Can I Miss Zuhr Prayer Due To Online Classes?

Question:

I am a student who is currently doing online classes due to the pandemic. I keep missing my Dhuhr prayer due to staying in the class, and I wonder if there is a way to complete my prayers while doing online classes without fear of being called on to ask a question or any other situation while praying.

So, to keep this concise, is it permissible to wait until the class is over to pray (which would be late and fall into Asr), or is there another way to complete my prayers.

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate

Walaikum assalam,

I hope you’re doing well, insha’Allah. May Allah bless you for your concern to fulfill your obligations to Allah in the right way and for asking about your religion. The Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him & his folk) said, “The only cure for confusion is asking.” [Abu Dawud, and others]

Praying on time is the greatest of our outward duties as believers, after faith itself.

The obligatory prayer doesn’t take more than a few minutes to complete. Consider: if you really had to go to the washroom, you would step away for a few minutes. Likewise, when you need to pray, step away from the obligatory prayer, and return to class without delay.

If feasible, explain to your teacher about your need to step away for 2-3 minutes.

You Can Prayer Zuhr Throughout Zuhr Time Without Dislike

Note, too, that Zuhr time is long, and you can perform its prayer at any time, without dislike. [Tahtawi/Shurunbulali, Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah]

Seek Allah’s assistance, trust in Him, and take the means. May Allah facilitate all good for you.

The Prophetic Promise of Divine Assistance

Remember the promise of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “You will never leave anything for the sake of Allah, except that Allah will replace it with what is better than it.” [Ahmad; rigorously authentic (sahih) chain]

If you leave your worry and fear and take the means, Allah will grant you both an increase in faith and blessing and openings and facilitation.

And Allah is the giver of success and facilitation.

[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus and Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), and his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.