Assalamu Alaikum.
Im currently 19 and for about 1 year ago I started to offer salat. However when I look back I have so many salat that I have missed, what shall I do?
Can someone tell me how many years of salat I have missed? Is there anyway to ask Allah to forgive me, and ask him to overlook my prayers. Do I have to offer salah for all those years I have missed? And if I die am I going to be punsihed for those salat I have missed?
Jazakallah.
Asalaamu Alaikum, jazakallahu khayran for sharing your issue with us. My brother it is a sign of imaan for us to worry about things that concern our deen. It is fard upon us as Muslims to begin praying Salaah from puberty onwards. So Salaah became fard upon you when you hit puberty. It is also incumbant upon us to make up any missed Salaah from puberty until the present day. Therefore you need to establish exactly when you hit puberty and then from there you need to calculate to the best of your ability how many years of Salaah you need to make up for.
What you should do is calculate the number of missed prayers you have.
For example:
Suppose you missed 4 years of prayer.
There are 365 days in a year. Multiply this by 4 and you get 1,460 days of missed prayer days in total for the four years.
If we multiply this by 5 prayers then that is about 7,300 prayers to make up for. If you pray an extra five prayers a day, you can make up these prayers in about 4 years.
To keep it simple, just double up your prayers for the next four years.
So when you pray your fajr prayer, for example, make an extra fajr prayer. When you pray dhuhr, make an extra dhuhr prayer as a makeup. Insha'Allah, if you can do this consistently for four years, you'll have made up all your prayers.
Or if you feel this is too much then you can take out part of the day when you have most energy and do your makeup prayers then rather than doubling up your prayers throughout the day. Do what you feel is best for you and what you will be able to maintain in the long run in order to make up all of your prayers.
Remember the makeup prayers will also be judged by Allah so they must be prayed like every other fard prayer with full concentration, sincerety and humility and not rushed through or seen as a burden.
It is a major sin to miss even one Salaah and there is punishment of many thousands of years for every Salaah missed for it is the very purpose of our life but by sincerely repenting with remorse and with the intention of never repeating such an action again then you will find Allah most forgiving. Never forget that Allah is the Most Merciful. Anyone who does evil and then asks for forgiveness will find Allah Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
(Surat an-Nisa':110) Hence, remember that Allah is the Most Merciful and the Ever-Forgiving, and pray to Him in hope.
No matter how serious the error you may have committed, and are in deeply remorse over it, it is not a reason for you to despair of Allah's forgiveness. Thus, no matter how guilty a person feels, he can always expect to find his Lord forgiving. In fact, the Qur'an informs us that it is only disbelievers who despair of Allah's mercy:
...Do not despair of solace from Allah. No one despairs of solace from Allah except for people who are disbelievers. (Surah Yusuf: 87)
On the other hand, never forget that no one can guarantee that he is worthy of Paradise. No one is safe from the punishment of his Lord. This is why, when calling on Allah, a person must hope for Allah's mercy, but also be in fear of losing His good pleasure.
We all learn from our mistakes in life for if we never made mistakes then how will we ever learn and become better people. We are who we are today from the failures and mistakes we have made in our lives. So learn from the past and take lessons from it. Repent to Allah always to forgive you for all of your sins and try your utmost to keep away from major sins in particular.
Focus on the present and future as the past has now gone so there is no need to keep reflecting on it. In fact you should thank Allah that he has given you guidance so that you can be the person you are today. Thank Allah always and strive to do everything in your day and life to please him and refrain from anything that may displease or anger him.
You are still in your youth and the best worship one can do in their life is in their youth and that is because the youth is a stage in our life where desires are at their highest and if a person resists all of the temptations and strives to do everything to please Allah and refrains from anything that angers or displeases him then those people will be rewarded very highly by Allah on the day of judgement inshallah.
These articles wil help you to maximise the amount of good deeds you do everyday inshallah:
10 Steps to Increasing our Iman(Faith)
http://www.islamicboard.com/manners-...man-faith.html (10 Steps to Increasing our Iman(Faith))
30 ways the youth should spend everyday of their lives!
http://www.islamicboard.com/manners-...eir-lives.html (30 ways the youth should spend everyday of their lives!)
Easy Dhikr which is light on the tongue but heavy on the scales!
http://www.islamicboard.com/manners-...vy-scales.html (Easy Dhikr which is light on the tongue but heavy on the scales!)
My Daily Ibadah (worship) check!
http://www.islamicboard.com/manners-...hip-check.html (My Daily Ibadah (worship) check!)
10 steps to getting closer to Allah
http://www.islamicboard.com/manners-...ser-allah.html (10 steps to getting closer to Allah)
Forty Very Easy, Quick & Rewarding Good Deeds for all of us to do Everyday!
http://www.islamicboard.com/worship-...-everyday.html (Forty Very Easy, Quick & Rewarding Good Deeds for all of us to do Everyday!)
VERY Rewarding Nafl Salaahs we can Pray Everyday!
http://www.islamicboard.com/worship-...-everyday.html (VERY Rewarding Nafl Salaahs we can Pray Everyday!)
Here are some very beneficial lectures to increase your imaan and fear of Allah:
AMAZING short speech -"The Goodly Life"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fugf1DcNyc
Remembrance: ask Allah for his forgiveness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-EK9r3rMzQ
Angel of Death!!! - Sheikh Ahmed Ali
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUzRJXlB2uA
HARD HITTING Lecture on HELLFIRE & the Day of JUDGEMENT! يوم القيامة والجحيم
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O6L_fBk7VM
Sheikh Ahmad Ali - Hellfire Talk Part 1/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWTehIeCOUU
Sheikh Ahmad Ali - Hellfire Talk Part 2/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXTtk7rWx_U
Sheikh Ahmad Ali - Hellfire Talk Part 3/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmiD86w9fBc
Islam - Punishment of the Grave by Sheikh Riyadh ul Haq
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWb-hYIm2WE
Death and the Grave by Murtaza Khan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r2nzJVecqo
How can we not appreciate what we have after watching this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkEBUC0APMg
And Allah knows best in all matters