JUST A FEW QUESTIONS: Relating to work, Prayer, Jummah, Wudu

[Alex_Abdullah]

Dear Brother Jospeh, 

Asalamun Alaykum, First I highly respect your duty, effort and time put into this website & the work you produce I salute your work & efforts. Respect

I am 20 years Old from, London, UK. Been a muslim/mu'min for 2 years..

(1). What can I do "IF" my work does not allow me to pray ??
What alternatives are there speaking from your knowledge & experience?? It really upsets me I have realized too late, working in the west is going to be like this and guess I've got to accept it to have an income to support myself & family pay the poor due & so on! But as I say that, I feel to quit job until I can find a job that allows me to pray and friday or just the time off for jummah on friday.

(2). Is making wudu (ablution) at home then travelling to the mosque permitted if I stay clean of course??
I ask due to over crowded ablution rooms, attending late or unclean services (usually clean!)?

(3) What is your view on missing friday prayer (congregation) & are there exceptions using some of my reasons below (I don't intend to complain simply just concerns??
 
Some separate things which I missed it are::
Where I locally live, Many "masjids" (usually small) resemble social clubs, community centre's, it would be hard to describe them as a masjid built on righteousness for Allahs worship. The majority of the khutbahs, people's conversations/attittudes and priorities seem revolving around hadith, tradition, culture or some comedy session I dunno and somewhat a worldly materialistic life!? Each separate one with its own culture identity, sect, school of thought.. Anything but the QURAN and true islam.

I regularly attend East London Mosque, Regents park mosque, they are diverse masjids welcome everyone they're great and tick the boxes of being a righteous place worship for allah, clean, great other services.. BUT they are quite a distance from my house, and job in which I chose to miss jummah & instead try to pray with friends or just pray noon prayer myself
 
I understand its London not a warzone & perhaps I should attend anywhere & anyway.. But surely I should attend jummah standing in a proper masjid built on righteousness and be at peace in a place of worship devoted to Allah alone. (no hadith, culture,) only the quran

Additional information:

I start my new job next week 4th,February,2015, hence the "IF's". I hope to be prepared isnhallah and know the best solution/action to be taken, keeping duty to Allah best I can.

I have asked Allah for help & guidance and this site perhaps may be a source of it. Please pardon me if these questions may seem futile or not clear but this of importance to me!! I have felt somewhat lost and unsure of where I stand and what to do & do not intend to waste anyone's time.

Peace.

[Joseph Islam]

Wa alaikum assalam brother Alex_Abdullah

Welcome to the forum!

Please see my humble responses to your questions below:

(1). What can I do "IF" my work does not allow me to pray ??
What alternatives are there speaking from your knowledge & experience?? It really upsets me I have realized too late, working in the west is going to be like this and guess I've got to accept it to have an income to support myself & family pay the poor due & so on! But as I say that, I feel to quit job until I can find a job that allows me to pray and friday or just the time off for jummah on friday.

Firstly, we are governed by the following verse:

064:016
“So keep your duty to God as best you can / what you are able (Arabic: ma is’tata’tum), and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And whoso is saved from his own greed, such are the successful”

The Arabic word 'istata'a' means to be able, can or to be capable of. Therefore, given the above verse, one is only expected to do the best they can whilst striving in the way of God.

Therefore, whilst not intending to transgress, you are only expected to do the best you can with the situation that you are confronted with. God knows best your situation and how sincerely you are striving to overcome it  / make it better in His way. Your efforts or concerns will never go amiss with your Lord Who is a Watcher over all things.

I understand the UK to be better than most Western countries when it comes to religious freedoms and tolerance, so even if you can't make all the prayers, it would be prudent to attempt to do the best you can with the situation you are particularly subject to. You can always 'catch-up' later in the evening if a particular prayer proved difficult to make, albeit with a contrite heart seeking His forgiveness and praying to Him constantly to show you a better way. In time, who knows, maybe opportunities will open up if not in your existing place of work, then another. Please remember, it is what is in your heart which is most important, and God knows how much you intend to 'really' strive in His way.

(2). Is making wudu (ablution) at home then travelling to the mosque permitted if I stay clean of course??
I ask due to over crowded ablution rooms, attending late or unclean services (usually clean!)?

I see no problem with this.

(3) What is your view on missing friday prayer (congregation) & are there exceptions using some of my reasons below (I don't intend to complain simply just concerns??
 
Some separate things which I missed it are::
Where I locally live, Many "masjids" (usually small) resemble social clubs, community centre's, it would be hard to describe them as a masjid built on righteousness for Allahs worship. The majority of the khutbahs, people's conversations/attittudes and priorities seem revolving around hadith, tradition, culture or some comedy session I dunno and somewhat a worldly materialistic life!? Each separate one with its own culture identity, sect, school of thought.. Anything but the QURAN and true islam.

I regularly attend East London Mosque, Regents park mosque, they are diverse masjids welcome everyone they're great and tick the boxes of being a righteous place worship for allah, clean, great other services.. BUT they are quite a distance from my house, and job in which I chose to miss jummah & instead try to pray with friends or just pray noon prayer myself

More than location per se, congregation worship is key and all efforts should be made to make congregational worship (62:9-10), even if it means you are restricted to establishing a congregation of sorts at your work place (if possible).

In the main, for me, it does not matter what is said in the Khutbahs as I know I live in a time where such sectarianism is rife. The most important points for me are (1) All places of worship belong to God (72:18) and not the human 'trustees' of the Mosque and (2) That at the time of actual worship (the main reason why I am there as a congregational participant), all groups (regardless of sectarian divides), pray to One God.

In my humble opinion, assimilation in congregational worship (of some sorts) should remain paramount. Everything else is secondary. 

Some Quran focused groups at times seem to imply the use of the narrative of 'Masjid dirar' (9:107) as a cue not to pray in traditional mosques. This is wholly unsupported in my humble opinion. This particular mosque mentioned in the Quran, was seemingly created with no other purpose but as a tool to cause division and harm amongst believers, providing a station against the messenger of God himself.

If a particular mosque / dedicated congregation for worship forbids someone of a different sect / ‘Islamic’ theological perspective to pray there, then this indeed can be argued as causing undue divisiveness under the scope of 9:107. However, most mosques I believe are simply set up primarily as a place to offer prayers and do not make such explicit prohibitions.


Finally you share the following,

I have asked Allah for help & guidance

That with respect, is always the best you can do.


I hope that helps, God willing.

Your brother in faith,
Joseph

[Alex_Abdullah]

Peace Joseph,

Thank you for your reply akhi, very informative and helpful. Great site will use this more often inshallah.

Your work is surely righteous & may Allah reward you akhi! [Surat Taha:75-76] But whoever comes to Him as a believer having done righteous deeds - for those will be the highest degrees [in position]:Gardens of perpetual residence beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. And that is the reward of one who purifies himself....

Thank again akhi, Alex