Salaat at Work

AlHamdulillah, I have been with my current employer for 8 and a half years and during this time, I have been involved with some of activities to establish places of prayer in the offices, setting up of databases and information systems for Muslim colleagues, answering questions and concerns of Muslim and non-Muslim colleagues, including senior management. A typical question I’ve been asked in the past was e.g. “a new member of staff has joined my team and is a strict Muslim….”, with questions ranging from avoiding ‘pub lunches’ to Friday prayers and fasting in Ramadan etc.

I will be writing some of my experiences in this blog, inshaAllah. Today’s topic will be about salaat at work.

Place of Prayer

One of the first things we should do or ask about when we move to a new office or a new job is whether there is a local masjid, within walking distance of our place of work. You can ask fellow Muslim colleagues, or even search on the web (check out the Muslim Directory link on the sidebar).

The next thing to check is whether there is a prayer/contemplation room (e.g. multi-faith room) which you can use for salaat. You should also check for shower rooms or disabled toilets where they have a separate sink for wudu (ablution).

The following timetable is given as illustration for a typical ‘9-to-5′ job.

Fajr and Isha obviously are not a problem, as they would normally be done at home and/or your local masjid near your home.

AUTUMN/WINTER

Zuhr/Jumuah: Lunchtime.

Asr: 5-10 mins. Late afternoon.

Maghrib: 5-10 mins. After sunset / just before leaving work.

SPRING/SUMMER

As the days get longer, especially after the clocks change at the end of March, you will find that eventually you’re only doing zuhr during work time. This obviously also depends on how far you live from your workplace.

Zuhr: Lunchtime.

Asr: 5-10 mins. Late afternoon / just before leaving work. Eventually, you should be able to perform Asr prayer at home (this usually happens when BST kicks in).

FRIDAY PRAYER (Jumuah)

If you don’t have a masjid near your office, check whether you can catch a train/tube/DLR /bus to the nearest masjid for Jumuah. Failing that, you may want to join 3 or 4 other Muslim colleagues and call a taxi to the masjid.

If there are absolutely no masajid within either walking or short taxi drive, then try to have Jumuah in the office with Muslim colleagues or check if there are any other offices near you workplace who offer Jumuah service.  Remember: every step you take to reach the masjid, (the angels are praying for you), the more reward you get.

I usually take an extra 30 mins for Jumuah. This extra 30 mins is made up during the week.

TIP: Remember, praying in jamaat earns 27 times more reward from Allah (swt).

Managing Meetings: Schedule your meetings around prayer times. If you use calendar and scheduling software at work (e.g. Lotus Notes/MS Exchange etc), then put in “busy times” during time of prayer. If a meeting is unavoidable, then excuse yourself for 5-10 minutes during the meeting (especially with long meetings).

TIP: Talk to your boss/manager as soon as you start your new job, or if you get a new manager/boss at the same employment. Tell them about your religious duties and timetable, also tell your colleagues, this way you set the record straight, and everyone knows and should respect your timetable. This is also dawah!

Contemplation room: Most large companies won’t have a problem. But whether large or small, if your employer does not have a room or quiet area for prayer, then you need to request one. While you are waiting for this to happen, you may have to book meeting rooms for prayer (as you would book rooms for any other meeting).

Whether an existing prayer room is available or you’ve just arranged one, you can help further by ensuring there are sufficient prayer mats, prayer timetable and a qibla sign – print out a giant arrow on an A4 piece of paper and use a pin or blue-tak to attach it to the ceiling, pointing towards qibla. Check whether you can get small cupboards or tables in the room to store the prayer mat. Sisters may want to keep spare scarves and jilbabs in the room.

Remember: Salaat is obligatory on all of us. There should be absolutely no excuses (apart from what is legitimate in our deen). People go for 5-10 minutes tea/coffee/cigarette breaks throughout the day. Even occupational health people recommend resting eyes and stretching for 10 mins for every hour. So your employer should have no problems with your salaat. If they do end up complaining about the time you’re spending on salaat, then make up the time by coming in half hour early or leaving half hour late. If they still complain, it’s perhaps time to look for a new job.

Resources: I found this link to the MCB guide to Muslims in the Workplace from The Islamic Workplace. Also check out my posting on Salaat prayer books and videos.

May Allah (swt) guide you and guide me. May He forgive our mistakes and accept our salaat. Ameen.