Missing Prayers Due to Work Schedule: What Can I Do?

Question: As-Salamu alaykum. I am a trainee in a hospital as a nutritionist. I am learning a lot but I am unable to offer my obligatory prayers, Zhuhr, Asr and Maghrib. I am not in need of money and just joined the hospital to learn more about my profession.

Mufti: Sheikh Ahmad Kutty

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

In this fatwa:

You should have a free and frank chat with those in charge of the program and allow you at least ten minutes break to offer your obligatory prayers.

In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

If this training is essential for your enhanced career, then you should have a free and frank chat with those in charge of the program and allow you at least ten minutes break to offer your obligatory prayers. You can even pray both Zhuhr and Asr by combining them.

In other words, if you have a break of ten minutes, then pray Zhuhr, and then Asr immediately after.

You may also combine Maghrib and Isha by praying them both at the time of either one as well.

I am sure you can even do this by using your lunch break. I cannot understand anyone conducting a course or seminar without allowing a coffee or lunch break.

Before concluding, let me also caution you not to combine prayers in ordinary circumstances, when you have a choice to pray at the appointed times.

Allah Almighty knows best.

Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.