Question:-
My father is out of the country and has employed me in his shop while he is away. Asr salaah is at 4:30pm and I do not want to miss Salaah with Jamaat. The shop is supposed to close at 5:00pm but I close it at 4:15pm to get my Sunnah Salaah and Jamaat. Am I correct in doing so?
Answer:-
We assume that your father has employed you to run his business during his absence, for which you will be remunerated for the stipulated period of time that you will be working. If this is the case, then you will be required to complete the stipulated employment hours for the day. If you close the shop for 20 minutes for the performance of Asr Salaah, then you should close the business at 5.20pm instead of 5.00pm. In this way, you will be completing the stipulated employment hours for the day. The other option would be to open the business 20 minutes earlier in the morning, or after lunch, to cover up for the lost time. In short, you should ensure the total employment hours for the day is covered.
وفي فتاوى الفضلي – رحمه الله تعالى -: إذا استأجر رجلا يوما ليعمل كذا فعليه أن يعمل ذلك العمل إلى تمام المدة ولا يشتغل بشيء آخر سوى المكتوبة وفي فتاوى أهل سمرقند قد قال بعض مشايخنا رحمهم الله تعالى: إن له أن يؤدي السنة أيضا واتفقوا أنه لا يؤدي نفلا وعليه الفتوى، كذا في الذخيرة. (الفتاوي العالمكيري ص416/417 ج4)
ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai
Date: 09 Shawwal 1443 / 11 May 2022
