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What is the ruling on one who sleeps through the Dhuhr and Asr prayers and misses attending Friday prayer due to exhaustion from night work?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Prayer is more important than work; it is the second pillar of Islam and the first thing a servant will be questioned about on the Day of Judgment. It is not permissible to delay it beyond its prescribed time except for a legitimate excuse, such as combining prayers or being overcome by sleep. Allah has threatened those who abandon it or are negligent in observing it with severe punishment, as He says: "So woe to those who pray, [but] who are heedless of their prayer" (Al-Ma'un: 4-5), and His saying: "Then succeeded them a posterity who neglected prayers and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil" (Maryam: 59). Performing prayer on time is among the most beloved deeds to Allah. If a husband intentionally sleeps to delay the Dhuhr and Asr prayers, he has disobeyed Allah, and he must take measures to awaken himself. If he is overcome by sleep and does not wake up until after the time has expired, there is no sin upon him, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The pen has been lifted from three: from the sleeper until he awakens," and "There is no negligence in sleep; negligence is only in wakefulness." However, sleeping with the intention of delaying prayer is negligence that warrants punishment. Similarly, it is not permissible to miss the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) or congregational prayers unless there is an excuse. So, if he is overcome by sleep until he misses the Friday prayer, there is no sin upon him, but it is not permissible to sleep with the intention of not attending it.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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