He says: I live in a village whose male population consists of twenty-one adult, sane, resident men, but they do not perform the Friday prayer, and
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He says: I live in a village whose male population consists of twenty-one adult, sane, resident men, but they do not perform the Friday prayer. I have tried to get them to pray Friday, and I am ready to deliver the sermon and lead the prayer for them, as I read the Book of Allah to them. However, they refuse on the grounds that the obligation of the Friday prayer requires a number of forty from its people. What is the ruling in such a case? Are they in the right, or am I? Do I have to obey them in this? Please inform us. May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The answer to this question is based on the difference of opinion among the scholars of knowledge. The scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, differed on whether a specific number of forty is required for the Friday prayer, or whether it is not required that it be specifically forty.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Some scholars say that the Friday prayer is not valid unless there are forty residents who are obligated to perform it, living in the place where it is held. This is the well-known position in the school of Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him. Others say: It is obligatory to hold the Friday prayer if there are twelve resident men in the place. And others say: It is obligatory to hold the Friday prayer if there are three or more residents in this place.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The stronger opinion is that the Friday prayer is held if there are three or more residents in the village, because the evidence cited by those who require twelve or forty is not clear in its argumentation. The original ruling is that the Friday prayer is obligatory, so one does not deviate from it except with clear evidence. Those who argued that twelve men are required cited that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to deliver the sermon to the people on Friday. A caravan came from Sham, and the people went to it and dispersed, leaving only twelve men with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Those who argued for the requirement of forty cited that the first Friday prayer held in Madinah had forty resident men. It is known that the number in the first case and the number in the second case was merely a coincidence, meaning that the Friday prayer was held, and it just happened that the number was forty men. Likewise, those who dispersed from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) just happened to leave twelve men. Such a thing cannot be used as evidence that it is a condition, because it can be said: If the Friday prayer were held and there were fewer than forty, we have no evidence that it is not valid. And if they dispersed and only ten remained, we have no evidence that the Friday prayer is not valid.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Similarly, if more than twelve remained, or if there were more than forty when the Friday prayer was held, we cannot say that it is required for them to exceed twelve or exceed forty. Therefore, we return to the minimum possible gathering, which for the Friday prayer is three, because Allah says:[Al-Jumu'ah 62:9] It is known that the caller calls for the presence of the preacher, so there is the caller, the preacher, and the one commanded to hasten to the Friday prayer. The minimum possible in that is three. This is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and it is the stronger opinion. If a group of residents in a village reaches three men, then the Friday prayer is obligatory upon them. As for your specific case in this village in Yemen, what I see is that you should consult the officials responsible for mosque affairs in the republic, and then follow their guidance.
The questioner : Yes, this is a question from the questioner Muhammad 'Uqab Zaydan from Iraq, or 'Uqab.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The answer to this question is based on the difference of opinion among the scholars of knowledge. The scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, differed on whether a specific number of forty is required for the Friday prayer, or whether it is not required that it be specifically forty.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Some scholars say that the Friday prayer is not valid unless there are forty residents who are obligated to perform it, living in the place where it is held. This is the well-known position in the school of Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him. Others say: It is obligatory to hold the Friday prayer if there are twelve resident men in the place. And others say: It is obligatory to hold the Friday prayer if there are three or more residents in this place.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The stronger opinion is that the Friday prayer is held if there are three or more residents in the village, because the evidence cited by those who require twelve or forty is not clear in its argumentation. The original ruling is that the Friday prayer is obligatory, so one does not deviate from it except with clear evidence. Those who argued that twelve men are required cited that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to deliver the sermon to the people on Friday. A caravan came from Sham, and the people went to it and dispersed, leaving only twelve men with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Those who argued for the requirement of forty cited that the first Friday prayer held in Madinah had forty resident men. It is known that the number in the first case and the number in the second case was merely a coincidence, meaning that the Friday prayer was held, and it just happened that the number was forty men. Likewise, those who dispersed from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) just happened to leave twelve men. Such a thing cannot be used as evidence that it is a condition, because it can be said: If the Friday prayer were held and there were fewer than forty, we have no evidence that it is not valid. And if they dispersed and only ten remained, we have no evidence that the Friday prayer is not valid.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Similarly, if more than twelve remained, or if there were more than forty when the Friday prayer was held, we cannot say that it is required for them to exceed twelve or exceed forty. Therefore, we return to the minimum possible gathering, which for the Friday prayer is three, because Allah says:
O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءامَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلاةِ مِنْ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِThe questioner : Yes, this is a question from the questioner Muhammad 'Uqab Zaydan from Iraq, or 'Uqab.