'A'isha reported that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) missed the night prayer due to pain or any other reason, he observed twelve rak'ahs during the daytime.
Textual Analysis
This narration from the Mother of the Believers 'A'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) establishes the Prophet's practice of compensating for missed night prayers (Tahajjud) by performing twelve rak'ahs during daytime hours.
Juridical Ruling
The scholars have derived from this hadith that voluntary night prayers missed due to legitimate excuses may be made up during the day. The specific number of twelve rak'ahs indicates a complete compensation for the typical night vigil.
This ruling applies specifically to supererogatory prayers, not obligatory ones, demonstrating the importance the Prophet placed on maintaining his voluntary worship even when circumstances prevented their performance at their preferred time.
Spiritual Significance
The Prophet's consistent practice of making up missed voluntary prayers teaches us the value of spiritual discipline and maintaining one's connection with Allah. It shows that legitimate excuses don't permanently deprive one of the opportunity to earn reward for voluntary worship.
This hadith also illustrates the mercy in Islamic law, allowing believers to compensate for missed supererogatory prayers when genuine obstacles prevent their performance at the optimal time.
Implementation Guidance
Scholars recommend performing these makeup prayers during the daytime, preferably before the sun reaches its zenith. They may be prayed in units of two rak'ahs each, with tasleem after every two rak'ahs, following the general pattern of voluntary prayers.
The timing for these compensatory prayers extends from after the Fajr prayer until before the Zuhr prayer, though some scholars permit them until 'Asr time.