Question
Salam Shaykh, : I make up my missed prayers (qada’) before the current obligatory prayer. Is this permissible? Because I am elderly and cannot manage to pray them after the fard prayer. JazakAllahu khayran.
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ‘ala rasoolillah, wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma‘in.
The basic rule is that one should make up missed prayers (qada’) after praying the current obligatory prayer, since the present salah is the immediate obligation. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever forgets a prayer or sleeps through it, let him pray it when he remembers; there is no expiation other than that.” (Muslim). The jurists generally stated that performing the current prayer first is the priority, then making up missed ones.
However:
- If one fears that by starting with the missed prayer the time for the current prayer will run out, then it is obligatory to begin with the current prayer.
- If there is no such fear, the majority of scholars allow starting with the missed prayers, unless the person has many missed ones, in which case the current prayer should be prioritized to avoid missing its time.
In your case — since you are elderly and find hardship in making up missed prayers after the fard — there is no harm, inshaAllah, in praying your missed prayers before the current obligatory prayer, as long as the time of the current prayer is not missed. The Shariah considers ability and difficulty, and Allah says: “Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.” (al-Baqarah 2:286).
And Allah knows best.