This advice I need from Ulama in respect of Friday prayers, My current posting in Philippnes Manila, It is country of 5% Muslim and most of them in other province, there is masjid around 15 Km far from my home, but on Friday I am in factory which is almost 50km and nearly 2 hours .Isolated area no public transport, What I should do, I am quite worried about Friday prayers.
In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.
Answer
The following conditions must be met in order for Jummah Salah to be obligatory:
- To be male
- To be within the boundary of a town (Muqeem)
- To be healthy (physically able to perform Salah)
- The road should be safe
- Not to be physically handicapped.
(Kitabul Fiqh p.603 v.1)
The following conditions are necessary for the Jummah Salah to be correct:
- A large town
The Jummah Salah will not be valid unless it is held in large towns or cities. To hold Jummah Salah in small villages is not permissible. Saaiduna Ali Radiallahu Anhu has said “The Jummah and Eid prayers cannot be held except in large towns.” (Mussanaf Abdur Razzaq)
- Time of Zuhr prayer
- The Khutbah
- Congregation
- Izn Aaam (general call for the prayer)
With regards to your question, as your workplace is no more than 77 km from your home (this is the distance required in order for you to be considered a traveller thus excluding you from Jummah Salah), then you should hold the Jummah Salah at the place of work:
- The village you work in is big enough to be considered as a large town or city.
A large town is where the number of males upon whom the Jummah Salah is compulsory is so large that no mosque in the town could accommodate all of them together. (Ilmul Fiqh p.146 v.2)
Another definition of Mufti Mahmood Saheb (RA) is that the village is such that there are shopping malls, basic necessities can be found and the local population is between three and four thousand. (Fatawa Mahmoodiyah p.301 v.1)
- There are three people besides the Imam (four Muslims) at your workplace which will constitute the congregation. The presence of females or minors only is not enough. (Raddul Muhtar p.24 v.3)
If it is not possible for you to hold the Jummah Salah at your workplace it will still be necessary for you to read the Jummah Salah.
Allah states in the Quran: “O believers! When the call for Salah (prayer) is made on Friday (the day of congregational prayers), hasten to the remembrance of Allah and cease your business. That is better for you if you but knew.” (Al Jumu’ah: 9)
Imam Qurtubi in the commentary of the above verse states that according to the Hanafi School of thought it is compulsory for a resident of a city, (town or a big village) to hasten towards Jumma regardless of distance and whether he can hear the call to prayer or not. However it will not be compulsory for a person residing outside of the city even if he can hear the call to prayer. (Tafsir-e-Qurtubi p.92 v.18)
Only Allah Knows Best
Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
