Do I Have to Make Up Prayers I Performed Sitting Down Without an Excuse?

Answered by Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra

Question

I remember praying while sitting down in high school for some time. I didn’t know that this was not valid for fard prayers, and I’m not sure how many times I did this. My question is whether these prayers need to be made up or not.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

It is a great blessing that you have been consistent in your prayers since childhood, masha-Allah. May Allah Most High reward you for your devotion; in reality, it was from Him in the first place.

However, if you performed those prayers after you became morally responsible (i.e., you were baligh or pubescent), and you were sitting down without a legal excuse, you should estimate how many prayers that is as best you can then make them up gradually. If you don’t know exactly how many, don’t worry, just make your best assessment then go with that. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

Remember that Allah Most High is Most Generous and will still reward you for your sincerity and devotion, even though legally you may have to make up those acts and get even more reward. So do not see it as a burden but a chance to get even closer to Him. [Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah wal-Nadha’ir]

Great Amount of Obligatory Prayers Prayed Sitting Down: Should I Repeat Them? – SeekersGuidance
The Age of Puberty and Estimating Makeups (Qada’) – SeekersGuidance

Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdullah Anik Misra
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Abdullah Misra was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1983. His family hails from India, and he was raised in the Hindu tradition. He embraced Islam in 2001 while at the University of Toronto, from where he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration. He then traveled overseas in 2005 to study the Arabic language and Islamic sciences in Tarim, Yemen, for some time, as well as Darul Uloom in Trinidad, West Indies. He spent 12 years in Amman, Jordan, where he focused on Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith Sciences, Prophetic Biography, and Islamic Spirituality while also working at the Qasid Arabic Institute as Director of Programs. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies (Alimiyya, Darul Uloom) and authorization in the six authentic books of Hadith and is currently pursuing specialized training in issuing Islamic legal verdicts (ifta’). He holds a certificate in Counselling and often works with new Muslims and those struggling with religious OCD. He is an instructor and researcher in Sacred Law and Theology with the SeekersGuidance The Global Islamic Seminary. Currently, He resides in the Greater Toronto Area with his wife and children. His personal interests include Indian history, comparative religion, English singing, and poetry.