What is the ruling on combining prayers in the prayer halls of universities and institutions?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Abu Malik: A quick question as well. What is the ruling on combining prayers in the prayer halls found in schools, universities, and institutions? What is the ruling on combining?
The Shaykh : Yes.
Abu Malik: I mean, for the slightest reason, they enter the prayer hall, which is not a mosque, and they pray and combine the prayers, specifically the Dhuhr and Asr?
The Shaykh : This question is frequently directed to me by phone from these afflicted people working in companies.
Abu Malik: And official institutions.
The Shaykh : Ah, so we say something general that covers this question. It is obligatory in the Muslim society to organize work in a way that does not conflict or contradict the Shari'ah rulings. For example, at the time of prayer, specifically Dhuhr, traffic in the Muslim country must stop, and the Muslim masses, from those for whom prayer is obligatory, must respond to the caller of Allah who is calling them from a high place.Sunan Abi Dawud 553Sahih (Al-Albani) It must actually happen, and we hope to see this day soon, not far off, when traffic stops in any Muslim country so that the symbol of Islam appears in action, not just as a call. "Come to prayer, come to success." If the caller were calling from his heart and not from his job, his inner state would say:
"And if I called, I would make the living hear, *** But there is no life for the one who is called."
"And if you blew into a fire, it would have lit up, *** But you are blowing into my ashes."
So when the Muslim society is realized, there should not be a school class where the teacher, male or female, is teaching while the mu'adhdhin is calling the adhan. Rather, it is obligatory for them, men and women, males and females, to go, either to the prayer hall in the school for the women, or to the mosque. This is necessary for the men as well, including the employees. But unfortunately, as you know, this phenomenon is not the first violation of the Shari'ah; there are other fundamental violations. But until this Muslim society is realized, which imposes its good upon the evildoers despite their noses, the righteous must adjust their positions regarding the rulings of their religion and adapt to these rulings, rather than adapting the rulings to their adaptation to rulings that contradict Islam. So, if someone is an employee in a company, for example, I am often asked, and recently I was asked: Is it permissible for someone who is an employee in a company that does not allow him to go to the Friday prayer to work there? I said to him, obviously: It is not permissible for him to work in such a company unless he is free, not just in performing the Friday prayer, but also in performing the congregational prayer in the nearest mosque to him. This is what we always say. But we assume a scenario that sometimes occurs, and this is what I detail for some questioners, and it must be mentioned here as well. It is if some Muslim youth work in a company, and there is a prayer hall in the company, and there is no mosque near this company, and the Muslims around them are called to prayer, and there is no mosque there. In that case, we say it is permissible, indeed obligatory, for them to pray in congregation. These believing, righteous youth present in the company must band together and gather for all the prayers that catch them while they are at work. It is necessary to pray in such a prayer hall. As a result of this, it is permissible for them, with the aforementioned condition that there is no mosque near their prayer hall, it is permissible for them in this situation to combine the two prayers in the case of rain or in the case of severe cold, on the condition that the prayer hall is separate from the company. Otherwise, if the prayer hall is a room in this company where he works in one of the rooms, he is not exposed to rain if he goes out to this prayer hall. In this case, it is not permissible for him to combine, because the purpose of the dispensation for combining is that the Wise Lawgiver saves those who are keen on congregation from another trip walking in the cold, snow, or heavy rain. But if, for example, a person is at home, he is excused from not praying in the mosque, so he does not have the right to combine the two prayers at home. Why would he combine when he is protected from the harm of rain, snow, cold, and so on? Likewise, those who are in some offices or companies and have a prayer hall, it is permissible for them to combine in it due to the absence of a nearby mosque. In that case, it is permissible for them to combine if the prayer hall is separate from the company. But if it is a room, as is the case in some government offices,
Abu Malik: All of them.
The Shaykh : Yes, in that case, combining is not permissible in this situation.
Abu Malik: The truth, my brothers, is that first, we say may Allah reward our Shaykh with the best reward and bless him. And whoever does not benefit from this knowledge is deprived, and his deprivation is not a deprivation that can be bought or compensated with money. If it were a deprivation that could be compensated with money, this deprivation would be easy, and it would not be a deprivation. But the one deprived of this knowledge is deprived of a great deal of good, truly great. That is because it is the knowledge that guides minds and hearts. It guides minds so their thinking becomes straight, and it guides hearts so their faith becomes straight. So from the combination of the straightness of the mind and the straightness of the heart comes the straightness of behavior, which guides the person to the path of Paradise. So he says when he enters it, if Allah wills,[Al-A'raf 7:43] And we ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to reward us with good for our Shaykh, the best reward, and to prolong his life, and to let the Muslims enjoy his long presence.
Abu Layla: Amen.
Abu Malik: And to make him always and forever a sword drawn with truth against falsehood, which always and forever appears in the face of truth like a wild, mocking camel. But truth is what prevails always, and the word of Allah is the highest, and the word of those who disbelieve, and the falsifiers, and the innovators, and the oppressors, and the open sinners, and the liars will always be the lowest. And all praise is due to Allah, first and last, and may Allah send prayers and blessings and peace upon His Prophet.
The Shaykh : But I see in the faces of some of our brothers, and at the forefront of them,The Shaykh : the Afghan who opposes Al-Albani, that there is something in his heart. So if we listened to him?
