Q.1. As a medical doctor, I find myself on call at times when the congregational prayers are offered. At other times, I may be at home but on call. Is it permissible for me to offer my prayers at home or at the hospital in such situations?
Q.2. In my home country, an obligatory prayer may become due more than half an hour before the congregational prayer is offered in the mosque. Which is better: to offer the prayer immediately after it is due or to wait for the congregation? May I also ask if it is permissible to read the Qur’an when one is wearing shoes?
S.M. Feroz • Dammam
A.1. When you are on duty, you should attend to your duty first. God has given us a range of time for each prayer so that we may be able to adjust our praying time as fits our different situations. Had He willed, He would have made it obligatory for us to pray at a particular time, without giving us any leeway. But He has not done so. Instead, He allows us a very wide scope so that we can manage to attend to our prayers and our duties without difficulty. In your case, when you are on duty in the hospital or the health center, you pray when you have your break, at your place of work. If you are on call at home, you either pray at home, or go to the mosque taking your mobile phone or pager with you, so that you switch it off only at the time of prayer. When the prayer is over, you check whether there was a call and return that call. If this is impractical, then pray at home.
A.2. You choose what suits you best. If your time is flexible, then wait for the congregation. If you have duties or some business to attend to, then pray early and attend to your business.
You may wear your shoes when reading the Qur’an, and you may pray wearing your shoes, but in this latter case, you need to be sure that no impurity has fallen on them.
Arab News Islam 11 July 2003