The Clear Evidence

Ulama of the Muslim Ummah agree that it is a big sin to skip Salah deliberately. The sin of skipping Salah is greater than adultery, theft and drinking wine. One should ensure that all his Salah are offered on time, and if he, sometime, could not offer Salah on time, he should make Qadha of that Salah immediately. It is our and our Ualama’s responsibility to try our best to make, every person of the Muslim Ummah, punctual to offer Salah on time, and our Salah should be offered with all solemnity and full submissiveness because it is the only key for our and all mankind’s success in the Hereafter. As the Creator of the whole Universe has said in Surah al-Muminoon, (1-11).

What is the Shari’ah ruling in the light of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah about the people who fully neglect Salah or they offer only Friday and Eid Prayers or offer Salah without punctuality? A well-known Saudi religious scholar Sheikh Muhammad bin Salih al-Othaymin (RHA) in his book “HukmuTaarikis Salaah (ruling of one who neglects the prayer)”, has quoted the different opinions of Fuqaha and scholars: Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal (RHA) said that the person who neglects the prayer with no excuse is a Kaafir (disbeliever) and he is beyond the pale of Islam. And his punishment is to be killed if he does not repent and does not offer Salah regularly. Imam Malik and Imam Shafa’ee see that he is not a Kaafir but he would be killed. Imam Abu Hanifa (RHA) says that the person doesn’t become Kaafir, but he should be imprisoned until he starts to pray or would die there.

Though offering Salah on time is especially emphasized in the Qur’an and Hadeeth, in spite of that sometimes a person misses Salah, sometimes due to forgetfulness, sometimes for some excuse and sometimes only for laziness and carelessness. In the light of the sayings and the actions of Prophet (PBUH), the majority of Ulama, Fuqaha and Muhadditheen agree that all the missed Salah should be made up by offering their Qadha. The Prophet (PBUH) said several times that if a person could not offer Salah on time, he should offer it later. To keep it short, I am mentioning only one Hadeeth which is reported by Bukhari and Muslim. It is reported by Anas (RA) that if anyone forgets a Salah then he should offer it immediately when he remembers it, and there is no Kaffarah (expiation) for that except it, Allah says: Establish Salah for my remembrance” (Bukhari and Muslim). In some narrations, the words of Hadeeth are as follows: “If anyone forgets a Salah or oversleeps then its Kaffarah is to observe it when he remembers it.” It is in a famous book of Hadeeth, Tirmizi that the Prophet (PBUH) said: If anyone forgets a Salah or oversleeps then he must offer it when he remembers it.”

Note: Sleeping at the time of Fajr due to the habit of sleeping late night is a major sin. In the light of other Ahadeeth, the meaning of sleeping in this Hadeeth is that a person has adopted all possible means to offer Salah on time but coincidentally he could not wake up some day...

Continue Reading: Video: Qaza Namaz Ke Masail - Dr. Mohammad Najeeb Qasmi (Urdu)