A custom we have in Ramadan, which is that in the last Friday of it, the people of the village pray five obligatory prayers after the Friday prayer: Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha', and Fajr.

The questioner : The third question says: The people of our village have a custom in Ramadan, which is that they pray five obligatory prayers: Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha', and Fajr. This is after the last Friday prayer in Ramadan, and they consider them as making up for any of these obligatory prayers that a person did not pray or forgot during Ramadan. What is the ruling on this prayer? And does it have a basis in the Islamic Shari'ah or not?

The Shaykh : The ruling on this prayer is that it is a religious innovation (bid'ah) and has no basis in the Islamic Shari'ah. It does not bring a person any closer to his Lord, but rather increases his distance from Him, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So innovations, even if their innovators think them good and see them as good in their own hearts, are evil in the sight of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because their Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: These five prayers that a person repeats or makes up on the last day of Ramadan have no basis in the Shari'ah. Then we say: Did you only miss these five prayers? Perhaps you missed prayers on several days, not just several prayers. The important thing is that whatever you know you missed, you should make it up as soon as you know it, without delay, based on the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): As for your performing these five prayers as a precaution, as you claimed, this is reprehensible and not permissible.