The Ruling on Staying Up Late and Sleeping Near the Fajr Prayer and Missing Its Time

Question:
May Allah reward you with good and do you well. What is the ruling on the one who stays up late until shortly before the Fajr prayer, then sleep overcomes him and he sleeps through the prayer? When he wakes up late, around eleven o'clock or later, he gets up and prays Fajr. Sometimes he wakes up after the midday prayer or close to the 'Asr prayer. Is his prayer accepted?

Answer:
Staying up late after the 'Isha' prayer is disliked; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked sleeping before the 'Isha' prayer, and he disliked staying up late after the 'Isha' prayer. He disliked sleeping before it and talking after it. Why? Because staying up late after the 'Isha' prayer causes heaviness for the Fajr prayer, and one may miss it or delay it beyond its time. So what the questioner mentioned, that he stays up and does not pray until the sun rises at eleven o'clock or after the midday prayer, this is forbidden. Staying up late becomes forbidden if it leads to something forbidden. Staying up late after 'Isha' becomes forbidden if it leads to delaying the Fajr prayer beyond its time. Even if one is seeking knowledge or reciting the Qur'an during this late night, it is forbidden, due to the resulting neglect of the obligatory duty and taking the prayer out of its time. So it is obligatory for this questioner and for others like him—and this has become widespread among people, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah—that they repent to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and that they stand up for the Fajr prayer with the congregation. Delaying the prayer is abandoning the congregational prayer, which is abandoning an obligatory duty, so in it is a great sin. And if taking the prayer out of its time is added to that, the matter is more severe and the prohibition is greater. Indeed, the prayer may not be valid if a person delays it intentionally beyond its time. Some scholars hold that it is not valid and is not accepted from him. Sleep is only an excuse for the one whose habit is not to sleep, but who is eager to stand up for the Fajr prayer, and whose habit is to stand up for the Fajr prayer with the Muslims, but in some nights sleep overcomes him despite his eagerness to stand up. This person is excused. As for the person who intentionally does this, and makes staying up late at night and sleeping through the Fajr prayer his habit, this is forbidden, and his Fajr prayer is not valid even if he prays it after its time; because he took it out of its time without a valid legal excuse. Allah the Exalted and Majestic said: Some of the Companions said that Allah has a work . Everything has a time and an appointment. If it is delayed beyond its appointment, it is not accepted. Yes.