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Fatwa CenterDelaying prayers
Question
Is allowed to delay the Prayers on condition or feeling that is going to be better oneself? Are they going to be accepted?
Answer
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, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Regarding the delay of the prayer, if your intention is to delay the prayer till it goes out of its time; for instance, to delay Asr prayer until the sun sets, then it is not permissible, even if the prompting reason for delay is due to an attempt to achieve submissiveness. The performance of the prayer on its time is strictly obligatory.
Allah Says (what means): {Verily, As-Salat is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.} [Quran 4:103]. And the one who delays it from its restricted time, without any pressing necessity, he then has lost/forfeited it. And Allah Says in their regard: {Then there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up al- Salat (the prayer) and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell.} [Quran 19:59]
And if your intention is to delay it, but performs it in its time, then there is no harm in doing so. Yet, the earlier, the better. But there must not be loss of any significant thing like submissiveness in the hastening, for submissiveness is significant in prayer. Allah Says (what means): {Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their Salat (Prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness.} [Qruan 23:1-2]
Among the other things that help achieve submissiveness, is that the slave should remember that he is standing in front of Allah, and he is addressing Him the Almighty in second person (You have bestowed Your Grace), “You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and every thing). [1:5] How can he be busy addressing Him with his tongue while his heart is diverted from Him? And He the Sublime and Exalted, is aware of his condition. He Says: {Should not He who has created know? And he is the Most Kind and courteous (to His slaves) All-Aware (of every thing).} [Quran 67:14] He also Says: {Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and that the breasts conceal.} [Quran 40:19]. And He Says: {And know that Allah comes in between a person and his heart, (i.e. He prevents an evil person to decide any thing.)} [Quran 8:24]
Special significance is given prayer in Congregation at the mosque, for the Prophet 
stated the superiority of the reward in the congregational prayer as compared to praying alone. He says: “The congregational prayer is 27 times superior to that of performed individually.” [Imam Bukhari].
And also the Prophet did not allow the blind man to leave performing the congregational prayer. He asked him ‘do you hear the call Adhan?’ He replied, ‘yes’. Then the Prophet told him, ‘respond to the call. I do not find any excuse for you’. [Imam Muslim]
Allah Knows best.
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