shortcomings.