Bismillahi Al-Rahmani Al-Rahim

Joining Prayers Out Of Hardship

Q
al-salamu `alaykum
...I work at an eye clinic and have to see patients. Usually during Dhur - Asr. It is hard to find a place to make salah without someone calling the police on you or something. For now I will make salah in my car, but I am interested in learning the Hanbali madthab if they can join for this reason, insha'allah.

A
wa `alaykum al-salam

Someone who has a valid excuse to not pray jama`atan (in a group) or jum`uah (the Friday prayer) is also allowed to join between
        (1) Dhuhr & `Asr
        (2) Maghrib & `Isha'
praying in either one of those times. The reasons that allow this go back to hardship, such as: When the reason permitting joining ceases, it is not longer permissible to use this ruling.

As an additional note: this ruling is a rukhsa, a legal dispensation. If any of the above reasons is a result of disobedience, then it is highly unlikely that it is not permissible to use this rukhsa. Someone working in a liquor store--Allah is our refuge from this--is most likely not eligible for this dispensation.

So you should be able to join out of personal safety; and there are some pretty odd circumstances in the West.

And Allah knows best.

[See Nail Al-Ma'arib, end of the section on the group prayer (1:181-82), and joining between prayers (1:189).]

wa al-salamu `alaykum
--musa