Salaam ‘Alaykum.I am a person that is generally unpunctual for more or less everything and specifically unpunctual when it comes to praying on time. So I miss a lot of my prayers a lot of the times, quite honestly. The whole unpunctuality problem started off from waswasah and now very rarely am I able to pray all five prayers on time. However, I recently found out that if a person misses prayer after its time has come to an end, then he does not need to utter the testimony of faith, but he does need to have a ghusl [shower]. What should a [Hanbali] person like me do in this situation? Because it is too difficult for me to have that shower a couple of times everyday, or once everyday or every week. Bearing in mind that I usually miss my prayers due to removing impurity from by body, having a ghusl janaabah, doing wudoo’, using the toilet, etc.

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The following are some matters that should be clarified regarding your question.

Firstly: The view adopted in the Hanbali School is that a person who does not pray is not a Kaafir (i.e. not out of the fold of Islam) unless the Muslim leader or his deputy calls him to repent and he insists on abandoning the prayer.

If this did not happen, then you are ruled to be a Muslim, so you are not obliged to utter again The Two Testimonies of Faith or to perform Ghusl (ritual bath).

Secondly: Deliberately delaying the prayer until its prescribed fixed time is over is a grave major sin. Therefore, you must sincerely repent to Allah from this heinous and evil act, and observe the prayer at its prescribed fixed time.

Thirdly: The time of the prayer is an extended time (an interval), as it is known. So it cannot be imagined that your unpunctuality is the reason for leaving the prayer until its entire time is over; this happens because of your extreme negligence and dispraised laziness.

Therefore, you have to set the prayer at the top of your priorities and organize all your affairs accordingly.

You should make use of an alarm clock and modern means that will remind you. Also, you should keep company of righteous people who would remind you about the obedience of Allah and encourage you to this effect.

You should strive against your own evil self and repent to Allah whenever you commit a sin.

Additionally, you should earnestly supplicate Allah to help you about this matter.

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 334630, 372958, 387265, 280105, 377344 and 384457.

Allah knows best.