Question: Hi, I have converted in Islam at age of 15. I want to know, if for example, I did not pray a whole day for some reasons, and at night I manage to recover the lost prayers with intention just to pray, will my prayer be accepted? I was thinking if, I pray x5 at night for recovering the lost prayers, then this sin will be wiped away because I have prayed. Now I don’t know if I’m right. Can you please tell me if the way I do, will my prayers be accepted or not? Because, sometimes I come from high school tired and I have the feeling of not doing anything, because I have a busy program... I go to school at 13:00 and I come back at 18:00 or 19:00. And it is not my fault that I have this program, seriously. And if I pray only when I have some free time, I can pray but if I’m at school I can’t. And is it ok if I want to pray without anybody being around me? Because, I like to pray alone to God.
As-salam alaikum brother,
Praying is a worship that is prescribed at certain times of the day. Therefore, recovering them at other times can not be possible. Please see the relevant fatwa below:
http://www.islamandquran.org/fatwas/compensation-prayer.html
Prayer is the most important act of a Muslim which keeps the vital connection between the person and God alive. It is like the heartbeat of faith.
God is closer to us than anything and anyone else. He is always there for us and He does not forget that He is close. However, human beings are forgetful and they need the five times of prayer to remind themselves that God is always near them, He responds to those who call to Him and He is closer to them than any other being. For a student, we can also say that bowing and prostration cause rich oxygenated blood to circulate to your brain. No need to mention the other physical uses of prayer on human body. So, prayer has physical and mental uses which remind you of God’s closeness:
“(Oh, Muhammad!) If My servants ask you about Me, (tell them that) I am close. I respond to the call of those who call upon Me for help. Then, they should respond to My call and trust in Me, so that they may mature.” (al-Baqarah 2:186)
You must do everything you could to respond to God’s call!
He calls you to fulfilling your duties towards Him, the most important of which is performing your prayers regularly.
Prayer is the best way of getting in touch with God, expressing your requests, calming yourself, thinking about the verses of the Quran and last but not least, showing your gratitude to Him fort he health, opportunities and life He has granted to you. The more you approach Him, the better you will be and the closer you will feel yourself to Him. Though God is always close to us, we sometimes put distance between Him and us, forget His blessings upon us or forget asking for His help. Skipping the prayers increases that distance.
“Everyone in the heavens and earth asks for something from Him. Every (moment of every) day He is engaged in creation.” (ar-Rahman 55:29)
Every breathe we take is by the approval of God. If He had not let us, we could not even move a finger. Everything we owe belongs to Him. So, how come we dare behaving against His will?
God must be in the very first priority of our lives, above all other things throughout day and night. Placing His commands or prohibitions to second order, just because it is easier for us, may cause us to stray from God’s path and become the captive of our desires.
When you feel like skipping or delaying the prayers, ask yourself:
“Does God ever skip bestowing blessings upon me?” “What would I do if God had skipped letting me breathe for a few minutes?”
When it comes to praying at the school, you can find your own solutions which may fit to your situation better: For example, if you have short break times and you can not manage to take ablution and offer the prayer at the same break, you can take ablution at a previous break, and perform the prayer at the next one.
We also have to remind you that you do not have to take off your socks or even your shoes to take ablution. It is enough to wipe over them with your wet hands.
You can also utilize the eases God has allowed us about prayer. When the time is limited and you are at the school, you do not have to offer the sunnah prayers. 4 rakats of dhuhr, 4 rakats of asr, 3 rakats of maghrib and 4 rakats of isha are sufficient as obligatory prayers. A grand total of 15 minutes during the whole day is all you need for fulfilling such an important duty in life towards God.
In your case, most probably, dhuhr, asr, maghrib and even isha prayers will be at the school. If the masjid is far and you can not go there at every separate prayer time, you can combine the dhuhr and asr prayers within the duration of dhuhr or asr, whichever fits best to your schedule. The same thing is valid for maghrib and isha prayers. Please see the following fatwa about this:
http://www.islamandquran.org/fatwas/combining-of-prayers.html
If there is not a masjid, you can take your own lightweight prayer mat with you. Having people around you within the due prayer time is far more better than missing the prayer. Indeed, the idea of waiting to be alone may be an inspiration from the Devil. Do not listen to it if it takes missing your prayers.
You can still ask God for granting you the chance to offer your prayers in a more peaceful environment while you keep offering your prayers duly. Because the Almighty God decrees:
“Oh you who trust (in God)! Ask for help through patience and offering the prayer. God is with those who are patient.” (al-Baqarah 2:153)
“Ask for help through patience and offering the prayer. Indeed, this is deemed difficult, except by those who venerate God.” (al-Baqarah 2:45)
Of course we are human beings and we will be tested with difficulties in this life. The milestones will be the times when we choose complying with God’s commands in spite of every difficulty. However, there is quite a lot of misinformation about Islam in this day and age. You must question them by cross-checking them with the Quran, and comply with the Quran in any case.
If you fully put your trust in God, you will neither fear from any other thing or grieve for anything that passes by:
“Nay! Whoever submits themselves to God while in a kind manner, their reward resides in the presence of their Master. They neither fear, nor grieve.” (al-Baqarah 2:112)
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