He is prevented from prayer during rehab sessions Fatwa No: 228799
- Fatwa Date:12-12-2013
Im im a drug rehab program and during group im not allowed to pray. They dont want any disturbance even youre not allowed to use the rest room. If I insist on praying during group hours I can go back to jail. Ive been there many times and my mother wont be to happy. What should I do
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 is His slave and Messenger. If you mean that they do not allow you to perform congregational prayer and not that they prevent you from performing prayer even individually, then it is permissible for you to abandon the congregational prayer as long as you are receiving treatment, as the sick person is allowed not to attend the congregational prayer. However, if you mean that they completely prevent you from performing the prayer, then it is not permissible for you to obey them in this. The matter here is one of the following cases: 1- If you are prevented from the prayer during the period of treatment but you are able to combine two prayers either before starting the treatment or after finishing it, then it is permissible for you to combine Thuhr and ‘Asr prayers on one hand, and Maghrib and ‘Ishaa' prayers on the other. For example, if the time of treatment begins after the beginning of the time for the Thuhr prayer and it extends until the time of 'Asr prayer is over, then you should pray Thuhr and ‘Asr combined in the time of Thuhr before you start the treatment, thus combining two prayers in the time of one of them in which there is no treatment. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 84463. 2- If the time of treatment extends to a time that you are unable to combine the two prayers in the time of one of them, then you are obliged to insist on performing it. If they prevent you from performing the prayer because they want you to remain within their sight, as is apparent in your question, then you may pray where they can see you. But if they totally prevent you from performing the prayer, then you may pray according to your circumstances: If you can pray while sitting down, in a way that they do not perceive it, then do so. Otherwise, you may pray according to your situation even by nodding, and this is something which should be easy for you to do. And you should never wait until the prayer goes out of its prescribed fixed time. For more benefit, kindly refer to Fataawa 85247 and 84849. Finally, you are obliged to repent to Allaah from consuming what is forbidden and you should seek His help in giving up these evil matters. Allaah Knows best.