Is Tawbah from a person who is negligent on making Prayer accepted? What is his condition? هل للمفرط في أداء الصلوات من توبة؟

Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions.

As to what follows:

With regards to answering your question we say, success is by Allah Almighty.

Allah says:

“Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, Verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [al-Zumar 39:53]

This includes every sin, big or small except for shirk (associating partners with Allah) which Allah does not forgive except by seeking genuine repentance from Him. Allah says:

“Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him In worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases.”[al-Nisa’ 4:48]

So turn to Allah with sincere repentance and have hope in his mercy and forgiveness, increase doing good deeds especially nafil prayers. Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) said:

“The first thing for which a person will be brought to account will be his Prayer. If it is complete (all well and good), otherwise Allah will say: 'Look and see if my slave did any voluntary prayer. If he is found to have done voluntary prayers, his obligatory prayers will be completed therewith.” [Narrated by al-Nasaai (467) and Abu Dawud].

 Al-Nawawi mentioned the same hadith in al-Majmu’ (3/594) on the authority of Tamim al-Dari with an authentic chain of narrators whereupon he said: “((his obligatory prayers will be completed therewith)) includes all prayers that were missed.”

It is not obligatory to make qadha for those missed prayers and making qadha will not help the person who missed those prayers even if he performed them a thousand times. This is because Allah prescribed prayers upon the believers on their specific times whereby it is not permissible to delay them without an excuse and likewise it is not permissible to perfom them prior to their fixed times.

Allah says:

“Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.”[al-Nisa’ 4:103]

This opinion was held by Ibn Hazim and chosen by Shayk al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah. Furthermore this evidence is more stronger and clear than the view that says qadha should be made for a missed prayer.

And Allah knows best.

Your brother,

Dr. Khalid al-Muslih

26 / 10 / 142904 AH