Difficulty with prayer times in Switzerland
15-8-2005 | IslamWeb
Question:
I hope you are well by the blessing of Allaah. We would like to have your assistance, regarding Islam. We formulated this as follows: Topic: Health Sub-Topic: Prayer timings and sleep current situation: In Switzerland now in June we have earliest time for Ishaa prayers around 23:00 and latest for Fajr around 05:00. We can't sleep before 23:30 and have to wake up at 04:30, which gives approx. 5 hours of sleep. If one sleeps after Fajr prayers, it takes long to fall a sleep and feels quite tired afterwards, but some do this. The office timings are 08:00 - 12:00 and 13:00 - 18:00, which doesn't allow to have a break to sleep. Problem: A lot of Muslims do not perform Fajr prayers! We also have children, they should get our good example. We are also supposed to be a good example for non-Muslims. How can we be an example, when we our self are not able to do this properly. Remarks: According to research about requirement of sleep: it is found that most people require a minimum of 5 - 6 hours of sleep, with out causing physical problems. Some Muslims, who are among good believers, pray Ishaa before the right time and do not pray Fajr before sun rise, because they have very responsible jobs and can't feel sleepy during their work. We heard but not confirmed that it is not considered good to sleep when sun rises. It is also observed by some of us that if they sleep after Fajr, they feel weak afterwards. Question: How can we implement Prayer timings in Europe in the summer, and also keep sufficient sleep? Thanks a lot for your time and efforts. We hope it would help Muslims in Europe and may Allaah give you a great reward, Aameen.
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 is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
The prayer is the most significant matter in the life of a Muslim. Preserving it and performing it as it should be is among the great obligations. Allaah commands and encourages observing prayer in many verses of the Quran and the Prophet 
also did as reported in many narrations. These rulings are well-known to every Muslim.
Allaah has fixed a specific time for each prayer and the Prophet stated its details. Allaah orders the believers to observe the prayers in their fixed times. Allaah Says (which means): {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.}[Quran 4:103]. Therefore, performing prayer before its prescribed specific time or delaying it from that time is forbidden except in times or under certain circumstances specified in Islam.
The reason mentioned by the questioner that the starting time of the night prayer is too late while the starting time of the dawn prayer is too early, is not a religiously valid reason to perform the night prayer before its prescribed specified time or the dawn prayer after its specified time. It is compulsory to perform them both in their prescribed times. Delaying the dawn prayer until after the sunrise intentionally is among the great major sins which necessitates repentance. If the time of the night prayer is at eleven o'clock and the time of the dawn prayer is at five o'clock, as you mentioned, then the period between them is five hours which is sufficient for relaxation and sleeping. Many practicing Muslims in the West who abide by their religious duties perform the prayers in their specified times even if the time of the night prayer starts late and the time of the dawn prayer starts early.
A Muslim should fear Allaah, be steadfast on his religion and should not seek excuses to neglect his religious duties. If a person can not avoid work for his worldly life then how he could give up working for his next life which is more important than this life.
Prophetic narrations contain many virtues exclusively for the dawn prayer; for example the Prophet said: "Whoever prays the two cool prayers ('Asr and Fajr) will be admitted to
Though many good predecessors disliked sleeping after the dawn prayer, if one feels tired especially if he went to sleep late or has no work to do, then there is no harm, Allaah willing, in sleeping after the dawn prayer. This is better than neglecting the dawn prayer or delaying it from its prescribed time.
Allaah Knows best.