Q. I was confused when I read in your column that prayers may not be offered after their time has passed in what is known as qadaa. Whenever I miss Fajr prayer through sleep, I offer it as soon as I wake up. Is this not the right procedure to do?
K.K. Ismail
A. Yes, it is the right thing to do, but this is not qadaa; it is praying on time. The Prophet (peace be upon him)says: “Whoever misses a prayer through sleep or forgetfulness should offer it when he is conscious of it, as this is its time.” You see, here we have an exception, because sleeping through the time range of a prayer, and being unconscious, are legitimate reasons for missing a prayer. God has given us the concession that the times for such a prayer is extended until we wake up, get ready and offer that prayer. There should be no delay or time wasting when this happens. Offering that particular prayer should be treated as a priority, and it must be done as soon as possible. Of course one must prepare oneself for the prayer properly, doing the ablution first.
But missing a prayer for no valid reason is a different matter. In that case one cannot offer it again. Its time would have passed and it is no longer valid. Some people are lax about prayer, and they miss their prayers for all sorts of things, saying that they will be offering them later, as qadaa. It is to such an attitude that I referred when I stated that there is no such a thing as qadaa.
Nagging Mistakes
Q. Sometimes after having committed a mistake that upsets a relative or a friend we recognize that we are to blame for the wrong that had taken place. However, despite our apology and the other person’s acceptance of our apology and assurances that the matter is over, we still experience a sense of guilt. How best to remove this sense that could sometimes be very troublesome?
M.I. Qadeer
A. The best thing to do in these cases is to try to rectify the mistake by doing a good turn for the person affected by it. If it has resulted in a material loss, then a gift of similar or better value could go a long way toward removing all lingering doubts. If it is a mental or abstract negative effect, then you may do something that assures the other person that he is dear to you and that you really care for what serves his interests. This could be by providing advice, or a gesture of esteem, or anything that suggests that you bear him nothing but well. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says: “Follow a bad deed by a good one, so that the latter would erase it.”