Question : A question was asked regarding the obligation of employees to stop their work at prayer time.

Fatwa in Brief: This is obligatory. It is also incumbent upon all employees to cease their work as soon as the call to prayer is heard.

Shaykh Ibn Jebrin, al-Dur al-Thamin, p. 28

Response:

Though it is legally preferred for all Muslims to hurry to prayer, it is not necessary for workers to leave their work immediately at the time of prayer.

Commentary:

The window of time in which to complete one’s prayers, from beginning to end, is considerable. A worker is not legally obligated to leave his work immediately to participate in the five prayers, though hurrying to pray is [the] better [option]. If a person is so busy with something important, and that may be lost if not completed at the time, s/he can delay his/her prayers. They must be completed, however, before the next call to prayer is heard.

Regarding the Friday prayers, it is obligatory for [tradesmen/women] to stop selling their products, and for those engaged in any other act that is not directed towards God, to cease what they are doing from the time of the first call to prayer. This is after the time of zawal [when zuhr begins], as mentioned in:

“O Ye who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of congregation, haste into rememberance of Allah and leave your trading”. (Q. 62:9)

We note, however, that there is nothing in this verse to indicate that Muslims must close their shops on Fridays, neither during prayer time nor after prayer time has finished. Such matters have been left to the individual’s discretion.

There is a clear command to increase trade, and to find God’s blessing (rizq) in the process in the following verse:

“And when the prayer is ended, then disperse in the land and seek of Allah’s bounty”. (Q. 62:10)

While this command may not obligate Muslims to trade on Fridays, it certainly permits them to do so [when they are not praying]. There is no instruction to shut up one’s place of business on Fridays. The legal obligation is simply to go to the Friday prayers.[1]

And God knows best.

Dr. Anas Abu Shadi