Ruling on a worker delaying prayer until night on the excuse of cold water
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Q: The questioner: M. S. A. from Egypt says: I work in Iraq, and I get up in the morning and do not return until Maghrib. I have no time left to pray, and the water is very cold, so I cannot perform wudu, and I delay the prayer. What is the ruling in this matter?
A: It is obligatory for the Muslim to fear Allah wherever he is, and to remember that he is standing before Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), and that he will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection for what he neglected, for what he committed of what is forbidden, and for what he wasted of what is obligatory. Allah the Exalted says: [Luqman: 33] And Allah the Exalted says: [Al-Hashr: 18].
Prayer is the pillar of Islam, and it is the greatest obligation after the two testimonies, so it is not permissible for a Muslim to waste it in its time for the sake of his immediate gain and his fleeting worldly life. It is obligatory for you, O questioner, to pray the prayer in its times, and you have no right to delay it for the sake of your worldly works. Rather, you must pray it according to your ability. If you are able to perform wudu with water, it is obligatory for you to do so, even by heating it if it is cold, because it is obligatory for you to do so. If you find only cold water that you cannot perform wudu with and cannot heat with fire, then you must pray with tayammum in its time, and you have no right to delay it, like the traveler who is in the desert and has no water; he must perform tayammum and pray.
As for delaying prayer for the sake of comfort, or for the sake of immediate worldly gain, or for the sake of worldly works—this is a great abomination, a great corruption, and a great error, and it is not permissible for a Muslim to do it ever.
A: It is obligatory for the Muslim to fear Allah wherever he is, and to remember that he is standing before Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), and that he will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection for what he neglected, for what he committed of what is forbidden, and for what he wasted of what is obligatory. Allah the Exalted says:
O mankind, fear your Lord and fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the Deceiver.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَاخْشَوْا يَوْمًا لا يَجْزِي وَالِدٌ عَنْ وَلَدِهِ وَلا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَنْ وَالِدِهِ شَيْئًا إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَلا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَلا يَغُرَّنَّكُمْ بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُO you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow - and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَPrayer is the pillar of Islam, and it is the greatest obligation after the two testimonies, so it is not permissible for a Muslim to waste it in its time for the sake of his immediate gain and his fleeting worldly life. It is obligatory for you, O questioner, to pray the prayer in its times, and you have no right to delay it for the sake of your worldly works. Rather, you must pray it according to your ability. If you are able to perform wudu with water, it is obligatory for you to do so, even by heating it if it is cold, because it is obligatory for you to do so. If you find only cold water that you cannot perform wudu with and cannot heat with fire, then you must pray with tayammum in its time, and you have no right to delay it, like the traveler who is in the desert and has no water; he must perform tayammum and pray.
As for delaying prayer for the sake of comfort, or for the sake of immediate worldly gain, or for the sake of worldly works—this is a great abomination, a great corruption, and a great error, and it is not permissible for a Muslim to do it ever.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.