Advanced search
Visit
6407
Last Updated: 2014/04/20
Summary of question
Is doing some Wajib or Mustahab acts be considered as a substitute for the prayer?
question
Can we leave the prayer by making it up with helping poor persons and patients, making mosques or other similar acts instead?
Concise answer
It should be noted before answering the above-mentioned question that however, all of the divine laws are based upon securing the interests of mankind and keeping them away from harms. This means that nothing is lawful and unlawful without reason and it is not the case that things have been applied without any rhyme or reason, but the human is not able to comprehend all the benefits and harms on their own intellectual reason, only. Because, the one must follow Allah's revelation and infallibles' speeches. As a result, we must find out the real reason related to the above-mentioned question, from the Holy Quran and Sunna.
It should be said that however some obligatory acts can be performed optionally; which means we are able to do another act instead of the first we wanted to do. E.g. one has the option to make up his missed fast (that he missed it deliberately) by doing these kinds of atonements: 1. to fast sixty days, 2. to feed sixty poor 3. Or to give each of them one Sir of food (Sir is the old weight that almost equal to75 grammes).[1] But, according to many traditions (Ahadith), other acts cannot be substituted for the prayer. This means that we must perfume the prayer itself. Moreover, the prayer is the condition of accepting other good acts. Like this tradition in which says: "If your prayer is accepted by Allah the Almighty, your other acts of worship will be accepted too. If not they won't be accepted too."[2]
Therefore, when we have no real reason for substituting, we couldn’t act upon our opinions. E.g. if a patient has a variety of diseases and the Dr. prescribed some especial drugs for each of his illnesses, the patient is not able to use another drug (like heart drug) instead of  what the Dr. prescribed it (diabetes drug). So, we cannot leave the prayer and making it up by doing some Mustahab (recommended) or other Wajib acts of worship instead.
However, there is a possibility for those whose night prayer became gaza (missed it) to make it up by giving Sadagha (alms) to others.[3]
 

[1] . Tauzihul Massa'il of Maraja', vol 2, p 928.
[2] . Muhaddes Noori, Mustadrak al-Wasa'il, vol 3, p 25.
[3] . Al-Rawzat al-Bahiya fi Sharh-el-Lomat al-Dameshqiyah (T- al-Qadimah), vol 1, p 109.
"و یستحب قضاء النوافل الراتبة الیومیة استحبابا مؤکدا و قد روی: أن من یترکها تشاغلا بالدنیا لقی الله مستخفا متهاونا مضیعا لسنة رسول الله ص فإن عجز عن القضاء تصدق عن کل رکعتین بمد فإن عجز فعن کل أربع فإن عجز فعن صلاة اللیل بمد و عن صلاة النهار بمد فإن عجز فعن کل یوم بمد و القضاء أفضل من الصدقة."
Question translations in other languages
Comments
Number of comments 0
Please enter the value
Example : Yourname@YourDomane.ext
Please enter the value
Please enter the value

Random questions

  • How was Hijab enacted in Islam?
    7063 Laws and Jurisprudence 2011/12/13
    Before the advent of Islam, women did not wear modest dresses or full veil in public. No sooner Islam emerged in the Arabian Peninsula than it presented clear rules for women’s dress. The rules regarding hijab and its limits are mentioned in Sura al-Ahzab and Sura al-Noor ...
  • Did Mukhtar keep any love of Abu Bakr and Umar in his heart? Why didn’t he defend Imam Hussein in Karbala?
    12411 Laws and Jurisprudence 2017/01/24
    The traditions about Mukhtar in our sources are divided into two categories; some of them praise and others simply reproach him. The scholars who specialize in hadith and biographical accounts generally choose to rely on the traditions which praise him and they have given their views about ...
  • What are the benefits of having an "absent" imam in occultation?
    7526 Traditional 2009/05/17
    Although the existence of an infallible imam entails many benefits, but an imam in occultation also has its own numerous benefits which can be summed up in the following:1- Being the mediator between us and Allah's (swt) divine grace2- The people making use of his existence3- Aid and ...
  • Does the Quran intend to identify God as the sensible light when it says that God is the light of the heavens and the earth?
    7582 Exegesis 2011/09/21
    1. Certainly, the by referring to Allah as light, the Qur'an does not intend to identify Him as a physical and sensory light because the sensible light is a part of the accident characteristic of matter whereas there are numerous arguments which negate the physicality of God, the Exalted, and which ...
  • How can a person be forgiven for his sins?
    9233 Practical 2010/12/21
    There are many ways mentioned below that one can be forgiven and purified from his sins and misdeeds:1- Repenting according to its conditions and returning to Allah. 2- Doing extraordinary good deeds that cause the ...
  • What is the significance of words in divine revelation?
    6388 Exegesis 2011/10/08
    Everything has four modes of existence: verbal existence, written existence, mental existence and external existence. Revelation also has these four modes of existence: For example, when we speak of the external existence of the Quran we say that this Quran was received with these same words by the Prophet through ...
  • If a woman is divorced and then remarries, then who would be her spouse in the hereafter?
    11206 Traditional 2006/12/02
                For a man and a woman who were married to each other in this world, there a several theories regarding their situation in the next world; for example:
  • Who were the Ansar?
    8373 تاريخ بزرگان 2010/04/07
    Ansar is the plural form of Naser from the root of Nasr, and means people who help and aid. In the advent of Islam, the residents of Medinah and its outskirts, especially the members of the two tribes of the Aws and Khazraj were called the Ansar, because ...
  • Why is the Quran divided into verses? Are there chapters of the Quran that have been revealed in whole and at one time to the Prophet (pbuh)?
    14987 Exegesis 2010/01/21
    The Quran has been revealed in two ways. The first was in the form of the revelation of entire chapters all at once (daf’i/دفعی), and the other was gradual revelations of verses. Several reasons have been mentioned for the gradual revelation of the Quran, of which ...
  • Which surah is Surah Bani Israel?
    15565 Quranic Studies 2009/11/25
    The seventeenth surah of the Quran, is Surah Bani Israel which contains 111 verses. This surah is also known as surah ‘Isra’ and ‘Subhan’. The reason for naming this surah ‘Bani Israel’ is because in this surah, the different stages and states of Bani Israel have been mentioned ...

Popular