Staying up late and missing Fajr prayer

13-10-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Please answer this simple question as soon as possible. I read other questions on the site, but they did not address the issue. What is the ruling on one who wakes up at Fajr most of the time but sometimes unnecessarily stays up till late at night and sets an alarm and asks others to wake him but still sleeps throughout the Fajr. Is he sinning while staying up late? Does he take the same ruling as the one who deliberately misses a prayer? Some scholars consider leaving even one prayer an act of apostasy, so does this person who does not sleep early come under the same ruling?

---

Answer:

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.

A person who stays awake till late at night unnecessarily and then sleeps before the beginning time of the Fajr prayer and entrusts someone to wake him up but does not wake up until the time of the Fajr prayer has expired is not ruled to have deliberately missed the prayer, but he should not do so, especially, if he predominantly thinks that he will not be able to wake up for the Fajr prayer because of staying awake late at night.

Some scholars stated that staying awake at night is forbidden and not permissible if it leads to missing the Fajr prayer at its time. However, if a person predominantly thinks that he will be able to wake up for the Fajr prayer and he entrusted someone to wake him or he set an alarm and then he slept and did not wake up on time, then there is no sin on him.

In any case, staying awake at night without any benefit is disliked because this may lead to missing religious and worldly benefits.

Allah knows best.