Articles
Meeting Personal Obligations During Work Hours
Career life in a secular and multiracial society like Singapore often means a slight struggle and a constant fluctuation between the deen and the dunya. In many parts of the sectors, there are two camps of Muslim workers and professionals; the first who earnestly wants to uphold his religious obligations, while the other who is afraid of losing his livelihood and succumbs to the requests and the demands of corporate or work culture and neglects his obligations as a Muslim. There is no ‘one shoe fits all solution’ as different careers differ in nature and demands. What is ubiquitous is that every Mukallaf must fulfill obligations that Allah has enjoined.
One of the biggest dilemmas of the Muslim worker is the prayer (Salah). Mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah verse 238, Allah SWT commands every single Muslim to pray:
حَـٰفِظُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلصَّلَوَٰتِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ٱلْوُسْطَىٰ وَقُومُوا۟ لِلَّهِ قَـٰنِتِينَ
“Observe the five obligatory prayers especially the middle prayer and stand in true devotion to Allah.”
There is no contention from the scholars on the obligation of Salah. It is wajib, and doing it promises rewards while leaving it incurs a major sin. The prayers are an essential part of what makes a person a Muslim as mentioned in a hadith of the Prophet SAW:
وعن بريدة رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: “العهد الذي بيننا وبينهم الصلاة، فمن تركها فقد كفر” ((رواه الترمذي وقال: حديث حسن صحيح)).
Buraidah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “That which differentiates us from the disbelievers and hypocrites is our performance of Salat. He who abandons it, becomes a disbeliever.”
(At-Tirmidhi)
When embarking on our careers, how we see prayer is what propels us to be motivated to make it a priority in our lives even as we are preoccupied with work. As Muslim professionals, the Salah should not be perceived as a hindrance to worldly progress, rather it should be a catalyst to success, even if it is immaterial. The act of prayer is perhaps what has given us strength to do the work that we do. How we view prayer vis-a-vis our career life should be anchored by another verse in the Qur’an that would make us appreciate the prayer colossally. Allah SWT alludes in Surah Al-Ankabut, verse 45:
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ
“ Indeed, genuine prayer should deter one from indecency and wickedness.”
If this reality were to be placed in the context of a career, imagine how much protection Allah SWT would give to a person based on this ayat itself while he manages his Salah and career? If people were to see it from this lens, Salah would not be a secondary or complementary part of the work that he or she does. It could just be that the promotions, the good co-workers, the ease in hardship and the hidden blessings in the career stem from the barakah of the Salah, itself. Thus, in any situation, the Muslim worker or professional should never miss a prayer and blame it on busyness or fatigue. The Salah, in its obligatory form is also an act that does not require an elongated amount of time and to be making excuses of busyness is highly unlikely. It is a matter of choice and perspective when it comes to prioritising the prayer.
The question of many workers, especially those who face greater challenges of workplace culture and management inflexibility is how should one then manage Salah in such circumstances? Let us start off first by understanding the difference between individuals who have the liberty to pray in the workplace, and this is the most ideal of situations. In a number of corporations, work spaces and institutions, many Muslims in Singapore have no issue practising their faith so long as it does not disrupt the normative responsibilities of their jobs. For those with managers and bosses who have no issue allowing one to pray during break times, or stepping away for a mere five to ten minutes to do the prayer. There have been many recounts where even some huge Multinational Companies (MNCs) create prayer spaces for Muslims, and promote inclusivity. For this group of workers, prayer cannot be taken lightly, and using busyness as a source of difficulty is inacceptable.
For the second group of workers, who may struggle with this dilemma and are not as privileged as the first, there are few steps that can be considered, and tried, in hopes that there may be leeway and allowance to obey Allah SWT through Salah. The first step is to ask and communicate. If there is a chance that an employer or a manager may understand and is open to communicate, the Muslim worker should make Ikhtiar (effort) to ask the people in authority to whom they may talk to and seek permission if they are able to step out for a mere five to ten minutes for ablution and prayer.
