Is it permissible to leave the congregational prayer when the time for prayer arrives and I am in a university class that has not yet ended?

The questioner : We have faculties and institutes within the university campus, and there is a mosque at the edge of the university. When the adhan is called, all of them are in the fifth class, in the middle of the fifth class. A few students are scrupulous about hearing the mu'adhdhin and not responding. Then the iqamah is called and we are in the fifth class. When we finish, we pray. Each faculty prays separately, and each institute prays separately. So some students, or all of them, are scrupulous about this and leave the class, not caring about the university regulations or the teacher who is teaching them, to respond to the call. What is your opinion on this?

The Shaykh : My opinion is that these curricula are wrong. It is not permissible for the curricula of the Islamic university to be like the curricula of Arab countries. Because this phenomenon you are referring to is happening exactly the same way in schools, whether they are primary, secondary, or university. The students cannot attend the prayer with the congregation. Why? Because the teaching time conflicts with the prayer time. The prayer time is fixed and regulated by the Shari'ah. It should be that school curricula are arranged so that they do not conflict with the divine methodology. Why is the lesson scheduled while the mu'adhdhin is calling the adhan in the mosque, and then the teacher who educates the students in the rulings of the Shari'ah does not respond to this adhan, and neither do the students, except for a few of them? It is obligatory that the teaching curricula be arranged so that they do not conflict with the times of prayer. It should be like this.

The questioner : We pray, O Shaykh. We have no... in the early part of the time we pray, after the dismissal.

The Shaykh : Where do you pray?

The questioner : In a mosque specific to the institute or the faculty.

The Shaykh : And whose is that mosque?

The questioner : This is a general mosque for the employees.

The Shaykh : And not for the students?

The questioner : No, the students' mosque is for 'Asr, Maghrib, and 'Isha'. As for Zuhr, the students have specific mosques.

The Shaykh : Who determined this determination—may Allah reward you?

The questioner : The system...

The Shaykh : This system is contrary to the Islamic system!!

The questioner : What is to be done?

The Shaykh : It is obligatory to remind the responsible parties that it should be that the teaching time does not conflict with the prayer time. Yes, that is right. Otherwise, what is the difference between these Islamic curricula and the non-Islamic Arab curricula? What is the difference?

The questioner : Do you know, if the start of work is at seven thirty, we make it seven o'clock.

The Shaykh : That is it.

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : There may be hardship in starting the studies early. There may be, even if they bring it forward—I am not responsible—but this may exist.

The Shaykh : And it may not exist.

The questioner : And it may not exist.
... ... ...

The Shaykh : Welcome.

The questioner : Shaykh, ... we established an association for the people of the Sunnah and the community. We obtained a license for it. And we have a Salafi call there, with a Shaykh who is a graduate of the Islamic University, and we have students of knowledge, praise be to Allah...

The Shaykh : Very good.

The questioner : So we wrote a legal will... regarding the Book and the Sunnah concerning funerals, how to wash the body, how to perform the washing, and so on. We derived it from your book "Rulings on Funerals," and now we have printed it, about 15 pages, 14 pages.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : And we are presenting it to your eminence now so that you issue us a permit to print it.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : I will study it—if Allah wills.

The questioner : If Allah wills, Lord of the Worlds.