Bismillahi Al-Rahmani Al-Rahim
Joining Prayers Out Of Hardship
Q
al-salamu `alaykum
...I work at an eye clinic and have to see patients. Usually during Dhur
- Asr. It is hard to find a place to make salah without someone calling
the police on you or something. For now I will make salah in my car, but
I am interested in learning the Hanbali madthab if they can join for this
reason, insha'allah.
A
wa `alaykum al-salam
Someone who has a valid excuse to not pray jama`atan (in a group)
or jum`uah (the Friday prayer) is also allowed to join
between
(1) Dhuhr
& `Asr
(2)
Maghrib & `Isha'
praying in either one of those times. The reasons that allow this go back
to hardship, such as:
- a sick person who would be subject to further injury or a delay in
their recovery or finds it difficult to remove inexcusable filth
- a mother who breast feeds her child
- someone who faces losing property
- someone who fears for himself
- someone who fears for people he is legally charged with (such as his
wife and children)
- someone who fears for animals he is charged with (such as someone
hired to herd cattle)
- someone who fears for property that he is charged with (such as
someone hired as a guard or checkout clerk)
When the reason permitting joining ceases, it is not longer
permissible to use this ruling.
As an additional note: this ruling is a rukhsa, a legal
dispensation. If any of the above reasons is a result of disobedience,
then it is highly unlikely that it is not permissible to use this
rukhsa. Someone working in a liquor store--Allah is our refuge
from this--is most likely not eligible for this dispensation.
So you should be able to join out of personal safety; and there are some
pretty odd circumstances in the West.
And Allah knows best.
[See Nail Al-Ma'arib, end of the section on the group prayer
(1:181-82), and joining between prayers (1:189).]
wa al-salamu `alaykum
--musa