why no expiation for not doing salat or zakat?
-
Salamun Alaika Brother Hafeez.
You are right that we are diverging away from the original question of Brother Wakas.
Still since you are asking me specific questions I would humbly and briefly respond to your specific questions here.Quran uses SADAQAH and you use ZAKAT. Could you please clarify your stand on this issue. Do you still consider paying Zakat from wealth? Why Allah ordered the prophet to take SADAQAH and not ZAKAT? If we consider taking Zakat from wealth then we are going against the command of the Quran.
My understanding is that Zakaat or Purification is a broader directive covering purification in our entire livelihood system ? part of it is achieved through Sadaqah.
I do not see any reason why I have to believe that Zakaat and Sadaqah must be mutually exclusive concepts.You said that to pay ZAKAT is to satisfy all such claims. Could you please substantiate your claim via Quran?
No I cannot. I mentioned earlier these are my personal assessment on how we can strive for purification (the literal meaning of Zakaat) in our livelihood. Since Qur?an does not specifically define Zakaat, we need to understand the term primarily based on its literal meaning. However, I earlier already referred to verse 23 which defines the following attributes of a Muttaqui ?? and those who believe in the unobservable, and establish salaat, and from what We provided them they spend?? I do believe the positioning of the phrase from what We provided them they spend immediately after salaat gives a strong suggestion on what zakat could mean? since later on the establishment of salaat have generally followed by paying of zakat.
My question to you is from what source you got the ZAKAT DIRECTIVE. There is no ZAKAT directive in the Quran but SADAQAH DIRECTIVE.
By Zakaat Directive I meant the simple instruction to ?pay zakat? or ?bring zakat? which comes repeatedly in Qur?an ? 2110 can be a specific example.
WHY SHOULD THE POLYTHEIST SHOULD BE FORCED TO OBSERVE SALAT AND GIVE ZAKAT.
For the simple reason that the generic requirement of establishing respect for the Master of the Universe (i.e. Salaat) and striving for purity of livelihood (i.e. Zakaat) ? are general and universal requirements for mankind, which can be substantiated using human intellect and conscience.
By going through your earlier post I came to the conclusion that you are influenced by hadith in respect of zakat otherwise the things that are not mentioned in the Quran would not have been a subject of discussion.
I admit that my first post was directly addressing the question of brother Wakas without first explaining my understanding of Zakaat. This may have given rise to some confusion. However, I expected that the confusions would be cleared with my follow-up post.
I also want this to be the final post of this off-shoot discussion. Hope we can now continue with the main theme of this thread.
My sincere apologies if I have generated any hard feelings. May Allah guide us all to the straight route.
Regards,
Arman -
Salm Wakas,
You pose a stimulating question.
We cannot definitively know why some religious obligations can be expiated and others cannot. The Quran doesn't divulge this information. However, we can still make suggestions.
My reckoning is that the dominant distinguishing factor between the two sets you've mentioned is their frequency of occurrence.
That is to say, awm and hajj are time-restricted obligations and can only be practiced in specific months. Whereas, alh and zakh are not time-restricted and can occur on any day at any time of the year.
Now, expiation for alh and zakh will be quite hard as they are more likely to be missed or performed imperfectly due to their greater occurrence.
And there's a good possibility that this could simply be a mercy from God in order to make our lives easier.
God knows.
-
Salm Wakas,
You pose a stimulating question.
We cannot definitively know why some religious obligations can be expiated and others cannot. The Quran doesn't divulge this information. However, we can still make suggestions.
My reckoning is that the dominant distinguishing factor between the two sets you've mentioned is their frequency of occurrence.
That is to say, awm and hajj are time-restricted obligations and can only be practiced in specific months. Whereas, alh and zakh are not time-restricted and can occur on any day at any time of the year.
Now, expiation for alh and zakh will be quite hard as they are more likely to be missed or performed imperfectly due to their greater occurrence.
And there's a good possibility that this could simply be a mercy from God in order to make our lives easier.
God knows.
I like your answer above, brother uq. )
I quote it, to put it in the list of my posts.
Looks like I need to read it again another time, inshaAllah.
