I am a high school student. When salah al zohr comes, I pray next to the lockers. Sometimes it can be a little bit noisy and it distracts me. My Muslim friends say that it's better to perform prayer at home with salah al asr; is it true?

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.

Allah Almighty has prescribed a given time for each prayer in which it should be performed. Allah Says (what means): {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.} [Quran 4:103]

So, it should not be delayed from its initial time except for a sound reason acceptable by the Sharee'ah. As for the reason you mentioned, it is not a sound excuse for delaying the prayer. Therefore, you should perform your prayer at its specified time and keep guarding it. You may, however, wait for a moment in that specified time when there is the least noise.

We ask Allah to lead us all to the right path and to grant all of us success in this life and the Hereafter.

NOTE: The conditions where the Muslim is allowed to combine two prayers at the time specified to one of them are made clear in the books of Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence). You are required to read these books to know the rules of your religion so that you can worship Allah in the way He has ordained you to do and also stay away from being influenced in your worshipping by some ignorant people.

For more benefit on the times of the prayer, please refer to Fatwa 82253.

Also, for more benefit on the ruling on shortening and combining the prayers, please refer to Fataawa 362857, 83821, 90615, 90113, 88402, and 350368.

Allah knows best.