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Fatwa CenterWants to attend a learning course but is afraid to miss the Maghrib prayer
Question
Al salam alaikum- I have a hard-of-hearing daughter who will be going into the 1st grade soon. She will be communicating primarily in sign language. My mother has signed up for a course to learn sign language and has invited me to sign up as well. I would really like to attend, as I feel that it could be very beneficial to my daughter, myself and my family in general (in order to communicate with her). My mother has offered to pay my fees for the course and would pick me up and drop me off. The class is once a week in the evening. I know my mother would feel more comfortable going with someone than attending by herself (safety in numbers). She would most likely pick me up at around 5:30pm and would drop me off at probably 8:15-8:30. (The class is from 6-8pm). Here is where the dilemma arises. If I attend this class, it will be during maghrib time. And for many, if not all, of the classes I will be picked up before the time for maghrib and dropped off after maghrib time has expired. Would it be permissible for me to pray maghrib when I get home (or combine maghrib and isha), or do I have to tell my mother that I cannot attend the class? My mother is very busy during the day and would not be able to attend a day class, and my husband could easily watch our children in the evening. I really would feel bad to lose this opportunity, but I don't want to do it if I'm going to be committing a sin. Please advise me insha'Allah. Thank you. May Allah reward you.
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.
If the questioner is able to perform the Maghrib prayer after coming back home, or at the place of the course before the time of 'Ishaa' starts, then it is permissible for her to attend this course. However, if attending this course will lead to delaying the Maghrib prayer, then this is not permissible. Allaah Says (what means): {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times} [Quran 4:103], which means that the prayer is prescribed on a very specific and determined time from which one cannot delay it or advance it except for a valid reason, and studies are not a valid reason for combining Maghrib and 'Ishaa' prayers.
We do not think that attending the course and performing the Maghrib prayer on time is impossible. It is possible for her to perform the prayer at the place of study; she may choose an appropriate place and perform the prayer before the starting of the course or immediately afterwards and before the time of 'Ishaa' starts. She may also take five minutes from the time of the lesson and perform the prayer and then resume the course, so there are many solutions she may find, especially that her mother is attending the course with her. If her mother is a Muslim, then they can alternate in performing the prayer. One of them may go pray while the other is attending the lesson, and when she comes back from the prayer, the other may go, and at the end of the lesson each one would explain to the other what she had missed. So there are many solutions she may think of instead of thinking to delay the prayer from its prescribed fixed time.
For more benefit on the ruling of combining the prayers because of studies or exams, please refer to Fatwa 86594, and Fataawa 83812 and 84024 on performing the prayer at the place of study.
Allaah Knows best.
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