Salm.
http//4.bp.blogspot.com/-K83QMj6F2fE/UZUs5cTBwYI/AAAAAAAAD2c/Db_9vGZDEKo/s1600/sunflower-emoticon.png
-
peace all,
Thanks for the replies so far. Let me ask a follow-up, perhaps it will help
Are there any other practices in The Quran (apart from salat and zakat) that we are asked to do AND have no expiation for them if not done?
Peace Wakas,
What first comes to mind is this
Honor your parents.
We enjoined the human being to honor his parents. His mother bore him arduously, gave birth to
him arduously, and took intimate care of him for thirty months. When he reaches maturity, and reaches
the age of forty, he should say, "My Lord, direct me to appreciate the blessings You have bestowed upon
me and upon my parents, and to do the righteous works that please You. Let my children be righteous as
well. I have repented to You; I am a submitter."God bless
peace
-
There are many directives in the Quran for which the Quran stipulates no expiation if not performed or if performed incorrectly.
Some of which?
• The writing of loans and credit
• The laws of divorce
• The laws of combat
• The laws of marriage
• The laws of inheritance
In fact, I will go so far as to say that the majority of the laws of the Quran have no expiation if not performed or if performed incorrectly.
-
peace uq,
Thanks for the reply.
I had a think about the examples you suggested and I couldn't really pinpoint what specifically you were referring to. Can you clarify with some specific examples?
I am trying to consider what are the differences in nature between those acts that have expiation and those that do not. For instance, in the examples you mentioned, they are not for all believers, i.e. they would only apply if one happened to be in that situation, and they all involve interaction with another party who may be effected.
I agree that most of the "laws" in The Quran have no expiation if not done.
-
Peace Wakas,
Rather than give specific examples of commandments that do not require expiation, I think it would suit our purposes better to analyze those commandments that do require expiation.
The following is not an exhaustive list?
• The expiation of murder and of manslaughter
• The expiation of a broken oath
• The expiation of not performing sawm
• The expiation of shaving your head during hajj and of not having a sacrificial offering
• The expiation of swearing to God that you will not approach your wife
That's off the top of my head. There could be a couple more.
-
For clarification, "expiation" is defined as "the act of making amends or repiration for guilt or wrong doing". This is distinct to "punishment" which is defined as "the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offence".
So, making up missed days of abstinence (sawm) and making a sacrificial offering in hajj if one prematurely shaves one's head, are both?I reckon?forms of expiation.
Whereas, 100 lashes for the fornicator and capital punishment for the murderer are both?I reckon?forms of punishment.
Thus, the distinction I present here lies in the difference between violating an explicit prohibition and between being unable to fulfil an obligation.
I reckon this to be an important distinction because the Quran does not use the word to describe expiation (as in the first two examples above). But it does use the word to describe punishment (as in the second two examples above).
-
salat and expiation
I find that the word aqeemoo (و conveys a meaning of steadfastness, maintaining, keeping up with, to be constant in. I understand this to mean that we should make salat a consistent and regular part of our lives.
As some have already said, salat is not "time-restricted", and it seems to me it is left to us as to what is consistent and regular.
Since I find that the Quran does not provide any metric regarding salat, I would not know how to determine when I have failed... and it would only be upon my failure that maybe I would wish to know how to expiate for my failure.
-
A revision of my last post re
it seems to me it is left to us as to what is consistent and regular.
It seems to me the meaning of being steadfast/constant in prayer is that we are to pray BOTH in good times and in bad, instead of only in bad. I suggest this because
- I find that the Quran points out how disbelievers only pray/worship God during times of adversity e.g. 2211
- That God tests us as a means to identify those characterized as #1 above e.g. 7217
So to revise what I said earlier
... it seems to me it is left to us as to what is consistent and regular, as long as we're praying both in good times and in bad. -
A revision of my last post re
It seems to me the meaning of being steadfast/constant in prayer is that we are to pray BOTH in good times and in bad, instead of only in bad. I suggest this because- I find that the Quran points out how disbelievers only pray/worship God during times of adversity e.g. 2211
- That God tests us as a means to identify those characterized as #1 above e.g. 7217
So to revise what I said earlier
... it seems to me it is left to us as to what is consistent and regular, as long as we're praying both in good times and in bad.Hmmmm...
I think the Quran is clear as to the times of prayer.
As for why there is no expiation. I think that is a question raised with the intention of addressing whether salat and zakat are time restricted obligatory "performances"
I don't think we can question God as to why there is no expiation for salat.
