Permission to Establish the Friday Prayer
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Q: We have heard that it is not permissible to perform the Friday prayer in any newly built mosque unless there is a fatwa from Your Eminence, and that if people perform the Friday prayer in a mosque where there is no such fatwa, their prayer is not valid. Please give us a ruling, may Allah grant you success.
There is a fatwa that their prayers are not permissible. Please advise us, may Allah grant you success.
A: One of the rulings of the Friday prayer is that the largest possible number of the town’s residents gather in one place, so that this serves as a manifestation of the unity of Muslims and the harmony of their hearts. Establishing the Friday prayer in multiple locations within the same town without a pressing need contradicts the wisdom mentioned above. However, if there is a need to establish the Friday prayer in more than one location, it is permissible to do so in order to relieve hardship from the people. Assessing the existence of this need is not left to individuals; rather, it must be tied to a competent authority that is capable of properly evaluating the matter. Based on the foregoing, it is not permissible to establish the Friday prayer in more than one location in the same town except with permission from the competent authority to which this matter has been entrusted.
There is a fatwa that their prayers are not permissible. Please advise us, may Allah grant you success.
A: One of the rulings of the Friday prayer is that the largest possible number of the town’s residents gather in one place, so that this serves as a manifestation of the unity of Muslims and the harmony of their hearts. Establishing the Friday prayer in multiple locations within the same town without a pressing need contradicts the wisdom mentioned above. However, if there is a need to establish the Friday prayer in more than one location, it is permissible to do so in order to relieve hardship from the people. Assessing the existence of this need is not left to individuals; rather, it must be tied to a competent authority that is capable of properly evaluating the matter. Based on the foregoing, it is not permissible to establish the Friday prayer in more than one location in the same town except with permission from the competent authority to which this matter has been entrusted.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.