Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu aleykum

first i would like to ask you question regarding congregational prayer,

as we have heard from some scholars / teachers all Muslim rich and poor, black and white young and old, male and female we are all equal when we come to our religion specially in prayer where we have one takbira, my question as follows on Friday when i watch Saudi channel i saw Imam Abdulrahman Alsudaisi in Maka he was leading the Jumma Prayer while security watching the Congregational prayer, is it allowed.

if its allowed when are they going to pray because jumma prayer only two rakaa.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Prayer of security guards in haram

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: if its allowed when are they going to pray because jumma prayer only two rakaa. please explain

Indeed, in an ideal situation, it would be best if all the believers present would make themselves available in the rows and offer the prayers in congregation with the believers.

But brother, in the day and age we unfortunately find ourselves in today, it is not beyond belief to believe that someone who neither fears Allah nor the Last Day, and who has an agenda to fulfill, would not be averse to attack or shed blood of even the ‘imaam’ who is leading the prayers at the Holy Mosques!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 102:

102 When thou (O Messenger (saws)) art with them and standest to lead them in prayer let one party of them stand up (in prayer) with thee taking their arms with them: when they finish their prostrations let them take their positions in the rear and let the other party come up which hath not yet prayed and let them pray with thee taking all precautions and bearing arms: the unbelievers wish if ye were negligent of your arms and your baggage to assault you in a single rush but there is no blame on you if ye put away your arms because of the inconvenience of rain or because ye are ill; but take (every) precaution for yourselves. For the unbelievers Allah hath prepared a humiliating punishment.

Desperate times require desperate measures….and although one cannot constitute these prayers like the ‘salat-ul-khauf’ (prayer in danger) as permitted by Allah Subhanah in the verses quoted above, the absolute majority of the scholars and jurists in Islam are of the opinion that if some believers sacrifice the offering of their prayers in the general congregation with the ‘imaam’ only so that the other believers can offer their prayers in peace, there is absolutely no harm. As soon as the prayer is finished, the other guards who offered their prayers in the general congregation would take their positions, and the guards who sacrificed their prayers would fulfill their prayers.

Because the believers who stood guard sacrificed and thus missed the offering of their prayers with the general congregation only so that the other believers could offer their prayers in peace, it is expected that Allah Subhanah will accept their sacrifice and not diminish their due rewards in the least.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan