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Fatwa CenterWork is not an excuse to miss obligatory prayers
Question
i tend to have missed zuhr and asr prey due to work and it usally gets to around time for magrib prey/ I wanted to know can i catch up on both preys? if yes which one do i prey first and do i have to do azan for the both preys i missed and then read them....Thanks
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
First of all, you should know that it is neither permissible for you to delay the Thuhr prayer until the time of ‘Asr, nor to delay the ‘Asr prayer until the time of Maghrib; rather, you are obliged to perform each prayer at its prescribed fixed time as Allaah Says (what means): {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.}[Quran 4:103]
In principle, work does not constitute a legitimate necessity that permits you to delay the prayer beyond its prescribed fixed time, as you may take part of the time of your work in order to perform the prayer. Indeed, millions of Muslims work but their work does not prevent them from performing the prayer at its prescribed fixed time. So, you should fear Allaah in this regard.
Nonetheless, the Hanbali School of jurisprudence is of the view that it is permissible to combine the Thuhr and ‘Asr prayers at the time of Thuhr or at the time of ‘Asr for a need, and to combine the Maghrib and ‘Ishaa' prayers at the time of one of them as well provided that one does not make this a habit.
There is no doubt that acting according to the view of this School in your case is much better than not performing both prayers at their prescribed fixed time. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 82828 and 99903.
Anyway, in case you delay the Thuhr and ‘Asr prayers until the time of the Maghrib prayer starts, it is an obligation upon you to make up both prayers. You should first pray Thuhr prayer and then ‘Asr, as the sequence should be considered, and then you pray the Maghrib prayer unless you fear that the time of Maghrib will expire, in which case, you should pray the Maghrib prayer first and then you pray [make up] the Thuhr prayer and then ‘Asr prayer.
As regards your question about whether or not you are obliged to call the Athaan for each prayer, then the answer is that you are not obliged to call the Athaan, but it is desirable to call the Athaan for the first prayer, which is Thuhr, and then make Iqaamah for each. The jurists 
differed in opinion in regard to calling the Athaan for a missed prayer, whether or not this is permissible. The view that we adopt here in Islamweb is that it is desirable; Ibn Qudaamah 
said in Al-Mughni: “If a person has missed prayers, it is desirable for him to call the Athaan for the first prayer, and then he should call the Iqaamah for each prayer, but if he does not call the Athaan, then this is permitted.”
Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah said in Al-Fataawa Al-kubra: “The Athaan is not an obligation for a missed prayer, and if one performs a prayer alone whether it is at or beyond its prescribed fixed time and he calls the Athaan and Iqaamah, then he has done good, but if he calls the Iqaamah only, then this is sufficient for him, and if he makes up for several missed prayers and he calls the Athaan for the first one and then calls the Iqaamah for each of the remaining prayers, then this is also good.”
For more benefit on the prohibition of delaying the prayer until its prescribed fixed time has expired, please refer to Fataawa 85689 and 88316.
Allaah Knows best.
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