What is the ruling on congregational prayer for a bus passenger who hears the mu'adhdhin?
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The Shaykh : If a bus passenger hears the mu'adhdhin calling for prayer, is he required to respond, or is he considered to have an excuse?
Answer: This varies depending on the person. If the question is limited solely to the act of riding the bus, then merely riding the bus is not an excuse. However, if he rode the bus for work, and that work is the excuse, then if it is a legitimate religious excuse, it is an excuse; otherwise, it is not. It is necessary to distinguish between the case where the question is focused on the mere fact that the bus passenger is riding, in which case he is not required to get off at the first stop to catch the prayer with the congregation, and the case where he rode for another matter, which is a legitimate religious excuse.
So if it is the first case, merely riding the bus is not an excuse. But if there is something else, it must be known what it is in order to say whether it is a legitimate religious excuse or not.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, in our time, such activities are considered excuses because society is not an Islamic society. But when this society takes its initial course, a very strange phenomenon will appear for the first time: cars and buses will stop on the sides of the roads because all their drivers and passengers have gotten off in response to the call of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). But who among us will realize such a wonderful and great Islamic phenomenon? We are walking and we hear the call of Allah, yet only a few people respond. And Allah is truthful when He said, "And few of My servants are grateful."
And with this amount is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Answer: This varies depending on the person. If the question is limited solely to the act of riding the bus, then merely riding the bus is not an excuse. However, if he rode the bus for work, and that work is the excuse, then if it is a legitimate religious excuse, it is an excuse; otherwise, it is not. It is necessary to distinguish between the case where the question is focused on the mere fact that the bus passenger is riding, in which case he is not required to get off at the first stop to catch the prayer with the congregation, and the case where he rode for another matter, which is a legitimate religious excuse.
So if it is the first case, merely riding the bus is not an excuse. But if there is something else, it must be known what it is in order to say whether it is a legitimate religious excuse or not.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, in our time, such activities are considered excuses because society is not an Islamic society. But when this society takes its initial course, a very strange phenomenon will appear for the first time: cars and buses will stop on the sides of the roads because all their drivers and passengers have gotten off in response to the call of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). But who among us will realize such a wonderful and great Islamic phenomenon? We are walking and we hear the call of Allah, yet only a few people respond. And Allah is truthful when He said, "And few of My servants are grateful."
And with this amount is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.