Ruling on not praying in congregation because of work circumstances

Question: 212542

We live in the West and we do our best to pray in ccongregation in our time, because its obligated. However because this is an unbelieving (Kaafir) land and we aren’t allowed to go to the congregation when we are at school or when we are working we pray the obligatory prayers alone. I have read your fatwas about leaving the congregation when working, but those fatwas aren’t specified for the people in the West. What is the ruling on leaving the congregation when we are working or going to school in this Kaafir land. Please note that we aren’t capable of migrating because the lack of money or because our parents don’t allow us.

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

The basic principle concerning the obligatory prayers for men is that they
should be offered in congregation in the mosque; this was the practice of
the Muslims at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him).

Imam Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (654) that Abu’l-Ahwas said: ‘Abdullah
said: I remember when no one stayed away from the prayer except a hypocrite
who was known for his hypocrisy, or one who was sick. But even a sick person
would walk between two men and come to prayer. The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught us the Sunnahs of
guidance, and one of the Sunnahs of guidance is praying in the mosque in
which the call to prayer is given.

The Islamic texts enjoin that, such as the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah who said:
A blind man came to the Prophet (sa) and said: O Messenger of Allah, I do
not have any guide to take me to the mosque. And he asked the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to grant him a dispensation
allowing him to pray in his house, and he allowed him that. When he turned
to leave, he called him back and said: “Can you hear the call to prayer?” He
said: Yes. He said: “Then answer it.”

Narrated by Muslim, 653

Hence anyone who can hear the adhaan is enjoined to respond to the call and
pray in the mosque, so long as he does not have an excuse. For more
information, please see fatwas no. 21969 and
20655

But if you try hard to join the congregation, but are not able to do so
because of the situation you mentioned, and you cannot find suitable work or
study, which will allow you to pray in congregation, there is nothing wrong
with you completing your work or your studies that you cannot do without,
then catch up with the prayer before the time for it ends, either
individually or together in congregation with one another, if you are able
to do that.

It says in Mataalib Ooli’n-Nuha fi Sharh Ghaayat al-Muntaha (1/702),
discussing excuses which make it permissible not to pray in congregation: if
he fears harm to his livelihood which he needs, he is excused (for not
praying in congregation). End quote.

For more information, please see fatwas no. 72895
and 9455

And Allah knows best.

Source:

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