I would like you to explain to me how sound is this hadeeth that was narrated concerning the virtue of a certain prayer on the last Friday of Ramadan, as it says "Whoever misses a prayer in his life must pray four rak'ahs with one tashahhud and recite the Opening of the Book (i.e., al-Faatihah) and Soorat al-Kawthar and al-Qadr 15 times in each rak'ah"! And his intention must be to offer expiation for what he missed of prayers, and by His grace it will expiate for 400 years! Imam 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that it will expiate for 1000 years!
This was a question posted to a scholar
And this is the replyThe report that speaks of a prayer that may be offered by one who omitted a prayer deliberately until the time for it ended, so that it may be an expiation for his deeds, is a lie and is falsely attributed to Islamic teaching. There follow some comments of the scholars concerning that:
1. Ash-Shawkaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The hadeeth "Whoever prays the five obligatory prayers of the night and day on the last Friday of Ramadan, that will make up for what he missed of prayers during that year" is undoubtedly mawdoo' (fabricated). I could not find it in any of the books in which the authors compiled fabricated hadeeths, but it is well-known among a group of people who claim to have knowledge in the city of San'aa' nowadays, and many of them do that! I do not know who fabricated it and told it to them; may Allah curse the liars.
End quote from al-Ahaadeeth al-Mawdoo'ah (p. 54)
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas said:
Prayer is an act of worship and the basic principle concerning it is tawqeef i.e., stopping at what has been narrated in sharee'ah (and not introducing anything new); the issue of making up the prayers and details of how to do that is something to be learned from textsand it is not valid to refer to anything in this regard except the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the consensus based on both of them or one of them. There is no proof from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), or from his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), or from the leaders of guidance (may Allah have mercy on them) that they offered this prayer or instructed or encouraged others to do so. If it was something established, then his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would have known about it and would have transmitted it to us, and the leaders of guidance after them would have guided us to it. But there is no proof to that effect from any of them in word or in deed. That indicates that what is mentioned in the question about the "prayer to make up for the prayers of a lifetime (salaat al-qada' al-'umri)" is a bid'ah that has been introduced into Islam for which Allah has not prescribed. It is proven from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he said: "Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected." (Agreed upon). Rather what the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed us to do is to make up the prayers that one misses because of falling asleep or forgetting until the time for them ends, and he explained to us that we should offer those prayers as they are usually offered when we wake up or remember, not on the last Friday of Ramadan.
End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah (8/167, 168)
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