Question Summary:
Do voluntary prayers and fasts make up for missed obligatory prayers and fasts?

Question Detail:

Assalāmualaikum. On the day of judgment one of the first things counted will be prayers, as they have to be complete.  Salāh and fasting are compulsory.  I understand there is a part in the Masjid of Nabi Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam where if you happen to pray, it is equivalent to praying for some months.  I also just recently learnt that fasting on the first ten days of the month of Hajj is like fasting for a year.  People tend to miss prayers etc. when they are still young when it is compulsory. 
It is said that if our prayers are incomplete, Allah out of His Mercy accepts voluntary Salāts to complete the missing or invalid compulsory ones.  Can the same be said for fasting?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Allah Taālā through His infinite mercy and love has created mankind in the best of forms and arranged for his needs throughout the various stages of life.  The blessings of Allāh Taālā are enjoyed by His creation at all times.  The one who acknowledges the bounties of Allāh Taālā and submits himself to Allāh’s commands has indeed succeeded.
Allāh Taālā has ordained upon the believing men and women certain commands such as Salāh.  Hence, the performance of five times daily Salāh on time is an obligation on every Muslim commencing from the time of puberty, the failing of which is a great sin and open ingratitude. However, in a situation where one prayer or many prayers were not performed in their respective times, it is compulsory to compensate by performing them later, regardless of whether the prayers were missed intentionally or unintentionally. [1]
In the books of Ahādīth, there are narrations that indicate Salāh in certain places is more virtuous then in others.  Nabi Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam has stated:
 
“Salāh in my Masjid (Masjid An-Nabawī) is better than one thousand Salāts performed anywhere else except Masjid Al-Harām”
(Sahīh Al-Bukhāri, Hadīth No. 1190: Dāru Tauq An-Najāh) [2]
With regards to the meaning of such Ahādīth wherein the multiplication of rewards for each Salāh is mentioned, the scholars agree that this is in relation to the rewards of Salāh and not the obligation of Salāh.  In other words, if an individual has to make up missed prayers, the performance of only one Salāh in Masjid An-Nabawī will not suffice. [3]
Furthermore, it is also mentioned in narrations that Nawāfil (optional prayers) make up for the deficiencies in Farāidh (obligatory prayers).  It is stated in a narration:
“The deficiencies of the Fardh(mandatory) prayers are completed through optional prayers” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Hadīth No. 413) [4]
With regards to the meanings of this Hadīth, the scholars have various opinions.  A famous opinion is that the Nawāfil will compensate for the quality of the Farāidh and not the missed Farāidh themselves.  However, there is another opinion that the Nawāfil will suffice for the missed Farāidh. [5] [6]  Nevertheless, even if we consider the Nawāfil to be sufficient for the missed Farāidh, we don’t know how many Nawāfil will compensate for one Fardh.  Possibly it will take seven hundred Nawāfil to equal one Fardh.  Therefore the scholors have not permitted negligence in making up the missed Farāidh, relying solely on Nawāfil. [7]  However, we should be particular in performing Nawāfil as Allāh Taālā’s mercy knows no bounds. 
The same law applies in regards to other commandments such as fasting etc.   

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mawlana Abdul Azeem bin Abdur Rahman,
Student Darul Iftaa
US
 
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Husain Kadodia.
www.daruliftaa.net