Can I miss the Friday prayer if I am busy at work?

September 4, 2010

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Question

There are certain times where one makes the intention to attend Jumuah Prayers, however unexpected emergency circumstances arise at work which may not allow you to leave. Is this ok? I hope that once can pray dhur instead. Please advise. Answered by: Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf

Assalamu alaykum

In the name of Allah the inspirer of truth

The Friday prayer is one of the most important prayers upon a Muslim. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“O you who believe, when the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday, hasten earnestly to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off business: this is best for you if you but knew.” [Al-Qur’an 62:9]

It is prohibited to engage oneself in anything besides preparation for the prayer once the adhan has been called. It is necessary take precautions to avoid such unexpected appointments and meetings that will make it difficult for a person to attend the Friday prayer. Remember, an excuse is something that may happen once in a long time and not some thing that happens every now and then, so to say.

A solution to this problem is that you could take Friday off and work on another day, if that is a possibility. Otherwise make it clear that you will not be available for that one hour or so window on Fridays.

If the job is such that it continues to force you to miss the Friday prayer, you would have to look for another job to preserve this important obligation of your religion.

In any case, missing a Friday necessitates that one sincerely repents and beseeches Allah for forgiveness.

Wassalam
Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf

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Dr. Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf

Dr. Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera is a British Muslim scholar educated in both the Islamic and Western traditions. He memorised the Qur’an by heart and graduated from the Darul Uloom seminary Bury, UK, and later earned a specialised licence to issue fatwa (legal responses) at Mazahir ‘Ulum Saharanpur, India. He earned his BA from the University of Johannesburg and completed his MA and PhD in Islamic Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He holds an honorary fellowship at The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Amman, Jordan. Shaykh Abdur-Rahman has the unique experience of serving as an imam in Muslim communities on both sides of the Atlantic, eight years in Southern California and over five in the great city of London—and his continued work as an international speaker and lecturer enables him to address and offer pertinent advice on current challenges that face Muslims in the West. He is the founder of Whitethread Institute, a post-graduate insititute for Islamic scholars. He is an avid traveller and continues to teach hadith and work on scholarly publications through White Thread Press (www.whitethreadpress.com). Many of his lectures are available on www.zamzamacademy.com and his courses through Rayyan Institute (www.rayyaninstitute.com).