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I have recently started a new job as a response Police Officer. The job role is to respond to 999 call incidents. So these are very serious cases such as potential suicide attempts, fire arms related incidents, missing people also social domestic issues and everything in between.
The problem I am having is keeping up with my salat times. For example I could get ready to do my salat and I have to leave before I start due to being called out and by the time I return I have missed ASR and MAGHRIB. This is just one example. I find I am consistently praying late or 2 prayers in one. What advice can you offer and can I stay in this job? I am responding to potential life or death situations so when I get called out it’s for very serious reasons.
Also is it possible to do wudu with boots on because its part of my safety kit and can I pray with boots on? They are leather and cover my ankles. Taking my boots off would slow me down in terms of response time to incidents.
There are a few points to bare in mind when working in any environment. Firstly, it is necessary to perform all salats in their respective times. If a person does not have much time then they should at least perform the fard prayer. There are some discretions that can be used to help perform salat on time:
1. Salats can be combined by performing one at the end of its time and the other at the start of it’s time. For example, if asr starts at 4.30pm then by performing zuhr at 4.20 and asr at 4.30 both salats will have been performed in their respective times and only one break was required.
2. There are two opinions regarding the start time for asr. The earlier time known as mithl al-awwal and a later time known as mithl al-thani. As an example, assume mithl al-awwal is at 3.45pm and mithl al-thani is at 4.30pm. One can utilise this difference of opinion to help perform salat in their respective times. For example, if zuhr was performed before the first mithl i.e. before 3.45pm  then it would be permissible to perform asr salat any time after 3.45pm. If however, the zuhr was performed between 3.45 and 4.30 then asr must be performed after 4.30.
Please consult the following website to determine the two start times for asr: https://www.muwaqqit.com/
If salat time has entered and you are not called to an emergency then you should perform your salat as soon as possible as you do not know when you will be called next and how long you will be engaged for.
If you are in the middle of responding to an emergency and there is no way of you performing your salat and the time ends then that salat will be considered missed and you will have to make up for that salat, known as qada’. It is hoped insha Allah, that if the prayer was missed due to responding to a life and death scenario then you will not be sinful for delaying the prayer.
If the boots are leather and they cover your feet up to your ankles then you can wipe over the boots instead of having to remove them and wash your feet. The method is as follows:
First perform wudu and wash your feet. Then, before breaking your wudu wear your boots. Now, if your wudu breaks you can just wipe over the boots as is done with leather or masah socks. If you remove your boots the wudu will be invalid.
It would be permissible to perform salat in the boots provided there are no impurities on them.
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (2/ 422)
قوله خاف الزيادة) أو إبطاء البرء أو فساد عضو بحر أو وجع العين أو جراحة أو صداعا أو غيره، ومثله ما إذا كان يمرض المرضى قهستاني ط أي بأن يعولهم ويلزم من صومه ضياعهم وهلاكهم لضعفه عن القيام بهم إذا صام
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (2/ 62)
باب قضاء الفوائت لم يقل المتروكات ظنا بالمسلم خيرا، إذ التأخير بلا عذر كبيرة لا تزول بالقضاء بل بالتوبة أو الحج، ومن العذر العدو، وخوف القابلة موت الولد لأنه – عليه الصلاة والسلام – أخرها يوم الخندق
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (1/ 262)
قوله لو مشدودا) ؛ لأن شده بمنزله الخياطة وهو مستمسك بنفسه بعد الشد كالخف المخيط بعضه ببعض فافهم: وفي البحرعن المعراج: ويجوز على الجاروق المشقوق على ظهر القدم وله أزرار يشدها عليه تسده؛ لأنه كغير المشقوق، وإن ظهر من ظهر القدم شيء فهو خروق