Guidance for those who miss the Fajr prayer due to sleep
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The selected and conscientious person, Hasan al-Zahrani from Riyadh, Ministry of Interior, says: I am a young man, twenty-three years old, and married, praise and thanks be to Allah. However, I have a matter—and it is truly a problem—which is as follows: I pray all the obligatory prayers except for the Fajr prayer, which I miss every morning, except what Allah the Exalted wills. I am confused about my situation and anxious about this state I am in. He says: I hope to find a solution to this problem of mine?
Answer: This problem is not unique to you; rather, many people are with you in this, many young men and also those who are not young. It is the delay in the Fajr prayer. There are reasons for this, the most important and most dangerous of which is staying up late and not sleeping early. This is the sole reason that is prevalent among people: they stay up late to watch television or for other reasons. So, when they fall asleep at the end of the night, they are unable to get up at the end of the night, even if they have an alarm clock, they do not hear it, and even if there are people waking them up, they are unable to overcome them due to the heaviness of sleep and its dominance over them. So, the only cure for this matter, along with asking Allah for success and assistance, is not staying up late. The believer should sleep early and not harm himself by watching television until much of the night has passed, or by engaging in other things such as listening to songs or listening to the gossip of his friends and colleagues, or other obstacles that prevent him from sleeping early. If he treats the matter in this way, he will succeed, if Allah wills.
And you, O questioner! It is obligatory for you not to stay up late, and to look into the reasons that prevented you from getting up. If the reasons are that you delay in sleeping and stay up late, then fear Allah and hasten to sleep at the beginning of the night after the 'Isha' prayer. Hasten to sleep so that you are able to get up for the Fajr prayer and pray with the Muslims in the congregation of the Muslims. This is obligatory upon you, and being lax in this is forbidden and is imitating the hypocrites, because the hypocrites do not come to the prayer except in the last moments, and they do not attend the 'Isha' and Fajr prayers. This is among their evil deeds. So, it is obligatory for the Muslim to beware of imitating the hypocrites, and to strive to perform the obligation of Allah in its times with his Muslim brothers. This is if he is a man. The woman is likewise; it is obligatory for her to fear Allah and to strive to perform the prayer in its time after the appearance of Fajr, before the sun rises. It is never permissible for anyone among the people to delay it after the sun rises, as some people do. They delay it, and when they get up for their work after the sun rises, they pray. This is a great error and a major abomination. It is not permissible for the man or the woman. It is not for the man to delay that until he gets up for study or work, then prays after the sun rises. This is not permissible; this is forbidden. Rather, a group of scholars have held that whoever does this has committed disbelief, because delaying the prayer from its time is disbelief if one does it intentionally, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam).
Thus, some female students delay the prayer until they get up for study after the sun rises, and this is also an abomination and not permissible. It is obligatory for everyone to fear Allah—and for their families to point out to their fathers and mothers, and for their brothers to point out to them, and for the fathers of the young men and the mothers of the young men likewise. All these are great matters in which the people of the household share in the sin if they do not cooperate to remove it. The Muslims are one, and the people of the household are one. They must cooperate in advising the one who lags behind and taking him by the hand until he straightens out in obedience to Allah and the performance of His obligations. This is the obligation of everyone. If there are other reasons besides staying up late, it is obligatory for you to treat them, and to look into what the reasons are. If sleep eludes you from the beginning of the night and you do not sleep, then ask the doctors, perhaps they have a medicine that removes this anxiety and this staying up late from you, and you will obtain rest and tranquility so that you can sleep. And if there are other ailments, treat them. And if you do not have anyone to wake you up, then have the known alarm clock and set it firmly on the appropriate time, which is the time of the adhan or near the adhan, so that you hear it and get up.
In any case, the obligation is treatment, and the treatment is not hidden from the intelligent person. The treatment is clear: sometimes with the clock, sometimes with the alarm, and sometimes by not staying up late. The obligation of treatment is upon the man and the woman, upon all people, upon the young and the old, upon the girls and the old women, upon everyone. This is not specific to one person over another. It is obligatory for everyone to treat what happens to them of this delay, and to look into the reasons so that these reasons that necessitate the delay are removed, so that one does not pray except after the sun. This is a great abomination that must be treated by the one afflicted with it, so that he prays the prayer in its time with the congregation if he is a man, and so that the woman prays it in her home in the time before the sun rises. And we ask Allah for guidance and success for everyone.
