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Fatwa CenterPerforming prayer at school within its lawful time
Question
I want to tell there is an issue in our house. My little brother who is 11 years-old who goes to Islamic charter school. He just got off from public school. The problem is in his new charter school, they don't pray on time but they pray between of the hours of two Salah and he wants to pray on time which is good. My mother wants him to get out from that Islamic charter school because he can't pray on time. He learns Islam in after school programs which is good. So, my family is trying to put him back to his old school which was public school because he prayed on time. I am against because if we look at it the good side and the bad side the bad side is small in Islamic charter school. The Shaykhs says there is system that system is to follow. And Jibreel when he teaches Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, he came early one day and the next time and these are the times you can pray. Is this Hadeeth useful? Is the system ought to follow or change the school to public school? 2) If a principal says that my Salah I would delay if president were here for one hour but not 3hours. What do you think about it.?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
There is no doubt that performing the prayer at its beginning time is better as this is hasting in performing acts of obedience and hasting to being acquitted from performing religious obligations. However, this does not mean that it is forbidden to delay the time of the prayer from its beginning time as long as it is performed before its prescribed time is over. It is known that each and every prayer has a beginning and an ending time. Therefore, if the Islamic school allows the students to perform their prayer before its prescribed time is over -even at the ending time- then there is no harm in studying in such school.
What the Shaykhs (or the teachers) said that Jibreel (angel Gabriel) performed the prayer with the Prophet 
one day at its beginning time and another day at its ending time, and informed him that "Between these times are the times for the prayers.", it is true, and this is an authentic narration reported by Ahmad and An-Nasaa'ee
; in this regard please refer to Fatwa 82253.
There is no doubt that studying in an Islamic school is better than studying in a public school in America, as there are many evils and disadvantages in such schools which affect the mind and morals of the child, especially if he is an adolescent. Taking him out of the Islamic school to a public school in such a case could only be an insinuation and a lure from the devil, so one has to be very cautious and clever.
If the school is really an Islamic school, then it is unlikely that those who run the school will be negligent about the prayer and its times, as the prayer is the greatest pillar of Islam after the two testimonies of faith.
Finally, we thank the mother for being keen on her child to perform the prayer on time, but she should know that the prayer has an extended time and it is acceptable to perform the prayer at any time during this period. Please refer to Fatwa 82907 for the time period of each prayer.
Finally, it should be noted that if the Islamic school does not allow the students to perform the prayer on time and only gives them permission to perform it once its prescribed time is over, and there is no alternative except to leave this school and join the public school, then let it be so, but it would be very strange and very astonishing for a Muslim school to prevent its students from performing the prayer at its time whereas a public school allows its students to perform the prayer on time in a non-Muslim country.
Allaah Knows best.
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