Coming back after a break

The door is open

Allah says, "O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah's mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins" (Quran 39:53, translation of the meaning by Dr. Mustafa Khattab). The Prophet said that if people did not sin, Allah would replace them with people who sin and then ask His forgiveness, and He would forgive them (Sahih Muslim 2749).

Roohi Tahir of the Yaqeen Institute writes that repentance is a way of life. You return to Allah whenever you slip, even after falling again, and despair is one of the main things that keeps people from coming back.

Your first day back

• Make wudu and pray the next prayer that is due.
• Say a short repentance in your own words, in any language.
• Do not wait until you feel ready. Pray first.
• If you want to, tell one person you trust that you are back.

Missed prayers

Prayers from before you became Muslim are not owed. A SeekersGuidance answer by Ustadha Shaista Maqbool also says a convert in a non-Muslim country is not responsible for prayers from the time before they knew prayer was obligatory.

For prayers missed after that, a SeekersGuidance answer by Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad says making them up is required, with sincere repentance. It cites Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali scholars, and Ibn Rushd for the majority view. The same answer quotes Ibn Rushd saying scholars differed about someone who missed prayers on purpose, and notes that some scholars differed on whether make-up applies to deliberately missed prayers. If you left Islam for a time and have come back, ask a teacher how this applies to you.

If you make prayers up, go gently. Ustadha Maqbool suggests a schedule you can keep, such as making up one day of prayers each day, even if it takes a year or longer.

• Estimate the number roughly. Do not let the count stop you praying today.
• Add make-up prayers alongside your daily prayers, or follow the schedule your teacher sets.
• Do not try to make up months in a few days. A steady plan lasts longer.

Going back to the masjid

You do not owe anyone an explanation for where you have been. Walk in, pray, and leave if that is all you can manage today. If someone asks, a short answer is enough. If you felt unwelcome at one masjid before, try another, or a class for new Muslims.

What pulled you away?

It can help to name what made you drift, because each reason has its own kind of help.

• Taking on too much at once: see the plan for hard weeks on the New Muslim basics page.
• Loneliness: see the loneliness and belonging guide.
• Doubts or faith that feels flat: see the questions and doubts topic.
• Low mood that does not lift, or alcohol and drugs: see the mental health page.

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