How do I make up missed prayers?
You make up a missed prayer by praying it as soon as you remember, with the same number of rakat, in the same way as usual. This is called qada. If you have many missed prayers, make a simple plan and pray a few extra each day, alongside a sincere repentance.
Pray it when you remember
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever forgets a prayer, let him pray it when he remembers it; there is no expiation for it except that" (Sahih al-Bukhari 597). He then recited:
So if you overslept Fajr or a meeting ran past Asr, pray it as soon as you can. You don't need to wait for the same time the next day.
How to do it
- Same form: a missed Dhuhr is 4 rakat, Maghrib 3, Fajr 2. A prayer missed while traveling is made up shortened (2 rakat), according to most scholars.
- Intention: in your heart, intend "Dhuhr that I missed". You don't have to say it out loud.
- Order: if you missed only a few, pray them in order before the current prayer, unless the current prayer's time is about to run out. The Hanafi and Maliki schools stress keeping the order; the Shafi'is see it as recommended.
- Any time: most scholars allow make-up prayers even at times when voluntary prayer is disliked, such as after Asr.
What about years of missed prayers?
The majority of scholars, including the four schools, say every missed obligatory prayer is a debt that must be made up, even if it was missed on purpose. Some scholars, like Ibn Taymiyyah, held that prayers abandoned deliberately for years can't really be "made up", and that the way back is sincere repentance plus lots of voluntary prayer. Both views agree on one thing: start praying the five prayers on time now.
A practical plan many people use is to pray one make-up prayer after each current one, so you clear a full day's worth every day. Count roughly, round up, and keep going without stress. See Will Allah forgive me if I keep committing the same sin?
What you don't make up
- Prayers from before you became Muslim. Islam wipes the slate clean. See Are all my sins forgiven when I become Muslim?
- Prayers during your period or post-natal bleeding. Aisha said women were told to make up missed fasts, not prayers (Sahih Muslim 335). See Do I have to pray while on my period?
- Prayers missed while unconscious for a long time, according to many scholars.
- Pray a missed prayer as soon as you remember it.
- Make it up with the same number of rakat.
- For many missed prayers, pray a few extra every day.
- Converts don't make up prayers from before Islam.
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