answer

it is not permissible for a muslim to delay his prayer until after the time for it has ended, unless he has an excuse. among the excuses which are acceptable according to sharee’ah are: sleeping and forgetting. doing worldly tasks is not an excuse for not praying or for delaying the prayer until the time for it has passed. rather one of the attributes of the sincere believers is that they do not led trade or selling distract them from remembering allaah and establishing regular prayer. 

allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“in houses (mosques) which allaah has ordered to be raised (to be cleaned, and to be honoured), in them his name is remembered [i.e. adhaan, iqaamah, salaat (prayers), invocations, recitation of the qur’aan]. therein glorify him (allaah) in the mornings and in the afternoons or the evenings,

37. men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the remembrance of allaah (with heart and tongue) nor from performing as‑salaat (iqaamat‑as‑salaat) nor from giving the zakaat. they fear a day when hearts and eyes will be overturned (out of the horror of the torment of the day of resurrection).

38. that allaah may reward them according to the best of their deeds, and add even more for them out of his grace. and allaah provides without measure to whom he wills”

[al-noor 24:36-38] 

allaah warns his slaves against letting their wealth and children distract them from obeying and remembering him, and he tells them that whoever does that are the true losers, and it is not as those imagine who neglect their religious commitment for the sake of work, worldly interests and the desire for immediate gain. 

allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“o you who believe! let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of allaah. and whosoever does that, then they are the losers”

[al-munaafiqoon 63:9] 

will the losers in fact have any fate other than that of the leaders of kufr, who neglect religion for the sake of greed for worldly gains? 

it was narrated from ‘abd-allaah ibn ‘amr that the prophet (peace and blessings of allaah be upon him) mentioned prayer one day and said: “whoever observes it regularly, it will be light and a proof and salvation on the day of resurrection, and whoever does not observe it regularly, it will not be a light or a proof or salvation for him, and on the day of resurrection he will be with qaroon, pharaoh, hamaan and ubayy ibn khalaf.” narrated by ahmad, 6540; classed as saheeh by al-albaani in mishkaat al-masaabeeh. 

ibn al-qayyim (may allaah have mercy on him) said: 

these four people are mentioned because they are the leaders of kufr. this makes an important point about the one who does not observe regular prayer, whether that is because he is distracted by his wealth, his power, his position of leadership or his business. the one who is distracted from it by his wealth will be with qaroon; the one who is distracted by his power will be with pharaoh; the one who is distracted by his position of leadership will be with hamaan and the one who is distracted by his business will be with ubayy ibn khalaf.” 

al-salaah wa hukm taarikuhu, 1/63. 

what makes matters even worse is thinking of not fasting because of not praying. 

allaah indeed has spoken the truth when he said (interpretation of the meaning): 

“o you who believe! follow not the footsteps of shaytaan (satan). and whosoever follows the footsteps of shaytaan (satan), then, verily, he commands al‑fahsha’ [i.e. to commit indecency (illegal sexual intercourse)], and al‑munkar [disbelief and polytheism (i.e. to do evil and wicked deeds; and to speak or to do what is forbidden in islam)]. and had it not been for the grace of allaah and his mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure from sins. but allaah purifies (guides to islam) whom he wills, and allaah is all‑hearer, all‑knower”

[al-noor 24:21] 

look at how the shaytaan has tricked you into forsaking the foundation of faith, the second pillar of islam after the shahaadatayn, which is the prayer, then he has tricked you into forsaking another pillar, and another and another. there is no power and no strength except with allaah. 

it is your responsibility to find a way to re-build the religious commitment which you have destroyed by forsaking prayer, not to destroy an act of religious commitment that you are doing at present. how could any wise person think of such a thing?  

allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“and fulfill the covenant of allaah (bai‘ah: pledge for islam) when you have covenanted, and break not the oaths after you have confirmed them — and indeed you have appointed allaah your surety. verily, allaah knows what you do.

92. and be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun, after it has become strong, by taking your oaths as a means of deception among yourselves, lest a nation should be more numerous than another nation. allaah only tests you by this (i.e. who obeys allaah and fulfils allaah’s covenant and who disobeys allaah and breaks allaah’s covenant). and on the day of resurrection, he will certainly make clear to you that wherein you used to differ (i.e. a believer confesses and believes in the oneness of allaah and in the prophethood of prophet muhammad which the disbeliever denies and that is their difference amongst them in the life of this world)”

[al-nahl 16:91-92] 

shaykh al-sa’di (may allaah have mercy on him) said: 

this includes everything that a person has pledged to do of acts of worship, vows and oaths, because fulfilling them is an act of righteousness.  “and be not” – in your breaking of your pledge – like the worst of examples, namely the woman who undoes her thread after making it strong. 

yes, as you say, prayer is more important than fasting, and it is the best of the deeds that allaah has enjoined upon his slaves. because of that we say: pray and remain steadfast in your fasting, and do not falter in that.  

your work may make it difficult, or you may lose your job because of it, but all that you should care about is your religion, your religion, your religion. it is more precious than your flesh and blood. 

may allaah help you and us to do that which he loves and which pleases him. 

and allaah is the source of strength.



kind regards

naif m

www.discoverislam.co.uk

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