The Reward of Voluntary Prayers During the Time of Heedlessness — Hadith 1573

Hadith. 1573 - Abdullah ibn Sinan narrated from Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (as) said: I asked him about a person who has so many missed (Qadha) prayers that he cannot count them, what should he do? Imam (as) said: "Let him pray until he no longer knows how many he has prayed due to their abundance, and he would have compensated for the amount he is aware of. "
I then asked: "What if he cannot complete all the Qadha prayers? "
Imam (as) said: "If his preoccupation is due to seeking a necessary livelihood or helping a fellow believer in need, there is no obligation on him. But if his preoccupation is for gathering worldly gain and being distracted from prayer, then he must make up for them; otherwise, he will meet Allah (swt) while being negligent, belittling, and neglecting the sanctity of Messenger of Allah (sw). "
I asked: "What if he still cannot make up for them? Is charity sufficient? "
The Imam remained silent for a while and then said: "Let him give charity. "
I asked: "How much charity? "
Imam (as) said: "As much as he can afford, with the minimum being a 'mud' (a specific measure) of food for each missed prayer. "
I asked: "How many prayers require a 'mud' of charity? "
Imam (as) said: "A 'mud' for every two units (rak'ahs) of the night prayer and a 'mud' for every two units of the day prayer. "
I said: "What if he cannot do this? "
Imam (as) said: "Then one 'mud' for every four units of the day prayer. "
I said: "What if he cannot manage even this? "
Imam (as) said: "Then one 'mud' for the entire night prayer and one 'mud' for the entire day prayer. However, prayer is superior, and prayer is superior, and prayer is superior. "