Obligatory to pray for father's missed salats

[Zain]

(salam)

Ayat. Khamenei

A: It is obligatory to perform only those missed prayers for one's father which are known. It is obligatory on the eldest son to perform his father's missed prayers by any means possible. If he is unable to do so, he will be excused.

Why is it obligatory to fast/pray for father's missed fast/salats?

I know it is obligatory, I want to know why does the eldest son have to be burdened with father's irresponsibility?

And if the eldest son does not oblige, is it a sin?

Edited May 26, 2004 by Zain

[naaz_aneen]

the original question was, as per ayatollah khamenei's site:

Question 550: An elderly man left his family due to certain reasons and it was difficult for him to maintain contact with them being the eldest son of his parents. During that period, his father passed away and the son is unaware of the number of prayers and other duties his father might have missed. He does not have enough money to hire somebody to perform those missed duties for his father either. Nor does he have the ability to perform them himself due to his elderliness. What should he do?

A: It is obligatory to perform only those missed prayers for one's father which are known. It is obligatory on the eldest son to perform his father's missed prayers by any means possible. If he is unable to do so, he will be excused.

i also think this is pertinent:

Question 559: I have a father who has some qaza' prayers due on him but he cannot offer them and I am the family's eldest son. Is it permissible-while he is still alive -that I perform his missed prayers or hire someone for performing them?

A: It is not correct to perform the missed prayers and fasts of someone else when he is still alive.

ur original post was misleading as it seemed to imply that a son was responsible for his father's prayer, even when the latter was living.

as is this:

Question 557: If a father forsakes all of his worship duties intentionally, will it be obligatory on his eldest son to perform all of the prayers and fasts that his father missed over 50 years?

A: In case nf intentional forsaking, it is not unlikely that the performance of missed prayers and fasts is not obligatory on the eldest son. However, precaution ought not be forgone in such a case as well with respect to performing his missed prayers and fasts for him.

based on this answer, the qaza prayer is mandatory for those salaats that were unintentionally missed. so i wouldn't say its due to the father's "irresponsibility", tho im sure there are instances where this was the case. sometimes circumstances make salaat difficult to do. i don't know the answer to ur question regarding why, other than for out of respect and love for the father.

Eldest Son's Performance Of The Qaza' Prayers Of His Father

i welcome any corrections or further clarification. and i hope someone who has more knowledge can shed some light, particularly into the "why" part.

Edited May 27, 2004 by naaz_aneen

[Zain]

(salam)

Thanks Naaz.

I forgot to put after death part, I thought it was obvious, but I see now that it could mislead someone.

It is still reccomended for the eldest son to pray/fasts for the father if he missed it intentionally.

This seems like an aspect of intercession.

Edited May 27, 2004 by Zain

[naaz_aneen]

zain,

i found the following from the aalim network:

Assalamu 'Alaykum

The following question was kindly answered by Shaykh Mustafa Jaffer.

Salaams

Ummulbanin Merali - Acting Moderator - 'Aalim Network

****************************************************************************

Question:

I would like to ask this question.

Why is it necessary for the eldest son to repay his fathers qaza prayers?

It seems to go against the principle that everyone is responsible for their

own actions.

Does this mean that making up neglected prayers or does this cover only

those prayers that were missed for some great uncontrollable circumstances?

What happens if the father never prayed at all?

And how would you go about repaying them?

And what about if the son already has many of his own qaza namaz.

Which ones should he pray first, for those qaza from his father or those

from himself?

Answer:

It is wajib for the eldest son to repay the prayers his father missed during

his lifetime. This I can only imagine is a gift from Allah to a person who

sires a son.

I must point out however, that our love for our parents should make us do

much more for them after their death whether we are first born or

not. By repaying their missed prayers, we are only fulfilling their basic

needs. By going a step further and remembering them in all acts of charity

is a gift we can endow to our parents aftre their death.

Repaying prayers can be done either physically by oneself or a third

person's services could be employed for the recitation of Qaza prayers and

the eldest son foots the costs involved. Our maraje are known to take

responsibility for making such arrangements.

As for the son's own qaza, he would be wise to learn from the father's

mistakes. Remember, a qaza prayed after death cannot be the same as qaza

prayed by oneself or prayers recited in time.

Wallaahu A'alam

Mustafa

http://www.al-islam.org/Organizations/Aali...k/msg00230.html

[BATOOL7]

(salam)

The other reason is that if the father passes away then the eldest son is responsible for the rest of the family, so he becomes the so called 'father' of the house. The love of a son or daughter for their parents will allow them to do prayers and much more for their parents who brought them up.

