Who is obligated to pray and when?

The Obligation of Prayer

We have previously mentioned that the greatest obligation after having the correct belief and being a Muslim is performing prayer, i.e., the obligatory prayers.

Who is obligated to pray?

The person obligated to pray is the one who is:

1. Sane

2. Pubescent

3. A Pure Muslim

When we say "Pure", this is to exclude the women going through menses or postpartum bleeding, and this doesn't mean they themselves are najas-filthy, and if they touch food or wet substances it doesn't become filthy. It is important to know that Islam excuses women during menses or postpartum bleeding from praying.

As for saying "Muslim", this excludes the original non-Muslim, since the original non-Muslim is not ordered to pray while being a non-Muslim; they are ordered to embrace Islam, then we order them to pray. It is also important to teach the new convert, who was originally a non-Muslim, that they are not ordered to make up the prayers that they left during the time of their disbelief. When they embrace Islam, it is their new beginning; all their previous sins are erased, and they can start acquiring reward (thawab) for the good deeds they perform, if performed in a rewardable manner. 

As for saying "Sane and Pubescent", this was explained in a previous blog, which will be accessible below. The insane person is not ordered to pray as they are not accountable during insanity, and the non-pubescent child, although they are ordered to pray when they reach 7 lunar years old and are mumayyiz, yet if they don't pray, they do not acquire a sin, as they are not accountable yet.

The accountable person is the one who is sane, pubescent, and has received the basic call of Islam.

What is obligatory on the person who satisfies the three conditions mentioned above?

It is obligatory on this person to learn the times of the obligatory prayers and to perform them during their prescribed time. 

It is unlawful to perform these prayers ahead of their time or to delay them after their prescribed time without an excuse. Hence, if anyone prays ahead of the prayer time without an excuse, their prayer is invalid and they bear a sin. They also bear a sin if they delay a prayer past its time without an excuse, but it is valid to perform after its time, and this is what is called a makeup prayer (Qada').

On the other hand, if the delay or praying ahead of the prayer time was done for an excuse, such as traveling and the like, then one is not sinful and the prayer is valid.

There are some prayers that a person is allowed to pray ahead of their time and some delayed past their time for an excuse. The prayers we are permitted to pray ahead of their time for an excuse are: ^Asr (late afternoon prayer) and ^Isha' (nightfall prayer). The prayers that may be delayed for a valid excuse are: Dhuhr (early afternoon prayer) and the Maghrib (sunset prayer). The Dawn/Subh prayer is not to be brought forward nor delayed, as for the person who wakes up after missing it, they make it up.

What does a person do if one faces an inhibitive matter preventing the prayer from being an obligation on the person?

1- The case of the inhibitive matter occurring:

Some examples of inhibitive matters are menses, postpartum bleeding, insanity, and fainting. If the person faced any of these during the time of these inhibitive matters, the person is not obligated to pray. During menses and postpartum bleeding, women are not permitted to pray, and during insanity and fainting, the person is not obligated to pray.

Let it be known that some people are allowed to perform ablution (wudu') before the prayer time sets in, and some are not due to incontinence of urine or istihadah (which is when the woman discharges blood outside the normal period).

For the first type of people, if the inhibitive matter occurs to them after sufficient time to perform the prayer after the settling in of the prayer time, then this person, after the inhibitive matter terminates, is obligated to perform the prayer. 

For the second type, if the inhibitive matter occurs to them after sufficient time to do purification (e.q, wudu') and perform the prayer after the settling in of the prayer time, then this person, after the inhibitive matter terminates, is obligated to perform the prayer.

2- The case of the inhibitive matter ending:

If the inhibitive matter which prevents the prayer from being an obligation ends, and there was enough time to say Allahu Akbar or more (i.e., not less), the person is obligated to pray this prayer. If the prayer time was a Subh, Dhuhr, or Maghrib time, the person prays the prayer of the present time and then, when the next prayer time settles in, they pray it as well. If the prayer time was ^Asr or ^Isha' prayer time, then they pray the prayer (either the ^Asr or ^Isha') and they make up the prayer before it (Dhuhr or Maghrib) if they missed it as well, since they (Dhuhr and Maghrib) are combinable with ^Asr and ^Isha' respectively.

Note: The mentioned rulings are according to the Shafi^i School.

In this blog, we have briefly explained who is ordered to pray and when one is ordered to pray, and when to make up prayers if not performed in their time. In the next blog, we will be discussing who the guardians of a child are, and what their obligations are toward them. 

Stay tuned...