Prayer in the Workplace
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you with good, regarding my prayer, for I praise Allah that I pray at my workplace. I can hear the call to prayer amplified, but I am unable to pray in the mosque for fear of my employers, except for some of the obligatory prayers where a congregation is formed at work and we pray them.
The Shaykh:
If your work requires you to remain in your place, then you are excused in praying at your workplace; because the congregation, the congregational prayer, is dropped when there is an excuse. So if the work you are entrusted with requires you to stay in it at the time of prayer, then you pray at the workplace, and the congregational prayer is dropped from you, based on the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)Mishkat al-Masabih 1077 Sunan Ibn Majah 793Sahih (Darussalam) This indicates that the excuse recognized by the Shari'ah is one that drops the obligation of attending the congregation. And among the excuses is the matter of work, if it is harmed, if the work is harmed by your leaving it, then this is an excuse that permits you to pray at the workplace. Yes.
The questioner:
We want, Honorable Doctor, to pause for a moment on the issue of prayer within the workplace. There are some who claim to be zealous, or zealous for Islam, who carry some frightening papers for those who pray within their workplaces. They say that it is not permissible to pray at work, or so and so. What is your advice to those who circulate such a statement?
The Shaykh:
It is no doubt that the default is prayer in the mosques, whenever that is possible, whenever prayer in the mosques with the congregation is possible, whether for workers or non-workers, and employees or non-employees. This is the default. And as for if an excuse from the excuses occurs that prevents going to the mosque, then the person or the group may pray at their workplace due to their excuse. And whether excuses are considered or not, this is a matter that requires consideration? Yes. So not everything that is called an excuse is an excuse in the sight of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). So it is necessary for the legal excuse to be verified, by which the conscience is cleared. And it is obligatory for the person, and for the group, and for the employees to fear Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). So if they have a legal excuse that permits them to pray at their workplace, and if they do not have a legal excuse, then it is obligatory upon them to fear Allah and to go to the mosques and pray with the Muslims. Yes.
Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you with good, regarding my prayer, for I praise Allah that I pray at my workplace. I can hear the call to prayer amplified, but I am unable to pray in the mosque for fear of my employers, except for some of the obligatory prayers where a congregation is formed at work and we pray them.
The Shaykh:
If your work requires you to remain in your place, then you are excused in praying at your workplace; because the congregation, the congregational prayer, is dropped when there is an excuse. So if the work you are entrusted with requires you to stay in it at the time of prayer, then you pray at the workplace, and the congregational prayer is dropped from you, based on the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)
If anyone hears the summons and does not respond to it
من سمع النداء فلم يجب أو فلم يأتhis prayer is not valid, except for those who have an excuse.
فلا صلاة له إلا من عذر،The questioner:
We want, Honorable Doctor, to pause for a moment on the issue of prayer within the workplace. There are some who claim to be zealous, or zealous for Islam, who carry some frightening papers for those who pray within their workplaces. They say that it is not permissible to pray at work, or so and so. What is your advice to those who circulate such a statement?
The Shaykh:
It is no doubt that the default is prayer in the mosques, whenever that is possible, whenever prayer in the mosques with the congregation is possible, whether for workers or non-workers, and employees or non-employees. This is the default. And as for if an excuse from the excuses occurs that prevents going to the mosque, then the person or the group may pray at their workplace due to their excuse. And whether excuses are considered or not, this is a matter that requires consideration? Yes. So not everything that is called an excuse is an excuse in the sight of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). So it is necessary for the legal excuse to be verified, by which the conscience is cleared. And it is obligatory for the person, and for the group, and for the employees to fear Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). So if they have a legal excuse that permits them to pray at their workplace, and if they do not have a legal excuse, then it is obligatory upon them to fear Allah and to go to the mosques and pray with the Muslims. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، الصلاة في مقر العمل– الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.