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Fatwa CenterAny pure place is fit for prayer
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. I have read the other fatwas, but I could not get the exact answer for my question. I have a question regarding the prayer. I am a university student, and the distance from my home to my school is 47 kilometers. I take two trains to get there. Because of this, I mostly mis the 'Asr and Maghrib prayers in the winter and the 'Asr prayer in the summer. Sometimes I miss the Thuhr prayer too. I cannot pray at school because there is no place to pray. Can I pray at home before I go to school as a traveler, or do I have another option? Wassalaam.
Answer
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 ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, the distance that you are traveling does not amount to the distance that warrants shortening or combining the prayer. Please refer to fatwa 83661. Besides, even the traveler is not allowed to perform the Thuhr or Maghrib prayers before their prescribed times. You have to perform each prayer in its due time set by the sharee'ah.
The Muslim can perform the prayers anywhere and not necessarily in a specific place allocated for the prayer such as a masjid or a musalla (prayer room). You can perform the prayers in any pure place such as public parks, train stations, bus stations, or even on the roads. The Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, said, “The earth has been made a place of prostration and a means of purification (i.e. a thing to perform Tayammum) for me, so wherever a man of my ummah (community) is when the time for prayer comes, let him pray.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
What you mentioned, that you cannot find a place to perform the prayer, is inconceivable because the prayer can be performed in any pure place on earth, with very few exceptions such as restrooms and at graves. So fear Allaah, dear Brother, and observe the prayer on time. Do not be like many people who fail to perform the prayers on time under the pretext of not finding a place for prayer while they actually feel embarrassed to perform the prayer in a place where non-Muslims would see them while they know deep down that they can perform the prayer in any pure place. For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 82726.
Allaah knows best.
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