Is it permissible for a student to delay the prayer for the sake of an exam?

The Shaykh : Yes, please go ahead.

The questioner : There was a student who was taking an exam, and the prayer was established, but he could not leave because he was in the middle of the exam. Is this considered a valid legal excuse or not?

The Shaykh : A valid legal excuse for not attending?

The questioner : Not attending the prayer.

The Shaykh : This is similar to when a curriculum deviates from the Shari'ah. One should not adhere to a curriculum that does not align with the Shari'ah, or else one must comply with it, and in that case, it contradicts the Shari'ah. If the reality is like this, then we say: either you leave this curriculum, or you consider your current situation a dire necessity for you, and you pray either by combining prayers or by praying each prayer individually in its time.

The questioner : Does that mean he is sinful for it?

The Shaykh : It depends on the curriculum. The curriculum is wrong, and what is built on a wrong foundation is wrong. Therefore, we do not encourage working with such curricula. Sometimes we leave the Friday prayer. Yes, "O Allah, give rain to the one who gave me rain."