Question:

Assalamuwalaikum Wa Rahmatullah. In the Name of Allah swt the most Merciful.
Situation: A person working in a store (alone) has no or little chance of closing the store for praying his regular fardh salah. As soon as he starts praying, a customer comes and he breaks his salah and receives that customer. Then again he makes his niyah and starts salah. However, again a customer comes and he breaks the salah and receives the customer. In this way, say, at seventh attempt he could complete a salah.

Question: What is the ruling of praying and breaking and again praying until one can complete his salah? Should it be considered as sin?

Jazakallah Khair.

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

It is our Yaqeen (conviction) as Muslims that the sole Provider is Allah Ta’ala. Sustenance comes only from Allah Ta’ala. Consider the following verse:

اللَّهُ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَقْدِرُ (سورة الرعد، رقم الاية )26

Allah increases the Rizq (sustenance) for whom He wills and He tightens (the Rizq for whom He wills) (Surah ar-Ra’d, Verse # 26)

If one lives a life of obedience to the Commands of Allah, such an individual will be blessed with Barakah (Lots of Goodness) in his provisions. However, if one lives a life of sin, then the Barakah will be removed from his provisions.

Salah is the greatest Command of Allah after Imaan. Salah must be given the utmost importance. Salah must be given precedence over all other responsibilities and commitments. To break one’s Salah without a valid excuse in Shari’ah is not permissible.[1] Hence, it is not permissible for the worker in reference to break his Salah to tend to his costumers as this is not a valid excuse in Shari’ah.

Our advice is that the worker should put up a sign informing the costumers that he is busy performing his prayers and that he will tend to them shortly. Such determination in fulfilling the Commands of Allah will be a means of earning the Pleasure of Allah.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

(Mufti) Abdul Azeem bin Abdur Rahman

Disclaimer:

The Shar’a ruling herein given is based specifically on the question posed and should be read in conjunction with the question.

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This answer may not be used as evidence in any Court of Law without prior written consent of Darul Iftaa Texas.

[1]  لِأَنَّ قَطْعَهَا لَا يَجُوزُ إلَّا لِضَرُورَةٍ )رد المحتار، ج 1، ص 655، سعيد)

مَطْلَبٌ قَطْعُ الصَّلَاةِ يَكُونُ حَرَامًا وَمُبَاحًا وَمُسْتَحَبًّا وَوَاجِبًا.

تَتِمَّةٌ] نُقِلَ عَنْ خَطِّ صَاحِبِ الْبَحْرِ عَلَى هَامِشِهِ أَنَّ الْقَطْعَ يَكُونُ حَرَامًا وَمُبَاحًا وَمُسْتَحَبًّا وَوَاجِبًا، فَالْحَرَامُ لِغَيْرِ عُذْرٍ وَالْمُبَاحُ إذَا خَافَ فَوْتَ مَالٍ، وَالْمُسْتَحَبُّ الْقَطْعُ لِلْإِكْمَالِ، وَالْوَاجِبُ لِإِحْيَاءِ نَفْسٍ.)رد المحتار، ج 2، ص 52، سعيد)