The ruling on one who misses the Friday prayer and congregational prayers due to his distance from the mosque

Question:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. We are in a desert, and the distance between us and the mosque is an hour and a third on foot at a good pace. This distance is estimated to be at least seven kilometers. Sometimes we miss the Friday prayer due to work circumstances when it falls on a Friday, and sometimes we miss three consecutive Fridays. What is the ruling in our case? And how many worshippers are required for the Friday prayer to be valid?

Answer:
According to the correct view, there is no specific limit to the number of worshippers. Rather, whatever number constitutes a congregation for the Friday prayer is sufficient for it to be valid; this is the default ruling. As for specifying the number as forty or less, there is no evidence for that. Praise be to Allah, it is valid with a small number. As for your distance from the mosque being seven kilometers, which sometimes causes you to be late for the Friday prayer, you are excused in this. The Friday prayer is obligatory only for one who is near enough to hear the call to prayer when it is made. As for one who is far away, it is not obligatory for him. However, if he attends and prays with the Muslims, that is better and more complete for him. Yes.