Ruling on delaying the prayer beyond its time due to dire necessity
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Question:
This one also says in her message: A doctor who performs emergency operations, which sometimes leads to his being occupied with the prayer until the time has passed, what should he do? It was said to him: In that situation, he has to perform the prayer in whatever way possible, so what is this way?
May Allah guide you.
Answer:
It is obligatory for the Muslim to pray the prayer in its time, and not to be occupied with anything that prevents it, except if it is one of the dire necessities for which there is no alternative, such as rescuing a drowning person, rescuing a fire, or repelling an enemy attack that is feared. In such cases, there is nothing wrong with delaying the prayer, even if its time passes.
As for ordinary matters that carry no danger, it is not permissible to delay the prayer for them. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that "when the people of Makkah besieged the city of Madinah on the Day of the Confederates, he delayed the midday and afternoon prayers until after the sunset." In another narration: "He delayed the afternoon prayer until after the sunset" because he was occupied with fighting. It is also established that when the Companions besieged Tustar and the dawn broke while the fighting was ongoing and the people were on the walls and at the gates, they delayed the dawn prayer until it was opened to them, then they prayed it in the morning; so that the opening would not be missed, and so that the disbelievers would not retreat. If it is like this, then delaying is permissible, because it is a dire necessity.
And like rescuing a fire that broke out in a house, or a drowning person in a river or the like; so he hastens to rescue him, or to rescue the people of the house from the fire; then that is permissible, even if it happens that he misses the prayer in its time because of this reason; because rescuing the lives of Muslims and those whose blood is inviolable has great importance; and because this danger may not be remedied if the prayer is performed first; so the benefit would be missed and delaying is permissible; because it is something that does not cause the prayer to be missed as a person delays in combining for illness and the like, so this is greater than that. If it is permissible to delay the midday to the afternoon and the sunset to the night for illness and travel, then the permissibility of delaying it from its time, or delaying the afternoon from its time, or the dawn from its time to rescue a drowning person, or a fire, and the like, is easier and more appropriate, yes.
This one also says in her message: A doctor who performs emergency operations, which sometimes leads to his being occupied with the prayer until the time has passed, what should he do? It was said to him: In that situation, he has to perform the prayer in whatever way possible, so what is this way?
May Allah guide you.
Answer:
It is obligatory for the Muslim to pray the prayer in its time, and not to be occupied with anything that prevents it, except if it is one of the dire necessities for which there is no alternative, such as rescuing a drowning person, rescuing a fire, or repelling an enemy attack that is feared. In such cases, there is nothing wrong with delaying the prayer, even if its time passes.
As for ordinary matters that carry no danger, it is not permissible to delay the prayer for them. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that "when the people of Makkah besieged the city of Madinah on the Day of the Confederates, he delayed the midday and afternoon prayers until after the sunset." In another narration: "He delayed the afternoon prayer until after the sunset" because he was occupied with fighting. It is also established that when the Companions besieged Tustar and the dawn broke while the fighting was ongoing and the people were on the walls and at the gates, they delayed the dawn prayer until it was opened to them, then they prayed it in the morning; so that the opening would not be missed, and so that the disbelievers would not retreat. If it is like this, then delaying is permissible, because it is a dire necessity.
And like rescuing a fire that broke out in a house, or a drowning person in a river or the like; so he hastens to rescue him, or to rescue the people of the house from the fire; then that is permissible, even if it happens that he misses the prayer in its time because of this reason; because rescuing the lives of Muslims and those whose blood is inviolable has great importance; and because this danger may not be remedied if the prayer is performed first; so the benefit would be missed and delaying is permissible; because it is something that does not cause the prayer to be missed as a person delays in combining for illness and the like, so this is greater than that. If it is permissible to delay the midday to the afternoon and the sunset to the night for illness and travel, then the permissibility of delaying it from its time, or delaying the afternoon from its time, or the dawn from its time to rescue a drowning person, or a fire, and the like, is easier and more appropriate, yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.