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Salam,

A couple of months ago I asked this question: What is the ruling of praying in school?. I seem to reach the conclusion that I can pray sitting down with proper wudu'. However, I can only do this during lunch time where there's a chance that I wouldn't be interrupted in my prayer.

Recently, I have found out my lunch schedule will change and I will have to attend lunch earlier like 10:30 AM. I live in NY, so Zuhr Prayer is usually 12:10 PM and it ends by 2:54 PM. By the time I come home from school, clean myself, it will already be well past Zuhr payer. Thus I've listed out a series of options hoping that you will help me find the best and most acceptable way to do my prayers:

  1. Pray during class at the right time which can go wrong in many ways: students can distract me, teachers calling me out, not praying with full concentration, etc.
  2. Pray at lunchtime at 10:30 AM, two hours before regular Zuhr prayer.
  3. Make up my prayer during Asr.

The problem I have with that is according to these responses from How can one make up prayer missed due to work commitments? and How can he make up for missed prayers? I can only make up prayer:

  1. If I fall asleep (for obvious reasons, I don't fall into the category)
  2. If I forget and indeed Allah knows what goes inside my head, so I wouldn't fall into that category either.

I told my mom about my situation and she suggested this solution, but I think this isn't the right approach. Please help my dear brothers and sisters in finding a perfect way of dealing with my situation. Indeed Allah knows best.

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From an Islamic point of view, one has to pray within the time window of each prayer (which is not necessarily from adhan to adhan):

فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِكُمْ فَإِذَا اطْمَأْنَنتُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا

And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. But when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.

— Surat An-Nisa' 4:103

In Sahih Muslim, Abu Amr Shaibani narrated that Abdullah asked the Messenger of Allah (prayers and blessings be upon him) about which of the deeds are liked most by Allah, and he replied:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: أَفْضَلُ الأَعْمَالِ - أَوِ الْعَمَلِ - الصَّلاَةُ لِوَقْتِهَا وَبِرُّ الْوَالِدَيْنِ

It is reported on the authority of 'Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah observed: "The best of' the deeds or deed is the (observance of) prayer at its proper time and kindness to the parents."

— Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 162

From a legal point of view, to address your specific situation, you are in my opinion limiting your options to either praying before the time of the prayers (not acceptable), after the time of the prayer (not a sound recommendation as it has a number of conditions for it to be a proper solution) or to pray in class. How about excusing yourself out of a classroom during the time of the prayers and praying in some place where there is no distraction?

Praying in school is legal, long as it is on a voluntary basis and carried on in a non-disruptive way.

As you live in the US, by law, schools are not allowed to initiate religious activities, but teachers and students are permitted to pray at any time of day, as long as they do it privately and refrain from forcing others to join them. In 1995, President Bill Clinton issued a memo titled "Religious Expression in Public Schools," that said in part:

It seems that some school officials, teachers, and parents have assumed that religious expression of any type is either inappropriate or forbidden altogether, in public schools. As our courts have reaffirmed, however, nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the schoolhouse door. While the government may not use schools to coerce the consciences of our students or to convey official endorsement of religion, the government's schools also may not discriminate against private religious expression during the school day.

Not only that but you can also ask for a prayers room. In 2009, Liberty High's Principal, Scott Warstler, noticed then that Muslim students were leaving school for Friday prayers, and "missing about two hours of class because of the commute." He let them use an empty classroom as a prayer room. The Frisco Independent School District said it did not violate any state or federal laws by having a prayer room, and that the room is open to students of all faiths. You may refer to High school 'Muslim prayer room' challenged and Prayer rooms are one way public schools accommodate students and freedom of religion for further debates on the topic.

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  • Ok. But I really doubt they will give us a 'praying room" I think only highschools have that.
    – Damion
    Commented Feb 5, 2018 at 22:57

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