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He wants to put the prayers together on a permanent basis because he works at night

17-04-2012

Question 171242

I have got a job that requires me to work the night shift, and this means that I have to sleep during the day. Is it permissible for me to put Zuhr prayer together with ‘Asr, and Maghrib with ‘Isha’, on a permanent basis, so long as I have the night shift at work? I want to put them together so that I do not interrupt my sleep a great deal.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

What is required is to regularly offer the prayers at the proper times, in obedience to the command of Allah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Guard strictly (five obligatory) AsSalawat (the prayers) especially the middle Salat (i.e. the best prayer Asr). And stand before Allah with obedience (and do not speak to others during the Salat (prayers)).”

[al-Baqarah 2:238]

“Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours”

[an-Nisa’ 4:103]

and so as to avoid being included in the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) (i.e. made their Salat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.) and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell”

[Maryam 19:59].

Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said concerning al-ghayy (translated above as “Hell”): It is a valley in Hell, very deep and with a foul taste. 

And Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So woe unto those performers of Salat (prayers) (hypocrites),

Who delay their Salat (prayer) from their stated fixed times,”

[al-Ma‘oon  107:4-5]. 

So try hard to wake up for the prayer; it will not matter if your sleep is interrupted, because you will get used to that in the future. We do not know why you are asking about putting Maghrib and ‘Isha’ together, because we cannot imagine that you spend the whole day until ‘Isha’ asleep. Can you spend your life only between work and sleep? What about paying attention to the rights of your family and brothers, and doing acts of worship to Allah such as going to the mosque, reading Qur’aan, seeking knowledge and so on? 

We ask Allah to help you and give you strength. 

And Allah knows best.

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