What is the ruling in the Shari'ah, O honorable Shaykh Muhammad, regarding one who did not maintain the prayers, but rather would abandon them for long months, yet he repented with a sincere repentance?

The questioner : What is the ruling in the Shari'ah, O honorable Shaykh Muhammad, regarding one who did not maintain the prayers, but rather would abandon them for long months, yet he repented with a sincere repentance, so he performed all the prayers and became fully diligent in observing them at their times, and praise be to Allah. Also, he did not fast Ramadan before, and he used to smoke a lot. May Allah turn to him in mercy regarding all those sins, and praise be to Allah. Is it obligatory for him to make up the prayers he left behind previously? We ask for your guidance on this, O Shaykh Muhammad?

The Shaykh : First, I congratulate this brother whom Allah has granted the favor of repentance and performing what Allah has made obligatory upon him, namely the obligatory prayer and fasting. I ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, for steadfastness for him in that, and that He increase him in His good and bounty, and that He cause us and him to die upon faith and gather us in the company of the best of mankind, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Then I say to him: Your repentance from sins expiates what came before it, and your repentance from abandoning prayer and fasting expiates what came before it, and Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, will pardon you with this repentance, due to the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: and His saying, the Exalted, in describing the righteous: Based on this, it is not obligatory for him to make up what he left behind of prayer and fasting in the past. However, he should increase in righteous deeds, seeking forgiveness, and repentance, and Allah turns to in mercy whoever repents.