Wasalaam

Edited May 27, 2004 by lexus

[Zain]

(salam)

I would like to see some references from Quran/Hadith on this matter.

[Peer]

This is in Hanafi school of thought as well, so I think it must be either in Quran or some famous ahadeeths..

not sure where u csn find them though.. :blink:

[Ibn al-Hussain]

i nvr knew u ahev to FAST for his Missed fasts too...can some one please check...

[naaz_aneen]

while i can certainly understand someone doing qaza prayer for their deceased father out of love and respect, i can't help but feel that this goes against islam's position that everyone is responsible for his/her own actions. anyways, any quranic/hadith references in regards to this will be appreciated.

btw, why is the performance of a mother's missed prayers/fast not certain?

Question 551: If the eldest child of a deceased person is female and his/her second child is male, will it be obligatory on this son also to perform the missed prayers and fasts of the mother and the father?

A: The criterion is the son's being the eldest among the sons, if his father has any sons. As for the assumption in question, the performance of father's missed prayers and fasts is obligatory on the son who is the father's second child. the obligatoriness of the performance of mother's missed prayers and fasts is not certain, although it is closer to precaution to offer them for her as well.

[Peer]

Hey I just remembered, we discussed this topic here sometime ago..

and it was because father is responsible to support the family, he is the one who should go out and earn, so while striving to make enough money for the family he might miss some of his salat, so that is why it is obligatory for the eldest son to say his father's missed prayers, and not his mother's.

Wa'Salam

Ali

[Ibn al-Hussain]

^Can some one tell me whether the son has to fast for his missed fasts too....i never heard of fasting for father before

help

[Peer]

^Can some one tell me whether the son has to fast for his missed fasts too....i never heard of fasting for father before

help

1721. After the death of a person his eldest son, as an obligatory precaution, should observe his qadha fasts as explained in connection with the prayers earlier.

Sayyid Seestani's

[naaz_aneen]

Hey I just remembered, we discussed this topic here sometime ago..

and it was because father is responsible to support the family, he is the one who should go out and earn, so while striving to make enough money for the family he might miss some of his salat, so that is why it is obligatory for the eldest son to say his father's missed prayers, and not his mother's.

Wa'Salam

Ali

peer,

the mother also is responsible for supporting/raising the family. many women today have the double task of not only raising families but also helping their spouses in financially supporting the family. it's totally plausible that she might miss some of her salaat. i still don't understand why doing qaza prayer for her is not as certain as it is for the father.

[Peer]

Hey I just remembered, we discussed this topic here sometime ago..

and it was because father is responsible to support the family, he is the one who should go out and earn, so while striving to make enough money for the family he might miss some of his salat, so that is why it is obligatory for the eldest son to say his father's missed prayers, and not his mother's.

Wa'Salam

Ali

peer,

the mother also is responsible for supporting/raising the family. many women today have the double task of not only raising families but also helping their spouses in financially supporting the family. it's totally plausible that she might miss some of her salaat. i still don't understand why doing qaza prayer for her is not as certain as it is for the father.

But Islamically she isnt responsible for supporting the family.. It isn't even wajib for her to feed the kids (it's father's duty, and the wife csn charge him for breastfeeding the kids..)

[Ibn al-Hussain]

^Can some one tell me whether the son has to fast for his missed fasts too....i never heard of fasting for father before

help

1721. After the death of a person his eldest son, as an obligatory precaution, should observe his qadha fasts as explained in connection with the prayers earlier.

Sayyid Seestani's

OMG :blink: lets hope my father doesnt have any qadha fasts Inshallah. Or else i'm screwed

Edited May 28, 2004 by Ali_Imran

[Peer]

^Can some one tell me whether the son has to fast for his missed fasts too....i never heard of fasting for father before

help

1721. After the death of a person his eldest son, as an obligatory precaution, should observe his qadha fasts as explained in connection with the prayers earlier.