If a more complexed situation encounters them where they are just not able to communicate such matters to their employers for more harmful reasons such as possible mockery, racism or even being retrenched for such beliefs, then trying to find a small pocket of time during lunch periods or toilet breaks to perform the Salah should be the next strategy. These small moments, on the part of the worker, should also be kept minimal, and done within short periods of time (without compromising quality of the prayer) so that they may come back to work without problems nor suspicion. They should also focus on the obligatory prayer, more than anything and any supererogatory prayers can be done after working hours. This is in line with what Allah SWT wants for his servants; ease from hardship:
يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ
“Allah intends ease for you, not hardship” (Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 185)
It should also be remembered that many of the prayers prescribed are categorised under the Waqt Muwassa’ (expanded or widened time), which means that we can pray anytime within a stipulated window of time. For example, if Zuhr is at 1pm, and ends at 4.30pm, one may pray anytime within this vast period. This means that, in the workplace, if one is caught in a meeting, he or she may still have time to conduct the prayers, even if it is at the end of the prayer time. So long as it is done and not intentionally delayed, Allah SWT will accept the prayers, and the individual will not fall into sin. In any situation, leaving the prayer is not an option, and leaving prayers until the end of the day and then later on making up for it, is unacceptable as well.
In a nutshell, for situations that are slightly more difficult than others, here are some pro tips to still observe the prayer even within constraints:
- Communicate and inform (where possible): Share with a manager, supervisor or employer on your salah. Share with understanding team members too.
- Keep salah breaks reasonable, and do not purposely elongate the timings, since salah usually takes five to ten minutes.
- Seek help from other employees if you require someone to cover you during salah.
- Be aware of workplace policies, and work around the allowances given (such as praying during breaks and etc)
- Plan your prayers ahead. For example, if you know you are going to have a meeting from 2pm to 5pm, then pray to Zuhr ahead of time. This should be applied in different situations, and plan ahead to allow time for the prayer. Consider using the in-between meeting breaks to pray as well.
- Do not use the prayer to run away from responsibilities, or make excuses of tardiness. A true Muslim should be able to balance both; to be able to pray on time, and be the best worker who upholds the value of Itqan (excellence) in his work.
Lastly, in the most difficult situation, Islam allows the final option of performing the prayer, through Jama’ or the combination of prayers or Qada’ (making up for the prayers). This ruling is not for loose usage, and only highly critical or dire situations allow for Jama’ and Qada’ such as life and death situations or totally unavoidable situations such as working in hospital jobs that require long hours of operations or surgery such as surgeons or surgical nurses. This issue has been discussed at lengths by scholars. One such opinion is the opinion of Syeikh Fahd bin Abdullah al-Hazami who mentions: “It is permissible for a sick person to perform jama’ for his prayers if he is about to be operated on and it will be impossible for him to perform his prayer at the specified times. Thus, whoever that undergoes a surgery that starts at Zuhur and ends after Maghrib or before Maghrib, but he will be in pain recovering from the surgery and cannot perform his prayer, then it is permissible to jama’ (taqdim) his Zuhur and Asar prayer. The same is applicable for the doctor that perform the surgery, it is permissible for him to perform jama’ for his prayer if faced with this situation.” (Taqrib Fiqh al-Tabib (pg. 14)
However, the nature of work by the majority of career holders today, may not be as entirely dire as the aforementioned and situations like this remain the minority. Hence, prayers still remain an obligation to be conducted within the stipulated timings as mentioned by Allah SWT:
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا
“Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers by a decree of specified times.” Surah al-Nisa’ (103)
In conclusion, the salah should never be viewed as an obstacle to one’s career, but rather as the very foundation that sustains it. Every Muslim will one day stand before Allah SWT and be questioned about his prayers before many other deeds. No meeting, deadline or worldly commitment can outweigh an obligation that Allah Himself has prescribed at fixed times. While workplaces and circumstances differ, a believer’s commitment to salah should remain unwavering, accompanied by sincere effort to seek permissible means of fulfilling it. The one who safeguards his prayers entrusts his affairs to Allah, knowing that no sacrifice made for His sake is ever lost. Ultimately, preserving the salah is not merely about fulfilling a religious duty, it is a daily declaration that Allah SWT remains the greatest priority in every aspect of our lives.
Relevant links:
https://hisartravel.sg/workplace-prayer-etiquette-singapore-requests-and-adab/
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