The condition of permanent settlement for performing the Friday prayer
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Praise be to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. After that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from the questioner: the Director of the Awareness and Guidance Department at the General Directorate of the Border Guard, and referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars with number (3354) and date 20/3/1423 AH. The questioner asked a question, the text of which is as follows: The Border Guard centers are spread along the borders of the Kingdom, both on land and at sea. These centers are of three types:
The first type: Fixed centers built of blocks and concrete. They consist of a building, and some have an independent mosque next to them, while others designate a prayer area inside the center. The workers in these centers vary in the length of their stay; some stay for several months, while others stay for less or more depending on the formation, and then they move to other centers. Consequently, no one remains in a center for more than two years, as a rule. It is known that some of these centers are in remote areas, while others are in a village or a city. The workers in all these centers cannot leave the centers because they are considered garrison troops due to the importance of the borders and the danger of the situation. The second type: Centers made of zinc (corrugated iron) in the form of rooms, placed there until a center is built in their location. The workers in these centers change completely within one or three months. The third type: Mobile tent posts, where the workers stay for a period ranging from five days to one month. The question is: Are the workers in these centers considered permanent residents for whom the Friday prayer is obligatory, and is it valid for them to perform it? And may peace and mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.
After the Committee studied the inquiry, it answered that if the situation is as
you described, then performing the Friday prayer is not valid for you; because permanent settlement is a condition for its performance, and you are not permanent residents. However, if there are mosques around you for the people of the town where the Friday prayer is performed, then pray the Friday prayer with them, and it will be valid for you following them.
The first type: Fixed centers built of blocks and concrete. They consist of a building, and some have an independent mosque next to them, while others designate a prayer area inside the center. The workers in these centers vary in the length of their stay; some stay for several months, while others stay for less or more depending on the formation, and then they move to other centers. Consequently, no one remains in a center for more than two years, as a rule. It is known that some of these centers are in remote areas, while others are in a village or a city. The workers in all these centers cannot leave the centers because they are considered garrison troops due to the importance of the borders and the danger of the situation. The second type: Centers made of zinc (corrugated iron) in the form of rooms, placed there until a center is built in their location. The workers in these centers change completely within one or three months. The third type: Mobile tent posts, where the workers stay for a period ranging from five days to one month. The question is: Are the workers in these centers considered permanent residents for whom the Friday prayer is obligatory, and is it valid for them to perform it? And may peace and mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.
After the Committee studied the inquiry, it answered that if the situation is as
you described, then performing the Friday prayer is not valid for you; because permanent settlement is a condition for its performance, and you are not permanent residents. However, if there are mosques around you for the people of the town where the Friday prayer is performed, then pray the Friday prayer with them, and it will be valid for you following them.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.