Is it obligatory to make up the missed sunnah prayers?

The questioner : The sunnah, of course, is not obligatory to make up.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : Unlike the obligatory prayer, which is made up.

The Shaykh : Whether it is made up or not, the ruling remains as it is.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : And we are now in the month of fasting, and the Messenger (peace be upon him) used to say—“If you sit, as long as you want to listen, perhaps the circle will expand”—the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: , .

The questioner : Our Shaykh, the French brothers I told you about.

The Shaykh : Welcome, peace be upon you, welcome, when, when is our appointment?

The questioner : If Allah wills, it is probably Wednesday.

The Shaykh : If Allah wills, yes, this hadith gives us leeway regarding the rawatib sunnah, whether the matter concerns performing them in their time or making them up. When a person prays the midday prayer, for example, there are two rak'ahs before it or four, and two after it or four. He has the choice; if he wishes to pray these sunnahs, he does so, and if he wishes not to pray them, there is no harm on him. Here comes the hadith of that Bedouin who asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about what Allah had made obligatory upon him, and he said to him: Then he mentioned fasting and the remaining pillars. The Bedouin said: “By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I will not add to them nor subtract from them.” He said (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him): He does not pray more than the five obligatory prayers; he does not add voluntary prayers. Because when the Messenger (peace be upon him) said to him: He asked: “Is there anything else upon me besides them?” He said: He said: “By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I will not add to them nor subtract from them.”
So, if the Muslim performs the five prayers as Allah and His Messenger commanded, there is no harm on him in not praying the sunnahs. It is not that he prays the sunnahs, but for some reason he did not pray the pre-prayer sunnah, not out of forgetfulness, but just like that Bedouin. He is better than the Bedouin; he is one of those who usually prays some of the sunnahs. The Bedouin made a covenant with the Messenger: “I will not add to them nor subtract from them.” So some Muslims maintain the sunnahs sometimes and sometimes not. One time a man came to the mosque with the intention of catching the obligatory prayer, and indeed he caught the obligatory prayer, but it occurred to him to pray the pre-prayer sunnah. It is not that he took it out of its time, and there is no sin on him for that, as we mentioned from the hadith of the fasting volunteer and the hadith of the Bedouin who said: “By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I will not add to them nor subtract from them.” Therefore, the matter regarding the sunnahs has leeway. But we encourage the worshippers to care for performing the sunnahs and maintaining them, because in reality, these sunnahs will be a reserve for him on the Day of Resurrection to make up for any deficiency that may have occurred in his obligatory prayers, in his obligatory prayers. And so it came in the authentic hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: or , and in a narration: For this precaution to be necessary, what is required? He must maintain the sunnahs. But the ruling is that nothing is required of him. Yes, is the time up? Yes, Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him.
The angels have prayed upon you. May Allah bless you.