Is the earning of a person who does not perform five daily prayers or friday prayer halal?

- Is the earning of a person who neglects his worship and works to earn money in the period of time he has to worship halal?
- We are ordered to stop buying and selling when adhan is called on Friday and to go to mosque. There are factories where thousands of people work. Do the employers have to allocate time and place for prayer?
- Can this be regarded as an excuse since it is haram to work during the time of Friday prayer?
- Do the employers have to give permission to their employees for five daily prayers and Friday prayer? Is the earning halal if they do not give permission?
- Is the profit gained by the workers who do not perform prayers and do not go to mosque for Friday prayer haram for the employer?

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is fard for a Muslim to perform five daily prayers and Friday prayer on time. It is haram to abandon a fard prayer deliberately without any excuse and it is a big sin.

In addition, it is haram for a person to work and to do any other things during the time of Friday prayer and his earning is not halal.

Five daily prayers have to be performed within their prescribed time periods.

As for the earning of a person who does not perform a fard prayer on time:

Let us think of a person who does not perform five daily prayers and think of the noon prayer as an example. We cannot say that what he earns is haram - in general in terms of not performing the noon prayer - up to the time of the last minutes of the time period for the noon prayer.

As for what he earns in the last minutes of the time period when the noon prayer can be performed, it is said that what he earns at that time is “haram” likening it to what is said for Friday prayer. For, it is unanimously agreed that what a person who does not go to the mosque for Friday prayer when he is called by adhan is haram – though it is debatable whether his deals are valid or not.  

Though what he does is halal/legitimate, his earning is haram since it is haram to buy and sell at a certain time.

The responsibility of the employer:

There are certain works that will cause big harms if they are delayed or stopped. When such a work is in question, the employer has to take measures to enable his employees to perform prayers, allocate some time and show a place to them to perform prayers.

In addition, if it is possible, the employer has to make those who do not have to perform Friday prayer work and send the others to the mosque for Friday prayer. If it is not possible, if the work cannot be stopped, it is regarded as an excuse that makes abandoning Friday prayer and congregation permissible. In that case, those who cannot go to mosque to perform Friday prayer will perform the noon prayer.    

If the employer takes necessary measures and gives the employees permission to perform prayers and if the employees do not perform prayers, the profit made by the work of those who do not perform prayers will not be haram for the employer because he has no responsibility in their abandoning their prayers.

If an employer does not employ people who do not perform prayers and women who do not cover their heads, it will not make women cover their heads and people perform prayers; that is the measure of “not giving jobs” used as a sanction will not achieve its purpose.

Instead, if Muslims treat those people with compassion, mercy and good will, give them jobs and meet their material and spiritual needs, it may cause them to improve in the course of time, to think about their mistakes and to be affected by good examples and models.

Questions on Islam