[Q-ID0769] I don’t have time to pray Zuhr, Asr & Maghrib at work, is it okay if I pray them when I get home?

QUESTION:

What do the scholars of the Dīn and muftīs of the Sacred Law state regarding the following issue: me and my friends are van drivers; The salāh during the daytime i.e. Zuhr, ‘Asr & Maghrib become qadā’ for me during work hours, because there is no option to pray salāh at work. Can I fulfil their qadā’ before ‘Ishā’ salāh, and generally speaking, how should I fulfil this?

Questioner: Sister from UK

ANSWER:

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب

It is not permissible to cause your salāh to become qadā’ for the sake of this job of yours; you will have to pray salāh within its correct timing somehow, even if one can only pray the Fard Rak’ahs of these salāhs i.e. the four Fard of Zuhr, four of ‘Asr, and three of Maghrib. You would only have to spend three minutes or so on each salāh, and this wouldn’t cause any issue in the workplace either. However, even if this is not allowed, then you should leave such job; Allāh Almighty is the [true] Provider – He ﷻ will create some means of sustenance. When He ﷻ provides for those who deny him, then why would He ﷻ not grace those who believe in Him. Rather, He ﷻ will undoubtedly provide more so, and bestow that sustenance which will be a cause of peace & tranquility in one’s heart.

However, if salāh does become qadā’ without a valid reason, then one should repent and fulfil its qadā’; it is permissible to fulfil qadā’ any time other than the [3] Makrūh times. You can also fulfil your qadā’ before ‘Ishā’ – the method for this is to first fulfil the four Fard of Zuhr with the intention of qadā’, then the four Fard of ‘Asr and then fulfil the three Fard of Maghrib.

Just as it is stated in Radd al-Muhtār,

“إذْ التَّأْخِيرُ بِلَا عُذْرٍ كَبِيرَةٌ لَا تَزُولُ بِالْقَضَاءِ بَلْ بِالتَّوْبَةِ أَيْ بَعْدَ الْقَضَاءِ أَمَّا بِدُونِهِ فَالتَّأْخِيرُ بَاقٍ، فَلَمْ تَصِحَّ التَّوْبَةُ مِنْهُ لِأَنَّ مِنْ شُرُوطِهَا الْإِقْلَاعُ عَنْ الْمَعْصِيَةِ“

“It is an intense sin to cause one’s salāh to become qadā’ without a valid reason; this sin will not be removed by merely fulfilling the qadā’. Rather, one will have to repent wholeheartedly; the sin of delaying will be forgiven from repenting. Moreover, repentance is only valid when one actually fulfils the qadā’ salāh; if one was to repent without having fulfilled the qadā’ salāh, then the sin of delaying would still remain, and the repentance of such person will not be valid. This is because it is among the conditions of repentance to disassociate oneself from the sin; this is not the cause in said scenario i.e. one is to fulfil the qadā’ – only then would repentance be accepted.

[Durr Mukhtār ma’ Radd al-Muhtār, vol 2, pg 627]

Furthermore, it is stated in Bahār-e-Sharī’at that to allow salāh to become qadā’ (expired) without a valid reason [accepted by Sharī’ah] is an intense sin. It is Fard upon the person (who missed his salāh) to fulfil its qadā’ and to sincerely repent; the sin for delaying will be forgiven by sincere repentance and through an accepted Hajj.

[Bahār-e-Sharī’at, vol 1, part 4, pg 700]

Moreover, qadā’ salāh may be fulfilled any time other than the Makrūh times, but they should be fulfilled as soon as possible. Just as it is stated in Fatāwā Hindiyyah,

“لَيْسَ لِلْقَضَاءِ وَقْتٌ مُعَيَّنٌ بَلْ جَمِيعُ أَوْقَاتِ الْعُمُرِ وَقْتٌ لَهُ إلَّا ثَلَاثَةً، وَقْتَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ، وَوَقْتَ الزَّوَالِ، وَوَقْتَ الْغُرُوبِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا تَجُوزُ الصَّلَاةُ فِي هَذِهِ الْأَوْقَاتِ“

“There is no specified time for [fulfilling] qadā’. Rather, its duration is one’s entire lifetime, other than the time of sunrise, sunset and Zawwāl, for it is not permissible to pray salāh during these times.”

[al-Fatāwā al-Hindiyyah, vol 1, ch 3, pg 52]

واللہ تعالی اعلم ورسولہ اعلم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم
کتبہ ابو الحسن محمد قاسم ضیاء قادری

Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadri
Translated by Haider Ali

Read the original Urdu answer here: [Q-ID0769] I don’t have time to pray Zuhr, Asr & Maghrib at work, is it okay if I pray them when I get home?

Also see:

[Q-ID0591] I don’t have a long break at work, can I just pray the Fard and leave the Sunnah/Nafl prayer?

[Q-ID0434] Can I skip the Sunnah prayers of Zuhr, Asr and Maghrib whilst at work?

[Q-ID0166] What are are the disliked times to pray Salah?