Ensuring Timely Prayers During Police and Military Duty

Question:

“I am a police officer. Many argue that formal government responsibilities come before prayers, indicating that prayers can be skipped or delayed until after work hours. They frequently give historical examples from the battlefield, like soldiers praying in shifts.

During a debate, I responded by saying that Allah’s commands must always come first. One should quit their job and look for other employment if it restricts them from carrying out Allah’s mandatory directives. Shifting prayer times was a tactical concession for self-defence against adversaries, I claimed, because historic Islamic warfare (during the eras of the Prophets and the Messenger, peace be upon him) was fought under divine order and prayers were similarly divine mandates. But we’re not in that situation anymore. What is the right thing to do?”

Response:

“It is better to pray in a congregation (Jama’at). Prayers must be offered within the allotted time periods (Waqt), even if police work occasionally restricts congregational attendance. It is never acceptable to postpone prayers after their designated periods in order to perform them all at once at night.

Prayers are never postponed after their allotted times, not even on the battlefield. Congregational prayers must be offered in accordance with the guidelines of wartime prayer (Salat al-Khawf) even in the middle of intense battle against an opponent. Such situations cannot be equated to typical professional responsibilities.”

Answered by: Allama Mufti Obaidur Rahman Khan Nadvi

Source: Jameul Fatawa, Islamic Fiqh and Fatwa Encyclopedia.

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