Take it as it is and obey.
There are so many alternatives God has given in the book if you fear you won't be able to perform salat, shortening prayer, reading what's easy of the Quran, you can say your prayer on foot or while riding.
You are also given aplroximately a window of an "hour" for each salat
There is basically no excuse for missing salat and if it is missed, just ask forgiveness.
You can supplicate to God in humility and privacy any time.But the Salat is indeed for the believers a Book maqwutan
Although I will state that salat and zakat are more affairs related to our personality and our hearts (i.e.Making contact and upholding the Reading and being generous and loving towards the needy and the relatives). -
Not so clear to me... can you help clarify for me? Since my request is off-topic, feel free to PM me?
I will PM you if GOD so wills promptly.
I also failed to realize that Uq basically answered the OP, by stating that there is essentially a difference between not fulfilling an obligation and exceeding a prohibition.
-
After multiple years later. I had a conversation with chatGPT about this topic:
https://www.academia.edu/146219028/Why_no_expiation_or_making_up_of_missed_salat_in_Quran_and_also_zakat_U can skip to the end for the summary:
Conclusion (Qurʾān-only)
Zakat in the Qurʾān is best understood as general purification / betterment / moral
development.
This fits perfectly with our expiation framework:
o Relational, identity-based acts → no make-up / no expiation
o Procedural, measurable acts → make-up/expiation exists
In other words: Ṣalāt and Zakat share the same Qurʾānic logic regarding moral accountability vs.
procedural compensation.Qurʾānic Expiation / Make-Up Checklist
A. Expiation / Make-Up Exists (Yes)An act requires compensation if ALL of these Qurʾānic conditions are met:
- Procedural / measurable act
o The act is external and quantifiable (e.g., days of fasting, animal sacrifice).
o Qurʾān examples: fasting (2:184), Hajj/‘Umrah (2:196), ẓihār (58:3–4), hunting in sacred
months (5:95). - Specific violation occurred
o A prohibition or obligation was concretely broken.
o Example: missed fast day, interrupted pilgrimage, broken oath. - Material / external consequences
o The act has objective impact on others or the ritual order.
o Example: sacrificial animal replaces missed Hajj rite; charity or fasting compensates for
ẓihār. - Restoration / replacement is possible
o A substitute action can meaningfully restore the obligation.
o Qurʾān prescribes alternative acts (2:196, 5:95, 58:3–4).
B. Expiation / Make-Up Does Not Exist (No)
An act cannot be made up or expiated if ANY of these Qurʾānic features apply:
- Relational / identity-based act
o The act defines conscious alignment or orientation, not a tally.
o Examples: ṣalāt (4:43, 74:43, 107:4–5, 19:59), zakāt (2:267, 30:39). - Time-specific, instantaneous engagement
o Missed moment cannot be retroactively “experienced”.
o Example: missed ṣalāt moment or heedless engagement; cannot be redone later. - No tangible violation of others or external order
o Missing or neglecting it does not create a measurable deficit.
o Example: personal act of worship; moral consequence exists, but no procedural debt. - Correction = moral / conscious return, not substitution
o The Qurʾān emphasizes renewed awareness, alignment, or moral return, not a
replacement ritual.
o Example: turning back to ṣalāt (4:43, 107:4–5), moral purification through generosity (2:267,
30:39).
Summary Rule
Expiation / Make-Up exists only when the act is: measurable, procedural, violated, and
externally restorable.
Relational, instantaneous, or identity-defining acts (like ṣalāt or Qurʾānic zakāt) cannot be made up — moral return is the Qurʾānic solution.Note: AI may make mistakes here and there. Posted as food for thought. Always seek knowledge and verify information
- Procedural / measurable act
-
What I am struggling with is something very basic but also very deep, and it connects directly to the question about why the Quran provides expiation for some obligations but not for Salat and Zakat.
We are debating Salat and Zakat in great detail, even though they are among the most frequently mentioned and foundational concepts in the Quran. People disagree on whether they are rituals, moral orientations, financial systems, ethical principles, or some combination of all of these. And yet, no clear consensus emerges. This matters because the question of expiation depends entirely on the nature of the act itself. One cannot ask why there is no make-up or compensation unless one is clear about what kind of obligation Salat and Zakat actually are.
