ElifHow do you make up missed prayers (qada)?
Short answer
When making up missed prayers (qada), you pray the obligatory (fard) part of the five daily prayers and witr; the sunnah prayers are not made up. You make the intention for the specific prayer you are making up; someone with many missed prayers can intend "the first (or last) Dhuhr prayer I missed". Qada can be prayed at any time except the disliked (makruh) times.
Which prayers are made up?
- The obligatory (fard) part of the five daily prayers and witr, which is necessary (wajib) according to the Hanafis, are made up.
- Sunnah prayers are not made up. There are two exceptions: if Fajr is made up on the same day before the sun reaches its zenith (zawal, i.e. before Dhuhr time), it is prayed together with its sunnah; and someone who joins the congregation without having prayed the first sunnah of Dhuhr prays that sunnah after the fard.
- A prayer that was abandoned deliberately must also be made up.
- A four-rak'ah prayer missed while travelling (as a musafir) is made up as two rak'ahs, even if it is prayed later at home.
How do you pray it and make the intention?
- Only the fard rak'ahs of that prayer are prayed: Fajr 2, Dhuhr 4, Asr 4, Maghrib 3, Isha 4; witr 3 rak'ahs.
- In the intention you specify which prayer you are making up: "I intend, for the sake of Allah, to pray the fard of the Dhuhr prayer that I missed."
- Someone who does not know how many they missed, or who has many, intends "the first Dhuhr prayer I missed" or "the last Dhuhr prayer I missed"; in this way the debt is paid off in order, from the beginning or from the end.
- It is prayed in exactly the same way as the fard of that prayer.
You cannot intend one prayer as both qada and sunnah at the same time; if you do, it counts only as qada.
Do they have to be prayed in order?
A person who has fewer than six missed prayers is called "sahib al-tartib" (one bound by order). According to the Hanafis, this person first prays the missed prayers in order, starting from the earliest, and then prays the current prayer. For someone who has missed six or more prayers there is no requirement of order; they may make them up before or after the current prayer.
When should qada not be prayed?
Qada has no fixed time; it can be prayed at any time except the three disliked (makruh) times:
- About 40–50 minutes after sunrise,
- The moment the sun is at its highest point (about 10 minutes before the Dhuhr adhan),
- From about 40–50 minutes before sunset until sunset (in this period only that day's fard of Asr may be prayed).
Qada may be prayed after Fajr until sunrise; what is disliked in this period is voluntary (nafl) prayer.
Practical points for those with many missed prayers
- According to the Hanafis, someone who owes missed prayers may also pray the sunnahs, as well as voluntary prayers such as tahajjud and duha.
- Qada can be prayed in congregation, provided the imam is making up the same prayer.
- No one can make up prayers on behalf of someone else.
- Qada pays off the debt; for the sin of missing prayers through neglect, repentance (tawbah) is also needed.
Differences between schools
According to the Shafi'is, voluntary prayers are not prayed until the qada debt is cleared, and a person devotes their time, other than essential tasks, to making up prayers; also, according to the Shafi'is, qada may be prayed even during the disliked times.
Related verses
- An-Nisa 4:103 —
…prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.
- Ta-Ha 20:14 —
…establish prayer for My remembrance.
Quotations are from the Saheeh International translation; links open the full verse on Quran.com.
Frequently asked
I don't know how many prayers I've missed. How do I make the intention?
You intend, for example, "the first (or last) Dhuhr prayer I missed". When estimating the debt, be cautious and do not underestimate the number.
Can I pray qada instead of the sunnah?
According to the Hanafis, someone who owes missed prayers may also pray the sunnahs. You cannot make one prayer with the intention of both qada and sunnah; if you do, it counts only as qada.
Can I pray qada after Fajr?
Yes, it can be prayed until sunrise. It is not prayed in the roughly 40–50 minutes after sunrise.
If I make up a prayer, is the sin of missing it forgiven too?
Qada pays off the debt; for the sin of missing the prayer, you also need to repent.
In Elif
With Elif's Missed Prayer (Qada) counter you can record your missed prayers for each prayer time and tick them off as you make them up; your progress appears on the Tracker screen. The prayer screen also shows the disliked (makruh) times.
Sources
- Diyanet High Council of Religious Affairs — How is the intention made for a missed prayer? (in Turkish)
- Diyanet High Council of Religious Affairs — Which prayers are made up? (in Turkish)
- Diyanet High Council of Religious Affairs — Is it required to follow an order when making up prayers? (in Turkish)
- Diyanet High Council of Religious Affairs — What are the disliked (makruh) times? (in Turkish)
- Diyanet High Council of Religious Affairs — Can someone who owes missed prayers pray the sunnahs? (in Turkish)
- Diyanet High Council of Religious Affairs — Is the sin of missing a prayer forgiven once it is made up? (in Turkish)
- Diyanet High Council of Religious Affairs — Making up four-rak'ah prayers missed while travelling (in Turkish)
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam — Qada (worship) (in Turkish)
This page is compiled from the rulings of Türkiye's Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and the sources listed. Rulings follow the Hanafi school; where other schools differ, this is noted. For your personal situation, please ask a scholar at your local mosque. Last updated: 5 October 2026.