The presenter: You have done well, and may Allah reward you.
Answer: This problem is not unique to you; rather, many people are with you in this, many young men and also those who are not young. It is the delay in the Fajr prayer. There are reasons for this, the most important and most dangerous of which is staying up late and not sleeping early. This is the sole reason that is prevalent among people: they stay up late to watch television or for other reasons. So, when they fall asleep at the end of the night, they are unable to get up at the end of the night, even if they have an alarm clock, they do not hear it, and even if there are people waking them up, they are unable to overcome them due to the heaviness of sleep and its dominance over them. So, the only cure for this matter, along with asking Allah for success and assistance, is not staying up late. The believer should sleep early and not harm himself by watching television until much of the night has passed, or by engaging in other things such as listening to songs or listening to the gossip of his friends and colleagues, or other obstacles that prevent him from sleeping early. If he treats the matter in this way, he will succeed, if Allah wills.
And you, O questioner! It is obligatory for you not to stay up late, and to look into the reasons that prevented you from getting up. If the reasons are that you delay in sleeping and stay up late, then fear Allah and hasten to sleep at the beginning of the night after the 'Isha' prayer. Hasten to sleep so that you are able to get up for the Fajr prayer and pray with the Muslims in the congregation of the Muslims. This is obligatory upon you, and being lax in this is forbidden and is imitating the hypocrites, because the hypocrites do not come to the prayer except in the last moments, and they do not attend the 'Isha' and Fajr prayers. This is among their evil deeds. So, it is obligatory for the Muslim to beware of imitating the hypocrites, and to strive to perform the obligation of Allah in its times with his Muslim brothers. This is if he is a man. The woman is likewise; it is obligatory for her to fear Allah and to strive to perform the prayer in its time after the appearance of Fajr, before the sun rises. It is never permissible for anyone among the people to delay it after the sun rises, as some people do. They delay it, and when they get up for their work after the sun rises, they pray. This is a great error and a major abomination. It is not permissible for the man or the woman. It is not for the man to delay that until he gets up for study or work, then prays after the sun rises. This is not permissible; this is forbidden. Rather, a group of scholars have held that whoever does this has committed disbelief, because delaying the prayer from its time is disbelief if one does it intentionally, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is prayer; so whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.
العهد الذي بيننا وبينهم الصلاة فمن تركها فقد كفرThus, some female students delay the prayer until they get up for study after the sun rises, and this is also an abomination and not permissible. It is obligatory for everyone to fear Allah—and for their families to point out to their fathers and mothers, and for their brothers to point out to them, and for the fathers of the young men and the mothers of the young men likewise. All these are great matters in which the people of the household share in the sin if they do not cooperate to remove it. The Muslims are one, and the people of the household are one. They must cooperate in advising the one who lags behind and taking him by the hand until he straightens out in obedience to Allah and the performance of His obligations. This is the obligation of everyone. If there are other reasons besides staying up late, it is obligatory for you to treat them, and to look into what the reasons are. If sleep eludes you from the beginning of the night and you do not sleep, then ask the doctors, perhaps they have a medicine that removes this anxiety and this staying up late from you, and you will obtain rest and tranquility so that you can sleep. And if there are other ailments, treat them. And if you do not have anyone to wake you up, then have the known alarm clock and set it firmly on the appropriate time, which is the time of the adhan or near the adhan, so that you hear it and get up.
In any case, the obligation is treatment, and the treatment is not hidden from the intelligent person. The treatment is clear: sometimes with the clock, sometimes with the alarm, and sometimes by not staying up late. The obligation of treatment is upon the man and the woman, upon all people, upon the young and the old, upon the girls and the old women, upon everyone. This is not specific to one person over another. It is obligatory for everyone to treat what happens to them of this delay, and to look into the reasons so that these reasons that necessitate the delay are removed, so that one does not pray except after the sun. This is a great abomination that must be treated by the one afflicted with it, so that he prays the prayer in its time with the congregation if he is a man, and so that the woman prays it in her home in the time before the sun rises. And we ask Allah for guidance and success for everyone.
The presenter: You have done well, and may Allah reward you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.