Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

hi there burhan bhai, i am really very glad to see my questions answered, aniways i have these some more questions lined up for y ou to answer, if u can ..

1) i am studying, and while the timings of asar and maghrib i am in my tutions, out at the houses of particular teachers, so i wanna konw that i , approximately, qaza them everyday, these both of the prayers, so is it fine?? being helpless becuase i need to attend their lectures, otherwise i would miss a great deal of them... and have a decrease in my exams preparations.. hoping for the best form you :)

2) i am not cioinfident enough, i now this is lame to ask about, but i think i am not, maybe iots shaytaan taking over me.. cuz i do go out and stuff.. but still i dont think i am confident enouigh to walk uptil the mosque and then pray, nor i am sure that i could be able to go and pray in congregation, keeping in view the timings, the exact timings! so i usualy pray all of the prayers in my house... what do suggest??? 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Miss prayers and qada

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: so i wanna konw that i , approximately, qaza them everyday, these both of the prayers, so is it fine??

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, Shariah Law dictates that unless and until one is unconscious, or insane, or unintentionally slept through a prayer time, or completely forgot and the prayer time elapsed….it is absolutely obligatory and a duty unto the believer that he/she offer his/her prayer at its due and appointed time.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 103:

Indeed the Salaat is a prescribed duty that should be performed by the believers at (their) appointed times.

Dear and beloved brother, such is the importance and significance of prayer, that Allah Commands and Demands that the believers offer their prayers on time even during times of war, fear, extreme illness, etc.,

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa 102:

102 When thou (O Prophet (saws)) are with them (during war) and stand to lead them in prayer, let one party of them stand up (in prayer) with thee taking their arms with them: when they finish their prostrations let them take their positions in the rear and let the other party come up which hath not yet prayed and let them pray with thee taking all precautions and bearing arms.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 238-239:

238 Guard strictly your prayers, especially the middle (Asr) prayer and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of mind).

239 If ye fear (an enemy), pray on foot or riding (as may be most convenient); but when ye are in security celebrate Allah's Praises in the manner He has taught you which ye knew not (before).

Beloved brother in Islam to intentionally miss, or neglect, or delay one’s obligatory prayers beyond its appointed time because one is busy in work or worldly matters would be absolutely unacceptable and impermissible in Islam, and a grave sin in the Sight of the Lord.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 107 Surah Al-Maun verses 4-5:

4 So woe to the worshippers

5 Who are neglectful of their prayers

Beloved brother, it takes only a few minutes to offer one’s prayers…and it would be safe to assume that a few minutes taken out to fulfill your obligatory duty unto your Lord would not effect or decrease your exam preparations.

Your Question: so i usualy pray all of the prayers in my house... what do suggest??? 

Performing the obligatory prayers in congregation is a Sunnah Mu'akkadah (absolutely preferred Sunnah) of the Messenger of Allah (saws) for the believing males of the Ummah.

Ibn 'Umar reports that the Prophet (saws) said: "Prayer in congregation is superior to a prayer performed individually by twenty-seven degrees."

Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

It would obviously be preferred and best that the believers offer their obligatory prayers in congregation in the Mosques; and if that is not possible for a valid reason, then the next best thing is to offer it in congregation with the brothers wherever one is; and if even that is not possible, the absolute last legal option is to offer it alone.

A wordly example of one who intentionally, without any genuine reason or cause, chooses to pray alone rather than in congregation….is like one who is offered $27 million for a task if done in the office, or only $1 million if the exact same task is done at home….and the person, without any genuine reason or cause, chooses to do the task at home!

Your Question: ... what do suggest??? 

Beloved brother, if all the believers chose to pray alone at home and no one attended the mosques, the Houses of Allah Subhanah would become like graveyards and the deen of Islam would lose its most unique identity….where at the call of a caller to assemble for the Remembrance of the Lord, the believers, wherever they are and whatever worldly pursuits they might be indulged in, leave it alone and prefer to assemble with their brothers in faith united in the worship of their Lord Most Gracious.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 184 Narrated by Mu'adh ibn Jabal

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘Verily, the Shaytaan is the wolf of a man just as the wolf is (the enemy) of a flock. The wolf seizes the solitary sheep going astray from the flock or going aside from the flock. So avoid the branching paths; it is essential for you to remain along with the community.

Beloved brother in Islam, as your brothers and sincere well-wishers in faith, our humble advice and suggestion to you is to make a sincere intention that from this day forward, you will strive to the absolute best of your ability, to perform every single prayer with your believing brethren in congregation in the appointed Houses of Allah Subhanah. Just as praying alone has become a habit, if Allah Wills and bestows His Mercy upon you, soon praying in congregation will become a habit….and if Allah forbid, you miss a prayer in congregation and are forced to pray alone….you will feel a sincere loss in your heart!

Beloved brother in Islam, the evil and accursed enemy of man, the Shaytaan, hates nothing more than when he sees a believer prostrate and worship unto the Lord Most High. He will use every craft at his disposal to whisper into your heart that it is not such a big deal to miss prayers in congregation, as long as you pray them alone on time. Once he has got the person leaving congregation, the accursed Shaytaan will come again and whisper in his heart that delaying one or two prayers is not that big a deal…as long as one prays them ‘qada’ later on! Then when that is accomplished, the Shaytaan comes back and whispers to the person to leave some of his prayers, and he will not rest until he has taken the person from his prayers completely …. and enlisted the person to the ranks of the disbelievers!

Jabir reports that the Prophet (saws) said, "Between a person and disbelief is discarding prayer."

Related by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

Dear and beloved brother, recognize well this simple but effective trick and ploy of the accursed Shaytaan….although he might, he rarely inspires one to leave a great deed and in its place do an evil deed….but what he does is inspire one who is doing a great deed to do a lesser ‘good’ deed…and then inspire the person doing the ‘good’ deed to stop doing the deed….and when he has accomplished that, he will come back and inspire him to do evil deeds….and thus take that person away from the Mercy and Grace of the Lord towards the path that leads to the Lord’s Wrath and Anger!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Aaraaf verses 16-18:

16 He (the Shaytaan) said: "because Thou (Allah Subhanah) hast thrown me out of the way, lo! I will lie in wait for them (mankind) on Thy Straight Way.

17 Then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left: nor wilt Thou find in most of them gratitude (for Thy Mercies).”

18 (Allah) said: "Get out from here, disgraced and expelled. If any of them follow thee, Hell will I fill with you all.”

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Israa verses 62-65:

62 He (the Shaytaan) said "Seest Thou (Allah Subhanah)? This is the one (Adam) whom thou hast honored above me! If Thou wilt but respite me to the Day of Judgment, I will surely bring his descendants under my sway all but a few!"

63 Allah said: "Go thy way; if any of them follow thee, verily Hell will be the recompense of you (all) an ample recompense.

64 Lead to destruction those whom thou canst among them with thy (seductive) voice; make assaults on them with thy cavalry and thy infantry; mutually share with them wealth and children; and make promises to them. But the Shaytaan promises them nothing but deceit.

65 As for My servants, no authority shalt thou have over them." Enough is Thy Lord for a Disposer of affairs.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan