Can I Delay Maghrib Due to School?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

I have a question regarding the maghrib prayer. On the shortest days of winter here in Germany, maghrib usually starts at around 4.30 pm. The problem is that I have a class from 4.35 to 5.20 pm. If maghrib starts before 4.35 pm, I can pray during the break (4.30 to 4.35 pm). But I fear that if it starts later, I might only be able to pray at home at around 5.30 pm. Is maghrib still valid at that time, or is that too late?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

The time for the Maghrib prayer is from the sun setting until the entering of ‘Isha time. If the Maghrib prayer is performed within this time, it is valid. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

However, it is prohibitively disliked to unnecessarily delay Maghrib prayer. If you can pray before your class begins, that would be best. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

Once the Maghrib prayer time becomes later, you should try to excuse yourself for a few minutes from the class and find a quiet, clean place to pray.

If you tell your teacher to pray respectfully, they should permit you. However, you can request a bathroom break if you don’t think they would. The Maghrib prayer shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes. Having ablution (wudu) ahead of time would also help.

Hope this helps
And Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.