The questioner : Our dear professor, does the author of the book *Al-Ish'ah* lean, or does he have some leaning, toward the Shi'ah?
The Shaykh : Nothing comes to my mind regarding this, and Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : Yes.
Abu Malik: I mean, for the slightest reason, they enter the prayer hall, which is not a mosque, and they pray and combine the prayers, specifically the Dhuhr and Asr?
The Shaykh : This question is frequently directed to me by phone from these afflicted people working in companies.
Abu Malik: And official institutions.
The Shaykh : Ah, so we say something general that covers this question. It is obligatory in the Muslim society to organize work in a way that does not conflict or contradict the Shari'ah rulings. For example, at the time of prayer, specifically Dhuhr, traffic in the Muslim country must stop, and the Muslim masses, from those for whom prayer is obligatory, must respond to the caller of Allah who is calling them from a high place.
"Come to prayer," "Come to salvation"
حيّ على الصّلاة حيّ على الفلاح"And if I called, I would make the living hear, *** But there is no life for the one who is called."
"And if you blew into a fire, it would have lit up, *** But you are blowing into my ashes."
So when the Muslim society is realized, there should not be a school class where the teacher, male or female, is teaching while the mu'adhdhin is calling the adhan. Rather, it is obligatory for them, men and women, males and females, to go, either to the prayer hall in the school for the women, or to the mosque. This is necessary for the men as well, including the employees. But unfortunately, as you know, this phenomenon is not the first violation of the Shari'ah; there are other fundamental violations. But until this Muslim society is realized, which imposes its good upon the evildoers despite their noses, the righteous must adjust their positions regarding the rulings of their religion and adapt to these rulings, rather than adapting the rulings to their adaptation to rulings that contradict Islam. So, if someone is an employee in a company, for example, I am often asked, and recently I was asked: Is it permissible for someone who is an employee in a company that does not allow him to go to the Friday prayer to work there? I said to him, obviously: It is not permissible for him to work in such a company unless he is free, not just in performing the Friday prayer, but also in performing the congregational prayer in the nearest mosque to him. This is what we always say. But we assume a scenario that sometimes occurs, and this is what I detail for some questioners, and it must be mentioned here as well. It is if some Muslim youth work in a company, and there is a prayer hall in the company, and there is no mosque near this company, and the Muslims around them are called to prayer, and there is no mosque there. In that case, we say it is permissible, indeed obligatory, for them to pray in congregation. These believing, righteous youth present in the company must band together and gather for all the prayers that catch them while they are at work. It is necessary to pray in such a prayer hall. As a result of this, it is permissible for them, with the aforementioned condition that there is no mosque near their prayer hall, it is permissible for them in this situation to combine the two prayers in the case of rain or in the case of severe cold, on the condition that the prayer hall is separate from the company. Otherwise, if the prayer hall is a room in this company where he works in one of the rooms, he is not exposed to rain if he goes out to this prayer hall. In this case, it is not permissible for him to combine, because the purpose of the dispensation for combining is that the Wise Lawgiver saves those who are keen on congregation from another trip walking in the cold, snow, or heavy rain. But if, for example, a person is at home, he is excused from not praying in the mosque, so he does not have the right to combine the two prayers at home. Why would he combine when he is protected from the harm of rain, snow, cold, and so on? Likewise, those who are in some offices or companies and have a prayer hall, it is permissible for them to combine in it due to the absence of a nearby mosque. In that case, it is permissible for them to combine if the prayer hall is separate from the company. But if it is a room, as is the case in some government offices,
Abu Malik: All of them.
The Shaykh : Yes, in that case, combining is not permissible in this situation.
Abu Malik: The truth, my brothers, is that first, we say may Allah reward our Shaykh with the best reward and bless him. And whoever does not benefit from this knowledge is deprived, and his deprivation is not a deprivation that can be bought or compensated with money. If it were a deprivation that could be compensated with money, this deprivation would be easy, and it would not be a deprivation. But the one deprived of this knowledge is deprived of a great deal of good, truly great. That is because it is the knowledge that guides minds and hearts. It guides minds so their thinking becomes straight, and it guides hearts so their faith becomes straight. So from the combination of the straightness of the mind and the straightness of the heart comes the straightness of behavior, which guides the person to the path of Paradise. So he says when he enters it, if Allah wills,
Praise to Allah, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allah had not guided us
الحمد لله الذي هدانا لهذا وما كنّا لنهتدي لولا ن هدانا اللهAbu Layla: Amen.
Abu Malik: And to make him always and forever a sword drawn with truth against falsehood, which always and forever appears in the face of truth like a wild, mocking camel. But truth is what prevails always, and the word of Allah is the highest, and the word of those who disbelieve, and the falsifiers, and the innovators, and the oppressors, and the open sinners, and the liars will always be the lowest. And all praise is due to Allah, first and last, and may Allah send prayers and blessings and peace upon His Prophet.
The Shaykh : But I see in the faces of some of our brothers, and at the forefront of them,The Shaykh : the Afghan who opposes Al-Albani, that there is something in his heart. So if we listened to him?
The questioner : Our dear professor, does the author of the book *Al-Ish'ah* lean, or does he have some leaning, toward the Shi'ah?
The Shaykh : Nothing comes to my mind regarding this, and Allah knows best.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.