A man who left off several Ramadans and was also leaving off the prayer: is repentance required of him, or must he make up those Ramadans?
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The questioner : A man left off several Ramadans and was also leaving off the prayer. Is repentance required of him, or must he make up those Ramadans?
The Shaykh : Yes, repentance is required of him in all cases, whether we hold that it is obligatory to make up the Ramadans he missed or not. However, if he was leaving off the prayer, then he does not make up Ramadan without dispute, because one who leaves off the prayer is a disbeliever, and a disbeliever who embraces Islam is not ordered to make up the prayers and acts of worship he left off. But here is a question we assume: if a person left off multiple Ramadans while he was praying, but he was negligent and started leaving off fasting, is he required to make up the fast along with repentance, or is repentance sufficient? The stronger opinion is that repentance is sufficient. This is because we have a principle that we should understand, which is that time-bound acts of worship, if performed outside their specific time without an excuse, are not accepted. What is the principle? Time-bound acts of worship, if performed outside their specific time without an excuse, are not accepted. The evidence for this is the statement of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in what she narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 1718b That is, it is rejected. And it is known that if a person takes a time-bound act of worship out of its time without an excuse, he has performed an act that is not in accordance with the command of Allah and His Messenger, so it is rejected. An example is a man who left off the Fajr prayer out of negligence until the sun rose, then he wanted to pray it. What do we say to him? We say: Your prayer is not accepted, even if you prayed it a thousand times, for Allah will not accept it from you. Why? Because he performed an act that is not in accordance with the command of Allah and His Messenger, so it is rejected. If he says, "O people, get me out of this dilemma; I left off Fajr without an excuse," we say: Getting out of this dilemma is easy. What is it? That he repents to Allah. That he repents to Allah with sincere repentance. And if he repents, Allah will accept his repentance. Yes.
The questioner : and for the pilgrimage
The Shaykh : Likewise, regarding fasting, if a person left off fasting a day of Ramadan without an excuse, he does not make it up by fasting for the rest of his life. If he fasted from Ramadan to the second Ramadan for that day he left off without an excuse, it would not suffice for him and would not be accepted from him. Rather, repentance is necessary, and repentance does not require making up the fast.
The questioner : and for the pilgrimage
The Shaykh : Hajj is not time-bound.
The questioner : The one who says it is immediate.
The Shaykh : No, it is not time-bound, and if we say it is immediate, yes.
The questioner : The hadith of Safwan.
The Shaykh : Yes, repentance is required of him in all cases, whether we hold that it is obligatory to make up the Ramadans he missed or not. However, if he was leaving off the prayer, then he does not make up Ramadan without dispute, because one who leaves off the prayer is a disbeliever, and a disbeliever who embraces Islam is not ordered to make up the prayers and acts of worship he left off. But here is a question we assume: if a person left off multiple Ramadans while he was praying, but he was negligent and started leaving off fasting, is he required to make up the fast along with repentance, or is repentance sufficient? The stronger opinion is that repentance is sufficient. This is because we have a principle that we should understand, which is that time-bound acts of worship, if performed outside their specific time without an excuse, are not accepted. What is the principle? Time-bound acts of worship, if performed outside their specific time without an excuse, are not accepted. The evidence for this is the statement of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in what she narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
He who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو ردThe questioner : and for the pilgrimage
The Shaykh : Likewise, regarding fasting, if a person left off fasting a day of Ramadan without an excuse, he does not make it up by fasting for the rest of his life. If he fasted from Ramadan to the second Ramadan for that day he left off without an excuse, it would not suffice for him and would not be accepted from him. Rather, repentance is necessary, and repentance does not require making up the fast.
The questioner : and for the pilgrimage
The Shaykh : Hajj is not time-bound.
The questioner : The one who says it is immediate.
The Shaykh : No, it is not time-bound, and if we say it is immediate, yes.
The questioner : The hadith of Safwan.