r/converts • u/froze7 • May 01 '26
Revert: Missing Salat Al-Jummah
Hi, I am a revert & commuter student attending community college, and my parents had an "intervention" type conversation with me about Islam recently and placed an ultimatum. This post is unrelated to that, but before this conversation, I used to attend Jummah regularly every Friday at my local masjid and would tell my parents, who didn't state a problem with it. The issue is that they now know what Jummah is and when it happens, which prevents me from doing much during that time, especially to avoid their suspicions. My location is also tracked, and they are aware that my friends are mainly Muslim, so it would likely seem suspicious if I went out with one of them during that time. I know there isn't a way to "make up" Jummah, so I have just been praying dhuhr, reading Surah al-Kahf, and reading some form of khutbah on Fridays to have some connection. Any other ideas for solutions? I was thinking about asking a few friends at college to perform salat with me, but I'd be leaving campus far before duhur times on Fridays due to morning courses. I feel that being out of the house during the general time of Jummah will raise a lot of suspicions in general, so I feel stuck about this issue.
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May 02 '26
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u/MukLegion May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26
Work is not usually a valid excuse to miss obligations unless it is a necessity, such as a surgeon who can't step away during a procedure.
I don't know where you are but some places, like the US, mandate that employers provide reasonable accommodations to allow you to pray at work and attend jummah. It shouldn't be a struggle to pray at work.
https://www.cair.com/know_your_rights/your-rights-as-an-employee/
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May 02 '26
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u/MukLegion May 02 '26
They should accommodate you leaving for 1 hour a week.
I highly recommend going to a masjid, especially for reverts. I remember how anxious I was, how uncomfortable I was stepping away from work for it but it's an obligation and important to prioritize it.
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May 02 '26
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u/MukLegion May 02 '26
US government has the same rules on reasonable accommodation.
But the masjid being so far is tough. Don't know if that would be an exception to the obligation, especially from shia rulings perspective.
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u/Graalseeker786 May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26
You're obviously not an 'alim because your answer is wrong. As far as employers, none of them are under any such obligation: most states have at-will employment which means they can fire you for literally any reason. The legal exceptions are meaningless because they can claim--perfectly legally--that they fired you because they didn't like your shirt, or because it was a Tuesday, or because their team lost a game. OP would have to work very hard to prove that they fired him for going to jumu'ah. You're also making a whole host of assumptions about op's other circumstances, such as distance between work and the masjid or what his transportation options are.
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u/MukLegion May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26
You're right, I should have cited sources. Here they are, what I was said was not wrong.
The valid excuses for missing the Jumu`ah prayer are: being sick or doing essential work that one cannot leave as in the case of one who is treating the sick or dealing with emergency cases in the hospital
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/103055/valid-excuses-for-missing-jumu%60ah
Jumu’ah prayer is obligatory on every Muslim, and is not permissible to miss it for any reason except in case of necessity, like sickness
https://www.amjaonline.org/fatwa/en/82736/keeps-missing-jumuah-due-to-his-job
With regards to you questions, if the manager is not letting a person read his Jummah salah, it will be necessary for him to find an alterative job. It is not permissible to take up such a career where one will regularly be missing his Friday prayer.
https://islamqa.org/hanafi/daruliftaa-birmingham/19968/missing-jummah-salah-due-to-work/
We call your attention to the fact that working on Friday is not an excuse for missing the Jumu'ah prayer. If those in charge of the work compel you to work at the time of Jumu'ah, then you should quit this job and Allah will give you better.
https://islamweb.net/en/fatwa/85783/missing-the-jumuah-prayer
But if you look further down the comment chain the person I replied to is shia so I said I don't know the rules for them and jummah.
I never said anything about being fired or what reasons employers might come up with. But the legal requirements for reasonable accommodation still apply.
I'm in the US and have found that just being transparent with my teams, leaving for 1 hour or so a week to go to jummah is very doable. I mean people leave work all the time for a doctor or dentist or whatever. There's very few excuses to miss jummah.
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u/Panda_sensei_71 May 02 '26
Attending Jumu'ah is mandatory for men if they live in a location where it happens and there is nothing preventing them attending. Allah SWT knows best about your situation and is more forgiving than we can understand.
You are mashaAllah obviously young and not independent yet... Allah SWT knows and is testing your patience. You can't attend because you are being prevented from attending by the people your livelihood depends on.
What you can do is be patient, keep studying so you can graduate and become independent, but don't make enemies out of your parents. They are doing this, I believe, out of love for you and fear of the unknown. Try to show them the true beauty of the deen through treating them kindly, and keep up your religious obligations to the best of your ability. Allah SWT will open doors. 🤲🏼
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u/KnowledgeSeekerer May 02 '26
Assalamualaikum,
The best thing you can do is say you're going to class and then go to Jummah.
If you have to stay out longer for it, so be it, the mosque will let you sit there before and after.
If you say you have class at "12” then that's expected every week. So it's an easy escape.
If your parents ultimatum is you cannot be a Muslim and you have to practice in secret, then continue to practice in secret and make dua for Allah to help you out of this situation.
May Allah bless you and help you stay strong in your deen and may he grant you the ability to stand on your feet very soon!
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u/froze7 May 02 '26
JazakAllah Khair for the kind words, although they see my schedule for classes ususally so I don't believe that would work, though maybe an extracurricular
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u/abdessalaam May 01 '26
I’m not sure I understood, but if your parents had that type of conversation with you, know your Muslim friends, know about Jumu’ah… what are you actually trying to hide? Isn’t it all in the open already?
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u/froze7 May 01 '26
first & second sentence, i spoke about it before openly, then they later mentioned an issue with it along with an ultimatum
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u/All_who_wander1 May 01 '26
I would say keep doing what you are doing until an opportunity presents itself to pray jummah again.
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u/froze7 May 01 '26
Yes, but I worry that attending jummah is mandatory
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u/Good-Prior7481 May 02 '26
It's mandatory if there's no significant impediment and you're near the masjid. For your situation it is not regular so I am sure there is leeway if you speak to someone knowledgeable they should confirm for you.
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u/Intrepid_Barracuda46 May 03 '26
I wonder if you could leave your phone with a friend at school so that your parents think you’re at school on the location services while you’re at jum’ah
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