Sayyid Seestani's

OMG :blink: lets hope my father doesnt have any qadha fasts Inshallah. Or else i'm screwed

:D

[Ibn al-Hussain]

^ thats not a one liner den i dont know what is...and leave me and my so called useless one liners alone, cuz dey have way more information den wat u just typed

:D <---wat on earth is dat....and ure a mod too :D

[sandy1]

if theer are no sons then eldest daughter

[Ibn al-Hussain]

^umm no..its only for son

[naaz_aneen]

But Islamically she isnt responsible for supporting the family.. It isn't even wajib for her to feed the kids (it's father's duty, and the wife csn charge him for breastfeeding the kids..)

yes i know that she's not islamically obligated to financially support the family, which is why i said she is responsible for raising/supporting a family and that there are many women who do both-financially and non-financially. while it would be nice to have one maid to do laundry, another maid to breastfeed, another to take the kids to school etc., its not available for most women. they must do all of that on top of other things. now, do u not think that she may miss a prayer?

[sandy1]

^umm no..its only for son

ummm no

if a man has no sons but has daughters then the eldest daughtre must do it :D

[ghulamhusain]

salam'alaikum

what if the older brother is a fool, doesnt know how to pray properly, or doesnt even pray himself - and the younger bro is religious and would want to pray the qadha prayers and fast the qadha fasts of the father????

[Gypsy]

The reason for eldest son is because he(his son) will be the executor of his will. And hence, he will be responsible for it.

[Abdul Hussain]

(bismillah)

It is only obligatory on the eldest son to pray/fast the father's qadha. It is NOT obligatory on any other of his children (be it the next eldest or his oldest daughter if he had no sons). However, anyone of his children may pray/fast the father's qadha if they so wish to.

[Hajar]

From Sayyid Seestani.

Qadha prayers of a father is obligatory on the eldest son

1399. If a person did not offer some of his obligatory prayers, and did not care to give qadha, in spite of being able to do so, after his death, it is upon his eldest son, as an obligatory precaution to perform those qadha, provided that the father did not leave them as a deliberate act of transgression. If the son cannot do so, he may hire someone to perform them. The qadha prayers of his mother is not obligatory upon him, though it is better if he performs them.

1400. If the eldest son doubts whether or not his father had any qadha on him, he is under no obligation.

1401. If the eldest son knows that his father had a certain number of qadha prayers on him, but he is in doubt whether his father offered them or not, he should offer them, as an obligatory precaution.

1402. If it is not known as to who is the eldest son of a person, it is not obligatory on anyone of the sons to offer their father's qadha prayers. However, the Mustahab precaution is that they should divide his qadha between them, or should draw lots for offering them.

1403. If a dying person makes a will that someone should be hired to offer his qadha prayers, and if the hired person performs them correctly, the eldest son will be free from his obligation.

1404. If the eldest son wishes to offer the qadha prayers of his mother, then in the matter of loud or silent recitations in namaz, he will follow the rules which apply to him. So, he should offer the qadha prayers of his mother for Fajr, Maghrib and Isha prayers loudly.

1405. If a person has to offer his own qadha prayers, and he also wishes to offer the qadha prayers of his parents, whichever he offers first will be in order.

1406. If the eldest son was minor, or insane at the time of his father's death, it will not be obligatory upon him to offer qadha of his father when he attains puberty or becomes sane.

1407. If the eldest son of a person dies before offering the qadha prayers of his father, it will not be obligatory on the second son.

[sandy1]

when my father passed away, i was told that my eldest sis had to do it, but I was the one who ended up arranging it

and im the youngest....we have no bros

but i was at the burial and read the jinaza right behind the men too

[Zain]

(salam)

Is the father responsible to inform his eldest son about his qadha prayers (before he dies) or is it the son's responsibilty to ask?

Edited June 4, 2004 by Zain

[Hajar]

(salam)

In some of the wills, there is a place for adding how many salats and other worship acts you have missed. I don't know if the father has to tell his son or not.

WaSalaam, Hajar

[Ya Aba 3abdillah]

(bismillah)

(salam)

Sweet Holy Mother of Jesus.

[Zain]

(salam)

In some of the wills, there is a place for adding how many salats and other worship acts you have missed. I don't know if the father has to tell his son or not.

WaSalaam, Hajar

(salam)

The reason I ask is because death comes suddenly. Many father's don't keep a will or do not include qadha prayers in it.

I am just trying to figure out whose responsibility is it to inform/ask the other person.

[Guest Firoz Hussain]

Is it Wajib for elder son who has a sister older than the son to offer his deceased father`s namaz or roza?

[Anonymous-Male]

Yes.

[Ali bin Hussein]

The Zaidi opinion is you can not make up missed obligatory prayers for anyone. As it's an individual wajibat that can be fulfilled in any difficulty.

Every one will be held accountable.