What is the ruling on delaying prayer for an hour past its time due to not having an opportunity to pray at school, and the administration compelling that?
Performing the prayer at the beginning of its time is better due to Ibn Mas'ud's hadith, "Prayer at its appointed time." However, there is no sin upon one who delays the prayer by an hour or half an hour after the adhan, whether with an excuse or without one, though they miss the virtue of performing it early. The hadiths indicate that the prayer time extends from its beginning to its end.
If the school delays the prayer to perform it in congregation or to avoid disrupting studies, there is no harm, because the warning in "those who are heedless of their prayers" applies to those who delay the prayer until its time expires. It is better for the school to offer the prayer at the beginning of its time to combine the virtues of the early time and congregational prayer.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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