So, I’ve recently transitioned from part-time to full-time (40-65+ hours) at work.
I’m also in the processes of making major changes as far as spirituality goes.
So my question, those of you who work in non-Muslim countries, how do you fit prayers into your schedules?
I know there’s the option the pray ka’zaa prayers either during breaks or when you get home, but have any of you requested from you supervisor/ manager/ higher ups for specific time for prayers?
I’m afraid to ask because from what I’ve experienced recently, they’re not very … accepting? I think that word fits well lol.
it really depends where you work. i never had any problem because i have a place [a small room in my lab] to do my namaaz...i keep jaanamaaz there. when i work on the farm, i do taimum and and pray in my car.
i think employers in the west and coworkers do NOT mind if you take a little time to offer prayes...talk to your supervisor to let you take sometime during the working hours to pray somewhere on the premises and you then re-compensate that amount of time by working till a bit later. in summer, it shouldn't be the problem because only zohr time falls during daytime hours. in winter, it can be a problem.
some work places can not allow you to do prayers like working on assembly lines.
talk to your supervisor and i'm sure he'll accommodate your 'spiritual needs'...Good luck and may Allah make it easy for you...aameen
Walaikum assalam,
I had mentioned it early that I'll need to take time off to pray. So Ill usually go to the nearby masjid or if I cant go there for some reason, I have my musalla, which I can spread in my office if I need to. I also have a general idea of the start and end times for the salats but if I`ll go to the masjid, I remember what times they pray there and just leave for it accordingly.
I never talked to any of my bosses. I just go and find an empty conference room and do my prayers. I usually go at odd hours like at 1:18 pm, cause people schedule meetings at 1:00 or 1:30, so if the room is empty at 1:18, I know that I can say my prayers for next five minutes.
The reason I don't ask is that then everyone and anyone can ask for a prayers break and boss can't say no. One of my collegue jokingly once said that in his religion, he is suppose to take a ten minutes nap, two three times a day, so he should ask for that prayer break. He was joking, but he was right. If I can get mine then he is entitled for his. So I don't officially ask because there is no need for it.
I never talked to any of my bosses. I just go and find an empty conference room and do my prayers. I usually go at odd hours like at 1:18 pm, cause people schedule meetings at 1:00 or 1:30, so if the room is empty at 1:18, I know that I can say my prayers for next five minutes.
The reason I don't ask is that then everyone and anyone can ask for a prayers break and boss can't say no. One of my collegue jokingly once said that in his religion, he is suppose to take a ten minutes nap, two three times a day, so he should ask for that prayer break. He was joking, but he was right. If I can get mine then he is entitled for his. So I don't officially ask because there is no need for it.
that can be a genuine problem but i dunno how many Muslims are working in any given organization and how many of them are that religious to pray at work...most people i know do it qaza at home.
i am the ONLY Muslim where i work and i do my prayer in my own little space.
Did anybody ever walk in on you and start talking to you ? And then what did you do ? Carry on with the namaz feeling weird that you have a person looking on at you and you are not acknowledging them. AWKWARD Did they say “Are you okay, TLK ?”. Or did you break your namaz annoyed and tell them what you were doing ?
If this has not happened, are you constantly stressed that this might happen and then how should you respond ?
It must not be a very comfortable/peaceful offering of the prayer.
Do you rush through the prayer so you can get in and get out without being walked in on ?
Also do you take your shoes off ?
Do you pray on a prayer rug or just put your forehead to the dirty carpet.
Did anybody ever walk in on you and start talking to you ? And then what did you do ? Carry on with the namaz feeling weird that you have a person looking on at you and you are not acknowledging them. AWKWARD Did they say “Are you okay, TLK ?”. Or did you break your namaz annoyed and tell them what you were doing ?
If this has not happened, are you constantly stressed that this might happen and then how should you respond ?
It must not be a very comfortable/peaceful offering of the prayer.
Do you rush through the prayer so you can get in and get out without being walked in on ?
Also do you take your shoes off ?
Do you pray on a prayer rug or just put your forehead to the dirty carpet.
Please tell.
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I always lock the room from inside. Only happened one that someone knocked because it was a walk in conference room. I broke the prayers and opened the door and told them that I was on a personal call (not that they asked).
Yes I only pray fard when in office so it takes me only five minutes. Also, I use long piece of paper towel to pray on. So yes it’s not the most peaceful way of offering prayers but better than not praying at all, in my opinion.
I just like to mention it upfront, so that it doesn’t become an issue at any point. If I’ll sneak it in here and there when I have the chance, then sometimes I might get the chance, other times I might not. The way I’ve done it, I don’t have to worry about meetings being scheduled in a way that will compromise my salat.
Also, another way I’ve seen it done by others is that they get flexibility for their lunch and other breaks, so they just coincide breaks with salat times.
I always lock the room from inside. Only happened one that someone knocked because it was a walk in conference room. I broke the prayers and opened the door and told them that I was on a personal call (not that they asked).
Yes I only pray fard when in office so it takes me only five minutes. Also, I use long piece of paper towel to pray on. So yes it's not the most peaceful way of offering prayers but better than not praying at all, in my opinion.
Cool. So it's lucky that you can lock the door and there is probably no window for peeking in. :)
I wonder if worse comes to worst, you can pray sitting at your work-station in your heart/mind ?
Worst case scenario is if I'm at a client's during salat time and don't have time to get back to office or masjid. So I'll just ask to be excused for a short time while I make salat. I'll get a corner of a room and spread my musalla there and do what I've got to do.
So I think I'm going to follow TLK and keep it to my self. I have enough time during breaks to catch the prayers that I can, and In Sha Allah make up the prayers I'm unable to make on time.
I do have a travel prayer mat, so I'll start carrying that with regularly :)
I have a closed office, so as long as I change my status to "busy" and lock the door, I should be able to pray quietly behind my desk (hiding mode) LOL
I don’t have to worry about meetings being scheduled in a way that will compromise my salat.