If food is present and the prayer is called for, what is the best course of action in this situation?
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The questioner : He says, O esteemed Shaykh, in his second question: If food is present and the prayer is called for, what is the best course of action in this situation?
The Shaykh : The best course of action in this case, meaning when food is present and the prayer is called for, is to eat the food if going to the mosque would cause his heart to be preoccupied with it, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Riyad as-Salihin 1753 and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said However, if the man is not concerned about going to the mosque and praying, then the best is to go and pray, because the reason for prioritizing dinner over prayer is the fear of the heart being preoccupied with the food that is present. If this reason is removed, the ruling is removed. But one should be aware of the issue that one should not make his eating time coincide with the prayer time, such as making his dinner time coincide with the 'Isha' prayer every day, for this leads to abandoning it constantly. Yes, if this happens on one of the days for some reason, the ruling is as we said first.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : If he is preoccupied with the prayer by the food that is present, the best is to eat. And if he is not preoccupied, the best is to pray. Yes.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : The best course of action in this case, meaning when food is present and the prayer is called for, is to eat the food if going to the mosque would cause his heart to be preoccupied with it, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
No Salat (prayer) should be performed when the food has been served, nor should it be performed when a person is in need of relieving himself.
لا صلاة بحضرة طعام ولا وهو يُدافعه الأخبثانWhen the 'Isha' prayer is called for and dinner is present, start with the dinner.
إذا أقيمت العِشاء وحضر العَشاء فابدؤوا بالعَشاءThe questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : If he is preoccupied with the prayer by the food that is present, the best is to eat. And if he is not preoccupied, the best is to pray. Yes.
The questioner : Very well.