Question:
Assalaamu ‘alaikum
Respected ‘Ulama
Before Allah Ta‘ala blessed me to change my life, I missed a lot of salaah. Now, I have the burden of many years’ qadhaa salaah to make up. At the same time, I do sometimes miss a salaah now and again. I am struggling. I try to read one qadhaa after each daily salaah, but my time is always short and I have work to do, or need to see what my parents require, so I leave out the qadhaa.
I am so ashamed that my salaah is in such a condition. I know that there is no excuse for salaah, yet sometimes, I have no worry or concern, and I don’t understand how that happens. I have left so many sins due to Allah’s grace and mercy, and I leave out what is doubtful, and I do my best regarding Deen. Due to my salaah problem, I feel like a hypocrite – but that still doesn’t prompt me to fix my salaah and qadhaa. Please advise me.
Answer:
Bismihi Ta‘ala
Wa ‘alaikumus salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barkaatuh
Respected Sister in Islam
1. Masha-Allah! Your question is a sign that you have concern regarding your salaah. However, the situation that you have described, of still missing out salaah occasionally, stems from the importance of salaah not being to the extent that it should be. Hence from time to time, this results in the salaah being omitted. You should sincerely make taubah for having missed salaah in the past and make a firm resolution to never deliberately miss a salaah in future.
In order to inculcate the importance of salaah in your life, do the following:
• Daily, for at least 7 to 10 minutes, read the virtues of salaah from the Fazaail-e-Aa’maal. Before reading, make a short du‘aa in your heart and beg Allah Ta‘ala that He make this reading of the kitaab a means of the importance of salaah coming into your heart and of you gaining the ability of performing every salaah on time.
• Regularly advise others about the importance of salaah and the severe harms in this world and the Hereafter for those who miss their salaah.
• Write down, on one page, at least 3 ahaadeeth with regards to the importance of salaah, as well as at least 3 ahaadeeth with regards to the severe warnings for those who omit their salaah. Pin this somewhere where you will see it several times daily. Take the time to read the entire page at least once daily.
• Daily make muraaqabah (meditate) that it is the Day of Qiyaamah and those who omitted their salaah without valid reasons are being punished. Visualize, in your mind, the severe punishment they are being meted out and hear their shrieks and screams in your mind. Whenever you feel lazy, visualize this scene at that time as well. You should fix a time in the day, such as immediately after Esha, or Fajr for this muraaqabah.
• If you still miss out a salaah, then upon realization, immediately give R50.00 in sadaqah. If your monthly allowance is more than R300.00 then give R150.00 in sadaqah.
2. With regard to the qadhaa, set yourself the target of completing at least 5 qadhaa of Fajr per day (if you can make it 10 per day, it will be much better). Hence, all the Fajr will be completed soon insha-Allah. In this way, you will have more courage to complete the rest also. If you do not reach your target for the day, then the following day, do not indulge in any luxuries (cool drinks, chocolates, etc.). While you may have other responsibilities and work, this is your extremely high priority.
Click here to download a qadhaa salaah chart that will assist you in completing your qadhaa salaahs.
May Allah Ta‘ala assist you.
Answered by:
Uswatul Muslimah Panel of ‘Ulama