Can we Stop Namaz (Salat) in Cases of Necessity

compiled from islam-qa by Adil Khan

 

The baby started to choke whilst her mother was praying

Question:
While I was praying my daughter 3 months of age started choking there was no one at home except for me so I had to stop my prayer to come to her aid is this haram what I had done or in emergency cases like this is it okay to stop your prayer.

Answer:

What you did was not haraam and was not a sin; in fact it was obligatory (waajib) upon you, because this comes under the heading of saving lives which is encouraged in Islam.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“… and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind …”

(al-Maa’idah 5:32)

It was reported from Ibn ‘Abbaas, from Murrah al-Hamadaani, from ‘Abd-Allaah and from a number of the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah concerning the Tafseer of this aayah: “…and if anyone saved a life means, saved someone from death, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind in the eyes of the person whose life was saved.”

(Tafseer al-Tabari, 6/199)

Saving the life of a person whose life is protected in sharee’ah is obligatory (waajib) on whoever is able to do so. Saving a life is one of the five essentials which Islam came to protect (they are, life, sanity, wealth, religion and lineage). With regard to the prayer, you have to repeat it after you have helped the child.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=7698&ln=eng

Stopping one’s prayer in cases of necessity

Question:
Is it permissible to stop one’s prayer if the warning siren goes off in the case of an accident?

Answer:

If the accident is major and serious, then it is OK to stop one’s prayer; if it is a minor incident that can be dealt with after completing the prayer, then it is not permissible.

The scholars said: it is obligatory to stop one's prayer in order to save a negligent person from a fatal accident.

For example, if you are praying and you see a snake approaching a man who is sitting down and has not noticed it. If it is heading for him, you have to stop your prayer and tell him so that he will not be bitten, possibly fatally. Or if you see a blind man walking in front of you whilst you are praying, and he is heading towards a well, and you are afraid that he may fall into it, then you have to stop your prayer and save him from that fatal accident, even if this means stopping your prayer.

The same applies in cases of fire, etc.

But if the siren goes off for a minor matter which can be dealt with after completing the prayer and it will not be too late if you complete the prayer first, then it is not permissible to stop your prayer before you have completed it, because this accident can be dealt with after completing the prayer, without anyone coming to further harm.

From Fataawa Samaahat al-Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Humayd, p. 136

Helping someone who faints during Jumuah prayers

In one of the Friday prayer , a person praying besides me got fainted and lied down unconsiously.

My question is , what should be done at this moment ? Should we alert others and cry for help or just wait for the prayer to end .

Answer:

And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings.

This depends on what has happened to this worshipper.

If waiting until you have finished the prayer will CAUSE him harm, then you should STOP your prayer and help him.

If waiting until you finish will NOT cause him harm then you can help him after you finish the prayer.

Fatwa of Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah al-Ghadyaan.

In such cases you should act according to what you believe is most likely to be the case, with regard to whether waiting until the prayer is finished will cause harm or not.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

http://www.islamqa.com/index.php?ref=11969

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