Salam alikum. My name is Abdullah I'm from Yemen , I have been living in the USA for almost 10 years now can you please help me!! I really want to go back to Allah I really fear Allah and love him too I really want to start pray and be close to allah, I always think of allaha.MD try my best not to make him angry the problems is my job take all my time and I don't have time to pray, I work in restaurant and in there is no place to pray, my question is can I pray zuhr,aser,mghrb,and esha together. What can I do, I really feel I need to worship allah more so can I pray when I get home. Thank you so much, may Allah grants you jinnah..

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, we welcome you in our site and we thank you for contacting us.

We have already stated in several Fataawa that it is forbidden to delay the prayer from its prescribed fixed time because of work or under the pretext that he will make them all up at home after work.

If a person delays the prayer until its fixed time has elapsed without a legitimate excuse, then he is negligent and threatened with the valley in Hellfire about which Allah Says (what means): {But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil.} [Quran 19:59] Ibn Mas'ood and Ibraaheem said: “The term ‘neglected prayer’ means they delayed it from its fixed time.” [End of quote]

Sa’eed ibn Al-Musayyib said: “The verse means that one does not pray Thuhr until the ‘Asr prayer comes, and does not pray ‘Asr until the sun sets.” [End of quote]

Allah Says (what means): {So woe to those who pray. [But] who are heedless of their prayer.} [Quran 107:4-5]; “… heedless of their prayer” means neglecting it until its fixed time has passed, and they do not perform it at its due time. The Prophet said: “Whoever misses the ‘Asr prayer, it is as if he has lost his family and his wealth.” [Al-Bukhari] Another narration reads: “Whoever misses the ‘Asr prayer, then all his deeds will become void.”

Ibn Taymiyyah was asked about someone who deliberately abandons one single prayer with the intention that he would make it up after its fixed time had passed; would this be considered as a grave major sin? He replied: “Praise be to Allah. Yes, deliberately delaying the prayer from the prescribed fixed time on which one is obliged to perform it is one of the grave major sins.” [End of quote]

Dear brother, what you mentioned about your work does not justify abandoning the prayer or delaying it from its time. Working in a restaurant in America or other non-Muslim countries does not make performing the prayer on its time impossible. There are millions of Muslims who work there, but they perform the prayer on time, and it is not imaginable that there is no place at all to perform the prayer. If we assume that the restaurant is tight, then you can pray in any public place; the whole earth is a mosque and the prayer will be valid. Therefore, dear questioner, you must fear Allah and put the prayer at the top of the list of your priorities. If your employer prevents you from praying, then you must look for another job, and it is not permissible for you to continue in this job that disconnects you from your Lord. Allah Says (what means):

·    {And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him.} [Quran 65:2-3]

·    {And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him of his matter ease.} [Quran 65:4]

You should remember the Saying of Allah (which means): {O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that - then those are the losers.} [Quran 63:9]

The Prophet said, “The Holy Spirit (Archangel Jibreel [Gabriel]) has inspired me that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full; so fear Allah and seek provision through good means, and let not delay of provision lead you to attain it by disobeying Allah. For what is with Allah is not attained except through obeying Him.” [At-Tabaraani, and Al-Albaani who classified it as sound]

The Prophet also said: “You do not leave something for the Sake of Allah, except that Allah compensates you with something better than it.” [Ahmad, and Al-Arna’oot and Al-Albaani classified it as authentic]

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 35039, 351028, 337207, 88932, and 285928.

Allah knows best.