Scholarly Consensus on Making-Up Past Missed Prayers  

I was watching the questions and answer show on the Islam channel. Shaykh XYZ answered a question regarding qaza salah. He said you don’t need to make up the salahs you have missed because Allah doesn’t accept the qaza of the salah that you didn't perform when you could have done so. I think he quoted from the Qur’an. He said it’s a burden you are putting on yourself and Allah is merciful, so just ask for forgiveness and do more voluntary ibadah. Can you tell me if this is true if you do have to make up for your salah can you give me evidence please and also do you have to do your qaza after that certain salah e.g.. doing qaza of fajr after fajr.

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate

There is well-established scholarly consensus (ijma`) that missed obligatory prayers must be made up. [Nawawi, al-Majmu`]

From Imam Nawawi’s Riyad al-Salihin (‘Garden’s of the Righteous’) [tr. Ustadha Ayesha Bewley], the following:

386. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah Almighty says, 'I have declared war against anyone who shows enmity towards a friend of Mine. My slave does not draw near to Me with anything I love more than what I made obligatory for him. Then My slave continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory actions until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight by which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. If he asks of Me, I give to him. If he seeks refuge with Me, I give him refuge.'" [al-Bukhari]

Consistency is better than burning yourself out, and leaving the endeavour altogether.

Advice from Shaykh Faraz Rabbani about making-up past prayers:

“Our makeup prayers are also going to be judged by Allah, and we will be rewarded or punished for them. Thus, while we should pray them at a steady, consistent, and fast pace, one should not rush one’s prayer.

Most rushing only fuels one’s delusions and desire to be ‘busy’: experience shows that people who make up the most prayers tend to be those who find sweetness and presence of heart in their prayer, and it is this that fuels their determination and enables them to actually make them up as they should.

Organize your time, make a schedule of make up prayers that you stick to, and perform both your confirmed sunna prayers, which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) essentially never left, as well as your makeup prayers.”

With respect to your last question about maintaining order, please see:

Observing Order in Make-Ups

Please see the following links in answer to your question about make-ups:

Not Making Up Missed Prayers: Is it an option?

Nawawi on making up missed prayers: scholarly consensus

My Mother has 30 Years of Prayers to makeup: Can she make the expiatory payments instead?

Missed Prayers

Missed Prayers: Hanbali Dispensation?

Qada prayers

Can I skip making up missed prayers by taking a [non-existent] 'Hanbali dispensation'?

The Disliked Times for Makeup Prayers

Qadha, Displacement of Du'a Qunoot, Qunoot Nazila

My Intention In Makeup's: Do I Have to Specify?

Makeup Prayers: Adhans, Iqamas & Not Talking About Them

Too Many Make-Ups to Pray Sunnahs

Wassalam,

SunniPath Fiqh Team