This raises a serious question for me. If these concepts were so central to the Quran, how is it possible that we still cannot agree on what they actually mean, while at the same time we are confident that other duties like fasting or pilgrimage are clearly defined enough to allow compensation when missed. And if we decide to reject Hadith as religious authority, that may be fine, but we cannot simply reject history itself. People lived with the Prophet. A society existed for decades while revelation was ongoing. They must have had a practical understanding of these commands and of what failure or neglect meant in real life.
Conventional Islam did not appear suddenly. It took shape over time, influenced by political authority, empire, legal systems, and the need to standardize practice across vast regions. Salat and Zakat eventually became formalized into procedures and policies. There were rules, numbers, timings, thresholds, and legal manuals. Along with that formalization came a strong sense of consequence, guilt, and accountability tied to procedural compliance. This development did not happen overnight. It evolved gradually after the death of the Prophet, across generations.
Today, most Muslim sects agree on the outward form of Salat and the financial structure of Zakat, even if they disagree on details. That level of agreement suggests that some shared understanding existed early on. However, the Quran itself does not frame Salat and Zakat in the same way it frames fasting or pilgrimage when it comes to missed performance or compensation. This difference may be intentional rather than accidental.
At the same time, something clearly went wrong in how consequences were internalized. Many Muslims today feel intense guilt over missing a single prayer, as if it were an irreparable failure, yet feel little inner disturbance over lying, injustice, exploiting others, harming or disobeying parents, or consuming what does not belong to them. That imbalance cannot come from the Quran itself. The Quran consistently condemns injustice and hypocrisy and repeatedly criticizes ritual that is disconnected from ethics. It never introduces a system of compensatory payments or substitute actions for missed Salat or neglected Zakat in the way it does for fasting or pilgrimage-related violations.
This imbalance is probably why many Quran-focused readers push back against ritualism altogether and question why there is no expiation for Salat and Zakat. But rejecting everything inherited is just as easy and just as shallow as accepting everything without thought. It is simple to say that most of traditional Islam got it wrong, but that also ignores lived history and human continuity.
It is possible that Salat and Zakat always had outward forms, recognizable practices that people performed regularly. It is also possible that these acts were never meant to be treated as procedural debts that could be missed and later paid off. If Salat and Zakat are acts of continuous alignment, moral orientation, and conscious engagement, then the absence of expiation makes sense. One does not compensate for a broken relationship with a substitute action. One returns, realigns, and corrects course.
The earliest Muslim community did not receive a policy document explaining how to compensate for missing Salat, nor a formula for making up neglected Zakat. They received guidance gradually, in motion, within a shared language and moral culture. Meaning came before codification. Orientation came before standardization.
We may never fully reconstruct exactly how the first community practiced every detail or how they internally understood failure in these acts. That may not be a failure of preservation, but a deliberate feature of the Quran. The Quran preserves principles and direction, not mechanisms for procedural repair in every case. Moral responsibility was never meant to be reduced to accounting.
So the real question may not be why there is no expiation for Salat and Zakat, but what kind of acts they are meant to be. If they are identity-forming, relational, and continuous, then they do not lend themselves to make-up or substitution in the way time-bound, measurable acts do.
Living with that uncertainty is uncomfortable, but perhaps it is necessary. The Quran does not demand false certainty. It repeatedly calls for reflection, humility, sincerity, and awareness of human limits. If I am at a loss, it is not because the Quran is unclear, but because I see the cost of oversimplifying acts that were never meant to be reduced to procedural debts.
And that, perhaps, is the most honest way to bring this discussion back to the original question about consequences and expiation.
-
i asked it to analyse this article, bearing in mind its expiation analysis above:
https://mypercept.co.uk/articles/covenant-quran.htmlBased strictly on Qurʾān and the article:
Dīn = living covenant
Covenant = sustained attachment and fidelity
Ṣalāt = vertical attachment (God-ward orientation)
Zakāt = horizontal attachment (social purification and joining)
Remove either:
You sever what God commanded to be joined (2:27, 13:21)
You exit covenantal space
Expiation becomes meaningless
You do not “make up” for absence of relationship — you either return to it or remain outside it.
One-line conclusion
Ṣalāt and zakāt are not expiate-able because they are not acts within the covenant — they are the covenant in lived form.
