nawafil or qaza

[Salman]

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

dear Imam sahib, can you tell if one is allowed to pray nafli namaz if one still hasnt completed long outstanding qaza namaz ?

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,


All Praise be to Allah, who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon His Most Beloved, and Final Messenger of Islam Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa aalihi wa Sallam)


Jazak'Allah for your question on the importance of Salaah. One is allowed to pray 'nafil' salaah, if a person at the time does'nt realise that he had 'fard' salaah outstanding.


What he should do, is make an intention, that with every salaah, instead of praying the 'nafil' salaah, that he will pray the 'fard' salaah which is outstanding. This is the best way to start your outstanding salaah, as there is no way, anyone will be saved from non performance, of any salaah. Of course there is the fear of death as well. So the sooner you start, the better.


However, there are some scholars ('ulama'), who say that none of your 'nafil' salah is accepted until all your 'fard' salah, that is outstanding has not been performed. This seems to be the correct view, since the ahadith-e-mubarikah have placed great emphasis on praying salaah, at its appointed time.

The best thing to do, is to perform your outstanding fard' salaah, in place of any 'nafil' salaah that you pray, and to spread it over a period of time, continuously, or to keep a record in a book or diary, of any outstanding salaah that you have performed, so that you know how much is remaining.


This will enable you to perform 'nafi'l salaah, once you have completed the outstanding 'fard' salah.


May Allah give us all the tawfiq, to pray our salaah at the appointed time, and if not, may He make us live long enough, so that we may have time to perform any outstanding fard salaah. (Amin)


Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab


M. Waseem Ashrafi