Short answer
Yes. In the Hanafi school, and in all four schools, every fard prayer (and for Hanafis every witr) missed since you reached puberty is a debt you must make up, along with sincere repentance if you missed them without excuse. Estimate the number on the safe side and pay it off steadily. Converts do not make up prayers from before Islam.
Making up (qada) every missed fard prayer is fard, and making up missed witr is wajib. Repentance alone does not cancel the debt. You may pray qada at any time except sunrise, zawal and sunset, and you may count each one as "the first Fajr I owe" and so on. Prayers missed during menstruation or before puberty or before Islam are not made up.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The four schools agree that missed prayers must be made up, whether they were missed through forgetting, sleep or neglect. The Prophet ﷺ said the only expiation for a missed prayer is to pray it. Some scholars, such as Ibn Taymiyya, held that prayers left on purpose cannot be made up and only repentance and extra nafl help, but the four schools hold that qada is obligatory, and that is the safer path.
- Work out the period: from puberty (signs of puberty, or 15 lunar years of age at the latest) until you started praying regularly. Women subtract their period days, which are not made up.
- Estimate on the safe side: if unsure, take the larger number. Our qada calculator does the sums.
- Pay it off: one simple plan is to pray one qada with each daily prayer, or a full day of qada each day. Each day of qada is 2 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 4 fard and 3 witr: 20 rakats.
- Intention: "the first (or last) Fajr that I owe", and so on for each prayer.
- When: any time except sunrise, zawal and sunset. In the Hanafi school qada is allowed after Fajr and after Asr, but pray it privately so others do not see you are making up.
- Sunnah: keep praying the confirmed sunnah prayers; you may use the time of extra nafl for qada.
- If you die with qada left: leave a will (wasiyyah) for fidya to be paid from your estate.
Do not let the size of the number stop you. Repent, start today, and track your progress with the salah tracker. See also praying Fajr after sunrise.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Maryam 19:59
۞ فَخَلَفَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلشَّهَوَٰتِ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا ﴿٥٩﴾
But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil -
Neglecting prayer is a serious sin to repent from.
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:103
فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ قِيَٰمًۭا وَقُعُودًۭا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَا ٱطْمَأْنَنتُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَٰبًۭا مَّوْقُوتًۭا ﴿١٠٣﴾
And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. But when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.
Prayer is a fixed obligation that does not lapse.
Sahih Muslim 684
Sahih... من نسي صلاة فليصلها إذا ذكرها لا كفارة لها إلا ذلك ...
"Whoever forgets a prayer should pray it when he remembers it; there is no expiation for it except that."
Missed prayers are made up, and nothing else replaces them.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar with Radd al-Muhtar, Chapter on make-up prayers (qada al-fawa'it). Qada of fard is fard and of witr wajib; the intention for many missed prayers is the first or last one owed.
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Chapter on make-up prayers. All times are valid for qada except the three forbidden times.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Chapter on prayer times, making up missed prayers. Reports the consensus of the schools that a prayer left even deliberately must be made up.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.