What is the ruling on working for disbelievers who prevent one from praying at its prescribed time? With an explanation of the ruling on residing in a land of disbelief.

A person speaking in a foreign language

The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. He says, in France, our Muslim brothers there, meaning their employees are French, meaning foreign disbelievers, and they do not allow them time to pray. What is your opinion?

The Shaykh : Naturally, it is not permissible for a Muslim to take a job or engage in work that prevents him from performing what Allah has made obligatory upon him, especially the prayers. It is not permissible. I have actually received some of these questions from France from some Algerians. One said to me yesterday or the day before yesterday that the employer I work for does not allow me to pray. Another told me that he orders me to shave my beard. I told him: It is not permissible for you to do either of these things. And our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) says: I am taking this as an opportunity to say that the residence of many Muslims, especially the Algerians, in France until they become Frenchified is a grave Islamic error. It is obligatory for all of them to return to their country, to increase the number of their people, and not to reverse the situation by increasing the number of disbelievers in France. They must return to the land of Algeria and not settle in the land of disbelief. As we always mention on such occasions, the Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade Muslims in more than one authentic hadith from residing in the lands of disbelief. Among this is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): He said: And finally, in concise, comprehensive, and brief Arabic, he said: So how can one live as an employee under the hand of a disbeliever who does not believe in Allah and His Messenger, and does not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden? It is not permissible for a Muslim to live like this under the command of a disbeliever, because the consequences of that are like this consequence: he is not allowed to pray in the mosque, and perhaps he is not even allowed to pray where he works. Therefore, even if this creature were an emir, the caliph of the Muslims, how much more so if he is one of the disbelievers?