Leaving the congregational prayer to follow those who are late for prayer
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The questioner says: What do you say about the religious market, and informing the offices and residences in the notes of his questions about prayer?
The Shaykh:
Yes.
The questioner:
He says: I am a supervisor in the affairs of faith, and sometimes I am occupied with the issue of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) regarding observing their lateness for prayer and ensuring they keep up with the prayer. Sometimes I have the congregational prayer and I pray alone. I do not want to pray this hair, and I do not want to pray to that?
The Shaykh:
If this is a permanent habit, then it is not permissible for you to leave the prayer and go follow these people. But if you know that they do not pray, take another measure. Take another measure with them by reporting their case to the authorities and their superiors. As for repeatedly checking on them, when it is known that they are late for the Zuhr prayer, and they have a desire to pray, this causes the prayer to be lost for them, and there is no hope that they will complete it. So these people must be reported to those in charge of them to take the necessary action with them so that they adhere to the prayer.
As for if this happens sometimes, meaning you went once to inspect a place or to verify a place and its people, and the prayer was missed, there is no harm in that. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: Sunan an-Nasa'i 848Sahih (Darussalam), and I ordered men with a stone of danger, then I went to men who do not witness the prayer, so I burned their bodies in the Fire. If this happens sometimes and in a matter that ends and does not repeat, do not leave the prayer, because this is in the end a specific occurrence that does not repeat.
The questioner says: What do you say about the religious market, and informing the offices and residences in the notes of his questions about prayer?
The Shaykh:
Yes.
The questioner:
He says: I am a supervisor in the affairs of faith, and sometimes I am occupied with the issue of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) regarding observing their lateness for prayer and ensuring they keep up with the prayer. Sometimes I have the congregational prayer and I pray alone. I do not want to pray this hair, and I do not want to pray to that?
The Shaykh:
If this is a permanent habit, then it is not permissible for you to leave the prayer and go follow these people. But if you know that they do not pray, take another measure. Take another measure with them by reporting their case to the authorities and their superiors. As for repeatedly checking on them, when it is known that they are late for the Zuhr prayer, and they have a desire to pray, this causes the prayer to be lost for them, and there is no hope that they will complete it. So these people must be reported to those in charge of them to take the necessary action with them so that they adhere to the prayer.
As for if this happens sometimes, meaning you went once to inspect a place or to verify a place and its people, and the prayer was missed, there is no harm in that. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says:
I have been commanded regarding the prayer
لقد أمرت بالصلاةand ordered a man to lead the people in prayer, then I would have gone from behind to those men
ثم آمر رجلا فيؤم الناس، ثم أخالف إلى رجال
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 13/7 شرح الأصول الثلاثة / صالح الفوزان — youtube.com (1:16:33)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.