What is the punishment for missing the Salah occasionally and replacing it later (Qazah)?

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 prayer is the most important pillar of Islam after the Shahaadatayn (The Two Testimonies of Faith).  Allah warned those who neglect it or give it up.

Allah Says (what means): {But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil.} [Quran 19:59]

Most interpreters of the Quran believe that this verse is about those who delay the prayer from its prescribed fixed time. Allah warned them of being thrown in a valley in Hell.

Hence, neglecting the prayer by delaying it until its fixed times expire is a major sin. Al Qurtubi said: “There is no disagreement over this.” [End of quote]

The Caliph ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattaab said: “Those who neglect the prayer are more neglectful of other duties.”

So, anyone who happened to neglect some prayers by delaying them should repent to Allah sincerely. Some scholars believe that anyone who gives up performing one obligatory prayer, not because of forgetfulness, just deliberately, he becomes a Kafir (i.e. he goes out of the fold of Islam).  This opinion is the one chosen by ‘Abdullah Ibn Al-Majashun and Ibn Hazm.

Therefore, this is a dangerous matter.  Indeed, one should not feel satisfied with delaying prayers and performing them later on.  So, one must beware of that.

Now that, if the person fails to pray a given prayer at its fixed time without any excuse, he should make it up as soon as possible.  This is the opinion of the majority of the scholars and it is the view that we adopt here in Islamweb.

However, some scholars believe that the person who deliberately misses to perform one single prayer at its fixed time, should not make it up as it is not accepted, hence not possible.

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 90926, 84235, 88690, 84024, and 82961.

Allah knows best.