The ruling on one who delays the prayer until its time has passed, and whether it is accepted by Allah?
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The questioner:
A message from one of the listeners says: My mother told me that if I abandon the Fajr prayer, Allah the Exalted will not accept the remaining prayers from me. Then my mother says, or sees me praying the Fajr prayer before the Zuhr prayer, and she says: This prayer is not accepted, and your prayer is never accepted. I want the answer?
The Shaykh:
Yes, it is obligatory to perform the prayer in its prescribed time. So Fajr must be performed in the time of the Fajr prayer, and Zuhr is performed in the time of the Zuhr prayer, and so on for the remaining times, they are performed in the times in which Allah the Exalted prescribed them. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:103] meaning it is obligatory in the specific times. It is not permissible for a Muslim to intentionally delay the prayer from its time, so he prays Fajr after the sun has risen, or Zuhr after the time of 'Asr has entered, and so on.
If he does that intentionally, his prayer is not valid and is not accepted from him. So what your mother mentioned, she is correct in that. If you delay the Fajr prayer without an excuse until its time has passed, then it is not accepted by Allah the Exalted. Some of the Companions said, I think it was 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "Allah has a worship in the night that He does not accept in the day, and He has a worship in the day that He does not accept in the night." And every obligatory act is performed in the time in which Allah the Exalted prescribed it. If one delays it intentionally, he is one who neglects it. Allah the Exalted said:[Maryam 19:59] and neglecting the prayer is delaying it from its time. And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan an-Nasa'i 474Sahih (Darussalam) in a hadith: Sahih Muslim 626c meaning as if he lost his family and his wealth. And the meaning of "he missed the 'Asr prayer" is that its time has passed. The danger in this is severe, and it is obligatory for the Muslim to preserve the prayers in their times and perform them as Allah the Exalted commanded him to perform them.
And he does not act in them according to his desire or his wish, saying: "I pray according to my desire and my mood." No, this is subject to the command of Allah the Exalted. Otherwise, he would not be worshipping his Lord with what He prescribed. It is obligatory that the Muslim worships Allah with what He prescribed, not with what he wants and approves of, but with what Allah approves of and prescribes, Blessed and Exalted is He. Yes.
The questioner:
But the phrase "Allah does not accept this prayer from you," or the utterance of these phrases regarding acceptance, forgiveness, and mercy by people toward their Muslim brothers.
The Shaykh:
Yes, this is taken from the hadith and from the verse:[Maryam 19:59-60] His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Ma'un 107:4-5] Yes. And negligence regarding the prayer, delaying it from its time, and Allah has threatened with wail for it in the hadith: So its meaning is that intentionally delaying the prayer is a great sin that has no expiation except repentance, repentance to Allah the Exalted and preserving the prayer in its times. So her saying "Allah does not accept this prayer from you" because she delayed it from its time and neglected it. Yes.
A message from one of the listeners says: My mother told me that if I abandon the Fajr prayer, Allah the Exalted will not accept the remaining prayers from me. Then my mother says, or sees me praying the Fajr prayer before the Zuhr prayer, and she says: This prayer is not accepted, and your prayer is never accepted. I want the answer?
The Shaykh:
Yes, it is obligatory to perform the prayer in its prescribed time. So Fajr must be performed in the time of the Fajr prayer, and Zuhr is performed in the time of the Zuhr prayer, and so on for the remaining times, they are performed in the times in which Allah the Exalted prescribed them. Allah the Exalted said:
Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًاIf he does that intentionally, his prayer is not valid and is not accepted from him. So what your mother mentioned, she is correct in that. If you delay the Fajr prayer without an excuse until its time has passed, then it is not accepted by Allah the Exalted. Some of the Companions said, I think it was 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "Allah has a worship in the night that He does not accept in the day, and He has a worship in the day that He does not accept in the night." And every obligatory act is performed in the time in which Allah the Exalted prescribed it. If one delays it intentionally, he is one who neglects it. Allah the Exalted said:
But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires
فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِWhoever abandons Salat Al-'Asr, his good deeds will perish.
فاتته صلاة العصر فقد حبط عملهit is as though he was deprived of his family and property
آخر كأنما وتر أهله ومالهAnd he does not act in them according to his desire or his wish, saying: "I pray according to my desire and my mood." No, this is subject to the command of Allah the Exalted. Otherwise, he would not be worshipping his Lord with what He prescribed. It is obligatory that the Muslim worships Allah with what He prescribed, not with what he wants and approves of, but with what Allah approves of and prescribes, Blessed and Exalted is He. Yes.
The questioner:
But the phrase "Allah does not accept this prayer from you," or the utterance of these phrases regarding acceptance, forgiveness, and mercy by people toward their Muslim brothers.
The Shaykh:
Yes, this is taken from the hadith and from the verse:
(59) But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil -
فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا إِلَّا مَن(4) So woe to those who pray (5) [But] who are heedless of their prayer -
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَThe other hadith: Whoever forgets a prayer or sleeps through it, let him pray it when he remembers it or wakes up. There is no expiation for it except that.
الآخر من نسي صلاة أو نام عنها فليصلها إذا ذكرها أو استيقظ لا كفارة لها إلا ذلك
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، حكم من يؤخر الصلاة حتى يخرج وقتها، وهل تقبل عند الله؟ الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.