A man works in a factory whose Muslim owner forbids performing the prayers during work hours. Should the worker pray and violate the orders of his employer, knowing that such an action is likely to cause him dismissal while jobs are rare in his country? Please advise. May Allaah Reward you.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

It is quite strange that a Muslim would prevent others to pray under the pretext of work while he knows that prayer is a religious obligation which a Muslim is required to perform under all circumstances. The opinion of many scholars is that abandoning the prayer is an act of disbelief. On the other hand, performing the prayer is an act of worship which brings about sustenance and wards off poverty and need. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):

•        {And seek help through patience and prayer.}[Quran 2: 45]

•        {And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allaah, We Would Have Opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth.}[Quran 7: 96]

•        {And if only they upheld [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to them from their Lord, they would have consumed [provision] from above them and from beneath their feet. Among them are a moderate community, but many of them – evil is that which they do.}[Quran 5: 66]

•        {Have you seen the one who forbids, A servant when he prays?}[Quran 96: 9-10]

•        {The hypocrite men and hypocrite women are of one another. They enjoin what is wrong and forbid what is right and close their hands.}[Quran 9: 67]

In the last two verses, Allaah Dispraises those who forbid prayer, and also Dispraises the hypocrites and those who forbid acts of obedience in general and enjoin what is wrong. And what is more wrong than ordering others to leave prayer and forbidding them from performing it! 

Thus, we advise the owner of this factory to allow and even urge his employees to perform the prayers at their prescribed fixed times, as this will be a source of goodness for all.

Our advice to the questioner is: if your employer forbids you to pray until the time of prayer expires, then there is no goodness in this work and you should quit and look for work elsewhere. But if he allows you to pray, even if not at the beginning of the prayer's time, you may continue in your work. Nonetheless, you should look for other work where you can perform the prayers in congregation. Constant abandoning of the congregational prayer negatively affects one's faith, especially when you know that performing the prayer in congregation is obligatory on those who are capable, according to the preponderant opinion.  

Allaah Knows best.