May a New Muslim Pray in Private and Combine Prayers While Living with Family?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

May a secret convert pray in private and combine prayers while living with family?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

Ease and Flexibility for New Muslims

Islam gives considerable leeway to those who have newly embraced the religion. Many aspects of the religion may not yet be known to them, such as what to recite in prayer. If they do not know the Fatiha or the Tashahud, such matters are excused. Likewise, other rulings they may not know to be obligatory or unlawful are often overlooked because of their newness to Islam.

This facilitation reflects the reality that a person who has just entered Islam is still learning and cannot be expected to immediately fulfill every detail with full knowledge.

Praying in Private

A new Muslim may pray in private. The priority is for them to establish the prayer itself and perform the five daily prayers.

If praying openly is difficult due to family circumstances, then praying privately is completely acceptable. What matters most is that the prayer is maintained.

The Default Ruling of Prayer Times

The default ruling is that each prayer is performed within its prescribed time. Allah (Most High) says:

“Indeed, performing prayers is a duty on the believers at the appointed times.” [Quran, 4:103]

Prayer is a central pillar of Islam and serves as an anchor in a Muslim’s life. Therefore, performing the five daily prayers in their proper times remains the norm and standard.

Combining Prayers

The Sacred Law does allow combining prayers in specific situations. According to the Shafi‘i school, this includes circumstances such as travel, illness, or rain.

There is also a narration that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) permitted combining prayers even without these reasons, to make things easier for people. However, most scholars consider this to be an exceptional case and not something to be regularly practiced. Even those who allow it restrict it to situations of genuine hardship and do not permit it to become a habit.

Concessions for a New Muslim in Difficulty

A person who has newly embraced Islam and is living with family may face real challenges. They may fear their family’s reaction or be dependent on them for support. In such cases, they may be concealing their Islam for the preservation of their well-being.

Ideally, they should perform each prayer in its proper time, as this is the established ruling. However, if this is not possible, then combining prayers may be taken as a concession in cases of real difficulty.

It is better for them to combine prayers than to miss them entirely.

On the Terms “Convert” and “Revert”

There is a discussion about what to call someone who has embraced Islam. Some prefer the term “revert,” based on the hadith:

“Every child is born upon the natural disposition (fitra), then his parents make him Jewish, Christian, or Magian.” [Bukhari]

Others prefer “convert,” while some distinguish between being born upon the fitra and being born as a Muslim.

There is flexibility in these terms. What matters is that the person has embraced Islam. The terminology itself is not of primary importance.

Avoiding Harm in Terminology

Allah (Most High) says:

“Do not call each other by offensive nicknames.” [Quran, 49:11]

While terms like “convert” or “revert” are not inherently offensive, if a person feels hurt or uncomfortable with a particular term, it should be avoided. One should use what the individual is comfortable with.

A balanced approach is to refer to someone as a “new Muslim” if they recently embraced Islam, or simply as a “Muslim” without further distinction.

It is important not to create unnecessary distinctions between those who embraced Islam later in life and those who were raised in it. Every Muslim, at some stage, embraces Islam.

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.