by Asma bint Shameem
ANSWER
Salaah is “THE absolute, most important” part of a Muslim’s life.
It’s the very first thing we’ll be asked about when we stand in front of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala.
If the Salaah is good, everything else will be good.
If the Salaah is lacking, then everything else is of no use.
🍃 The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
"The first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound.
And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad."
(al-Tabarani; saheeh by al-Albaani, Saheeh al-Jami, vol.1, p. 503)
After all, what distinguishes us from the non Muslims?
It’s the Salaah, of course.
So we MUST do our BEST to pray on time.
And exert every effort that we can to make it possible.
I’m sure it’s busy at work.
But I’m also sure you would have a break, even if it’s for just ‘five’ minutes.
It could be a bathroom break.
Or a lunch break.
Or any thing else.
So ask them for a coffee break but don’t drink coffee.
Use that time to pray instead.
Or tell them you want a lunch break.
But before eating, go pray.
You MUST strive hard to find a way, somehow, to offer your prayers and take the few minutes they give you and pray.
🔺You don’t have to have a “specific place” to offer your prayers. Rather, salaah can be offered ANYWHERE except bathrooms and graveyards.
As long as the place looks clean, you can pray there.
🍃The Prophet ﷺ said:
“All the earth is a place of prostration apart from graveyards and bathrooms.”
(Abu Dawood 492; saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood)
🍃 And the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The earth has been made for me a place of prayer and purification, so whenever the time of prayer comes for any man of my ummah, let him pray.”
(al-Bukhaari 335, Muslim 521)
🍃 Some suggestions:
🔺1. Pray JUST the fardh.
This way it would take less than five minutes for you to pray the four rak’aat of Dhuhr.
Or four rak’aat of Asr.
🔺 2. Make wudhu before you leave home then put on socks.
This way you wouldn’t have to wash your feet when making wudhu.
All you would do is simply wipe over the socks.
And you can also wipe over your hijaab.
So it will save you time.
🔺 3.If there’s absolutely nothing you can do, and your taking a break would jeopardize the safety of others or is harmful to you or others in some way, you ‘may’ combine the Dhuhr and Asr prayers.
So for example, if you’re a surgeon or someone who works in the operating room and you can’t leave your patient in the middle of surgery, or you’re a soldier that guards the borders, or you’re a security officer, or you’re in the some other serious situations, you may combine the prayers.
But that’s a last resort.
🔺 4. If none of these things will work, and you don’t have even five minutes for coffee, lunch, bathroom etc, and there’s no way for you to even combine your prayers, then you must leave this job.
Start ACTIVELY looking for another job ASAP that allows you a few minutes to pray.
Remember there’s no good in a job that keeps you away from your Rabb and your obligatory duties.
There will NEVER be any Khair in it.
There will be NO Barakah.
🔺5. Also keep in mind that we should pray our fardh Salaah standing with proper rukoo’ and sujood. And while facing the qiblah.
Those are two of the conditions for Salaah to be valid, unless someone has a shar’i excuse like they’re sick, or cannot pray standing or not facing the qiblah due to any other valid reason.
But the default is to pray the fardh salah standing up while facing toward the qiblah.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam would get off his ride when he was traveling to pray his fardh prayer standing and performing proper rukoo’ and sujood.
And he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam would pray facing the qiblah.
🍃Ibn Umar radhi Allaahu anhu said:
"Allaah's Messenger Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to offer the optional prayer on the back of his Mount facing any direction and also used to pray the witr on it but never offered the compulsory prayer on it." (al-Bukhaari)
🍃 The ulama of the Standing Committee said:
“With regard to offering obligatory prayers sitting down when one is able to stand, that is not permissible because of the general meaning of the verse in which Allaah says:
“And stand before Allaah with obedience” [al-Baqarah 2:238]
and because of the hadeeth of ‘Imraan ibn Husayn, according to which the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said to him: “Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot then lying on your side.” (al-Bukhaari, 1117)
(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 8/126)
🍃 And they said regarding facing the qiblah:
“If a person offers a prayer without facing towards the qiblah out of negligence, in that he did not ask and he did not look at the signs that point to the direction of the qiblah, then he should repeat the prayer, because facing towards the qiblah is one of the conditions of prayer being valid when one is able to do it.
So he has to repeat the prayer.
The same also applies to one who prays without facing towards the qiblah by mistake.
He has to repeat the prayer because he failed to fulfil one of its conditions.”
(Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, vol. 2, 5/294)
Based on the above, if we’re able to pray the fardh, standing and while facing the qiblah, but we didn’t do that without any shar’i excuse, the prayer is not valid.
So do not pray sitting in your chair;
rather, do your BEST to pray the fardh standing.
🔺 Another point to keep in mind.
A Muslim should NEVER by “shy” or “embarrassed” to offer prayers in front of the non Muslims.
Alhamdulillaah everyone knows about our Deen, our Salaah and what islaam is.
So instead of being ‘embarrassed’ or ‘shy’, we should be PROUD to be Muslim.
Show them with your good work ethics, honesty and hard work what Islaam is all about.
Talk to them about our five daily prayers and how important they are in a Muslim’s life.
Tell them THAT’S what keeps you connected to your Rabb.
And THAT’S the source of your inspiration.
If we’re proud of our Deen, that reflects in our attitude and dealings.
It gives us confidence and that comes off as something very positive for our selves, our relationships, our jobs and careers and fortifies us as a person of integrity.
So hold you head up high and pray when it’s time.
It’s the least we can do, if we are Muslim.
As they say in English:
“When there’s a will, there’s a way.”
And Allaah knows best.
www.asmabintshameem.com
Comments