Q:

As-salamu alaykum,

First of all it is a great service that you are providing for the general public and may God bless you. So this doubt has been in my mind for days. I’m 18 years old and soon I’ll be travelling abroad for further studies. So I know that it is an obligation for men to pray in congregation at the mosque but since I will be having classes and all and suppose the teachers won’t allow me to go out of the university to attend the prayers at the mosque, is it ok for me to pray alone? Am I sinful for not praying at the mosque even though the mosque is near the university? (I’m not sure if there is a mosque near the university as well) 

Also a related question, what is the ruling for salah while travelling? I’m just curious about all this because since it is an obligation upon males to pray at the mosque, am I sinful for not offering them at the mosque due to worldly purposes like these? After all, we were created to worship Allah right?

I’ll be really glad if I get an answer. Thank You.

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

If there is a mosque in the vicinity or close to the campus, you should try to join the congregation as best as possible if doing so does not interfere with your classes or exams.

If it does interfere, you are allowed to pray at home. If there are other Muslims on the campus and a room or free space is available for you to pray in the congregation, you should do that.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “When I order you to do something, do your best to carry it out.”

Allah says, “Fear Allah as best as you can.” And, “Allah does not burden on anyone a duty that he or she cannot fulfill.”

As for prayer during the travel, you can pray qasr (shortening) and jam’ (combining) as long as you are on the journey. The journey should be more than eighty-three kilometers, as determined by the majority of scholars.

For details on combining and shortening prayers, you can access detailed answers on this site.

Almighty Allah knows best.