Prayers: Delayed
[Qaz'a]
Q477 :Due to very heavy work load, I miss my prayers
during the day and offer all my prayers in the evening. I call athan
and iqamah for each prayer. Please comment.
A477 : Allah describes prayer in the Qur'an as a
"time-related duty" which He has made obligatory to the believers.
Since it is time-related, it must be offered at the appropriate time
appointed for each prayer. I am afraid that a heavy workload does not
provide an exemption from offering prayers on time, unless one works
for an establishment which actually prevents him from offering prayers.
In that case, you should try and find a job somewhere else. On the
other hand, if leaving the work in hand in order to offer prayer will
result in some damage to the work produced or cause harm to the company
because of delayed work, it may be pardonable to delay prayer until one
has an opportunity to offer it. [Added: Certain security jobs or some
jobs requiring continuous attention to safety of a plant operation may
cause delay in prayers, but] This should not be[allowed to become] a
daily occurrence. One should always try to offer prayers on time. In
cases of emergency, one may pray Dhuhr and Asr together, and Maghrib
and Isha together. Again this should not become a habit. When one
offers such prayers together, one calls one athan for all of them and
says an iqamah for each prayer.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News - Jeddah )