Title: A Further Exchange on 'Not being able to Wake up for Fajr Prayers' Question/Comments: Am I correct in understanding that if I miss the Fajr prayer due to unintentionally oversleeping then I should not perform it when I wake up? Also please explain exactly what ' qadha ' is. If I cannot pray at work and come home and pray outside of its prescribed time, is this ' qadha '? Is it allowed? Best Regards Answer: I am extremely sorry, but probably due to the lack of clarity in my statements, you have not been able to correctly understand what I had intended to imply. If a person misses any prayer due to unintentionally sleeping through its prescribed time or simply due to forgetfulness, then he should offer his (missed) prayer whenever he wakes up or whenever he is reminded of it. Prayers are not lost in conditions of sleep, forgetfulness or unconsciousness. If a person has missed a prayer due to any reason that is beyond his control, then in such a situation the prayer shall not be termed as " qadha " (i.e. dead or expired). It shall be offered as soon as the reason due to which it was not offered at its prescribed time is removed. " Qadha " prayers are those that are intentionally lost or when a person who can offer his prayer at the prescribed time refuses to offer his prayer, the prayer shall be termed as " qadha ". From the above explanation, it should be clear that If a person "cannot" pray at his workstation and is forced, due to uncontrollable circumstances, to miss offering his prayers at the prescribed time, then the prayers shall not be termed as " qadha ". The person should then offer all his missed prayers as soon as the hindering circumstances are removed. Moreover, it should be remembered that offering the obligatory part in all the prayers that fall within normal working hours only takes a very short time. A person, who is not given a regular break for prayers, may just offer the fardh rak`at of the prayers that fall in his office hours. In case even that is not allowed, then he may offer all his prayers at the time he returns home. However, a Muslim should strive hard to find a job in which such restrictions are not imposed on fulfilling his obligations toward his Lord. As soon as an alternative can be arranged, he should change his job and work for an employer who does not hinder him from fulfilling these obligations. 6 th September 1999