Darul Uloom Trinidad & Tobago

QUESTION:

As Salaamu Alaikum,

I wanted to know if there is any permissible way for a man working offshore for periods as long as a month or so to still fulfill his Jum’ah obligations either by himself or praying Dhuhr salaah or with a small Jamaat he may be able to form with other Muslims on the rig etc.? If not would it be permissible for him to take such a job?

ANSWER:

Wa Alaikum As Salaam,

There are certain conditions which must be fulfilled before Jum’ah Salah can be established in a place. These conditions are not fulfilled on a rig and so, Muslims who are working offshore on a rig will not be allowed to perform the Jum’ah Salah. They will be required to perform the Dhuhr Salah in place of Jum’ah. This is the same whether there are a few Muslims working together on a rig, or if it is only one person. In fact, one person cannot perform Jum’ah Salah, he has to perform the Dhuhr Salah.

Taking such a job will be permissible since there is nothing unlawful or Un Islamic about the job. It is fully Halal. As for the person not being able to perform Jum’ah Salah, this is due to the fact that Jum’ah cannot be performed on the rig since the conditions for the establishment of it are not present over there. As such, the Muslim worker will not be guilty of neglecting the Jum’ah since he is excused, but he will have to perform the Dhuhr Salah. This also does not occur continuously on a weekly basis. Instead, it only comes about at the time when the worker goes offshore for 2 weeks or a month for the most. He then returns home for a like period, and then goes offshore again. Having a job like this is acceptable and allowed in Islam, since the Muslim worker/workers will not be considered as neglecting their duty of performing the Jum’ah Salah. Instead, they are absolved from it due to the fact that the area of their work place does not fulfill the conditions for the implementation of Jum’ah Salah.

And Allah Knows best

Mufti Waseem Khan

29/11/2019