Unifying the prayer time throughout the year for the sake of benefit
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa number ( 21697 )
Q: I am one of the employees of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. I submit to you my question regarding the congregational prayer. We have a large prayer hall on the ground floor of the ministry building, and there is no mosque around the ministry. My question is: The times for the adhan vary throughout the year with the changing times of sunrise and sunset. The adhan begins at an early time in the month of Sha'ban, at 11:37, and gradually becomes later until it reaches 12:07 in the month of Dhu
al-Qa'dah. Consequently, the times for the iqamah vary throughout the year, and there is no loudspeaker to announce the iqamah in the employees' offices. Therefore, we often miss performing the prayer with the first congregation, and perhaps we do not catch the second congregation, and perhaps there is a third congregation, until in some cases a fourth congregation is established for the Zuhr prayer in the ministry prayer hall. It has come to our attention that some ministries and universities have unified the time for the iqamah throughout the year so that all employees adhere to it, such as Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University and others. Is there anything preventing fixing the time for the iqamah at 12:15 throughout the year so that all employees of the ministry know that this is a fixed time and there is no need to count the congregation more than once. I hope your eminence will include the answer to this paper, and I ask Allah to grant you success and guide your steps to what is in the interest of Islam and Muslims.
A: If the situation is as described, there is no harm in unifying the time for the Zuhr prayer in winter and summer at 12:15, as long as the prayer is performed in its proper time; for this facilitates things for the worshippers and enables them to perform the prayer with the regular imam, and for this increases the congregation.
However, those in charge of this government institution should seek reward in providing a loudspeaker for this prayer hall; for this displays one of the rites of Islam, and for this reminds the forgetful, alerts the heedless, and encourages him to turn toward the prayer from the moment he is called to it. By doing so, he attains many virtues, such as performing the regular pre-Zuhr sunnah, following the mu'adhdhin and the one who calls for prayer, saying what was reported after the adhan, attaining the first row, and drawing near to Allah with various types of worship, such as dhikr, du'a', and reciting the Qur'an. It also includes that he is in the state of waiting for the prayer, and the angels seek forgiveness for him in his prayer place, as the authentic hadiths state. In this lies great virtue and immense reward, which is not attained by one who comes to the mosque after the iqamah for the prayer. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: I am one of the employees of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. I submit to you my question regarding the congregational prayer. We have a large prayer hall on the ground floor of the ministry building, and there is no mosque around the ministry. My question is: The times for the adhan vary throughout the year with the changing times of sunrise and sunset. The adhan begins at an early time in the month of Sha'ban, at 11:37, and gradually becomes later until it reaches 12:07 in the month of Dhu
al-Qa'dah. Consequently, the times for the iqamah vary throughout the year, and there is no loudspeaker to announce the iqamah in the employees' offices. Therefore, we often miss performing the prayer with the first congregation, and perhaps we do not catch the second congregation, and perhaps there is a third congregation, until in some cases a fourth congregation is established for the Zuhr prayer in the ministry prayer hall. It has come to our attention that some ministries and universities have unified the time for the iqamah throughout the year so that all employees adhere to it, such as Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University and others. Is there anything preventing fixing the time for the iqamah at 12:15 throughout the year so that all employees of the ministry know that this is a fixed time and there is no need to count the congregation more than once. I hope your eminence will include the answer to this paper, and I ask Allah to grant you success and guide your steps to what is in the interest of Islam and Muslims.
A: If the situation is as described, there is no harm in unifying the time for the Zuhr prayer in winter and summer at 12:15, as long as the prayer is performed in its proper time; for this facilitates things for the worshippers and enables them to perform the prayer with the regular imam, and for this increases the congregation.
However, those in charge of this government institution should seek reward in providing a loudspeaker for this prayer hall; for this displays one of the rites of Islam, and for this reminds the forgetful, alerts the heedless, and encourages him to turn toward the prayer from the moment he is called to it. By doing so, he attains many virtues, such as performing the regular pre-Zuhr sunnah, following the mu'adhdhin and the one who calls for prayer, saying what was reported after the adhan, attaining the first row, and drawing near to Allah with various types of worship, such as dhikr, du'a', and reciting the Qur'an. It also includes that he is in the state of waiting for the prayer, and the angels seek forgiveness for him in his prayer place, as the authentic hadiths state. In this lies great virtue and immense reward, which is not attained by one who comes to the mosque after the iqamah for the prayer. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.