QUESTION:
From the time I reached puberty until three years ago, I was not performing Salaah and did not keep any fasts. If I attended Jumuah Salaah, I was never in a state of Wudhu. I heard that if you miss three Jumuah Salaahs, you no longer have Imaan. During this period, I was heavily involved in drugs and alcohol as well. When I did “fast,” it was to show people that I’m fasting and that I would eat and drink at any available moment. Alhamdulillah, it is only through Allah Ta’ala’s grace that He gave me the Taufeeq to come out of that life. My question is: Do I have Imaan? The fasts and salaahs that were missed, do they have to be made up? If so, what is the procedure regarding the fasts?
ANSWER:
Firstly, the Hadith that is referred to in the query regarding losing one’s Imaan is as follows:
عَنْ أَبِي الْجَعْدِ الضَّمْرِيِّ، وَكَانَتْ، لَهُ صُحْبَةٌ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ مَنْ تَرَكَ ثَلاَثَ جُمَعٍ تَهَاوُنًا بِهَا طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ ) سنن النسائي #1369)
Abu Ja’d Ad-Damari Radiallahu Anhu who was a companion of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam narrates that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said: “Whoever leaves out three Jumuah (Salaah) due to negligence, then Allah Ta’ala will place a seal upon his heart.”
In the above Hadith, there is no mention made of a person losing his Imaan. Mulla Ali Qaari Rahimahullah mentions that the meaning of a seal being placed on a person’s heart is that no good will enter his heart and neither will he be inclined towards good. Some commentators have said that he will be written as a hypocrite.
(طبع الله) أي:ختم (على قلبه) : بمنع إيصال الخير إليه، وقيل: كتبه منافقا (مرقاة المفاتيح 1/79)
It is necessary upon you to keep all your missed Salaah and fasts. The procedure of keeping the missed fasts is that you will have to ponder and reflect over how many years of fasts you have missed. Once this has been ascertained, you should make your intention in the following manner: “From all the fasts that I have missed in my life, this is the first fast that I’m making Qadha of.” The same intention should be repeated every time you fast. One may also make the following intention: “From all the fasts that I have missed in my life, this is the last fast which I’m making Qadha of”. You should continue in this manner until all the missed fasts have been covered. This will be the ruling in regard to fasts that were never kept at all.
The same principle and ruling will be applicable to your Qadha Salaah.
وإذا كثرت الفوائت يحتاج لتعيين كل صلاة فإن أراد تسهيل الأمر عليه نوى أول ظهر عليه أو آخره وكذا الصوم من رمضانين على أحد تصحيحين مختلفين (مراقي الفلاح 1/173)
Re: – Fataawa Mahmoodiyyah Vol. 15 Pg. 195
ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Maulana Abdul Kader Fazlani
Date: 08 Ramadaan 1445 / 19 March 2024
CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai
