Friday in the Village
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Fatwa No. ( 957 )
Q: I am a Saudi citizen from al-Qaw'iyyah in al-'Ard, working as the branch manager of the Agricultural Bank in Riyadh. I am currently sent by the bank to America to study for a master's degree, and I reside in a small city belonging to the state of Texas . Upon my arrival, I found some Saudi brothers and some Muslim brothers there, and we perform the prayer in congregation on Friday. Sometimes we number six, sometimes eight, and sometimes ten, depending on their presence. I ask you to inform me, may Allah reward you with good: Is the congregational Friday prayer valid with only six, eight, or ten people? Given that some of the brothers and my personal information indicate that we were taught that the congregational prayer on Friday is not valid unless there are at least forty people .
A: The one who travels to America —for example— for study is in the ruling of
a resident; because study has a limited duration, and the questioner mentioned that he traveled for a master's degree; which requires a long stay, and it is not permissible to take the dispensations of travel in it. And whoever intends to reside in a country other than his own for more than twenty-one prayers; then he does not take the dispensations of travel, according to the well-known of the statements of the scholars of knowledge, and if he resides for less than that, he has the dispensation; because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Mecca on the morning of the fourth of Dhul-Hijjah, so he stayed with it the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, and prayed the dawn prayer on the eighth day, then he went out to Mina , and he was shortening the prayer in these days, and the implication of that: that whoever intends to reside for more than that does not take the dispensations of travel; because the original is the obligation of completing the prayer except in what is known that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) shortened it in, and it is not known that he resided a residence in which he aggregated the residence more than the mentioned duration. And as for the number required for the establishment of the Friday prayer: we do not know a text that indicates the determination of a specific number, and because of the absence of a text that determines the number, the scholars of knowledge differed in the number by which it is established. And of the statements that were said in that: that it is established with three of the settled men, and it is a narration from the Imam Ahmad , and he chose it al-Awza'i , and the Shaykh Taqi al-Din ibn Taymiyyah ; for His saying, the Exalted: And this is a gathering, and its minimum is three.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Q: I am a Saudi citizen from al-Qaw'iyyah in al-'Ard, working as the branch manager of the Agricultural Bank in Riyadh. I am currently sent by the bank to America to study for a master's degree, and I reside in a small city belonging to the state of Texas . Upon my arrival, I found some Saudi brothers and some Muslim brothers there, and we perform the prayer in congregation on Friday. Sometimes we number six, sometimes eight, and sometimes ten, depending on their presence. I ask you to inform me, may Allah reward you with good: Is the congregational Friday prayer valid with only six, eight, or ten people? Given that some of the brothers and my personal information indicate that we were taught that the congregational prayer on Friday is not valid unless there are at least forty people .
A: The one who travels to America —for example— for study is in the ruling of
a resident; because study has a limited duration, and the questioner mentioned that he traveled for a master's degree; which requires a long stay, and it is not permissible to take the dispensations of travel in it. And whoever intends to reside in a country other than his own for more than twenty-one prayers; then he does not take the dispensations of travel, according to the well-known of the statements of the scholars of knowledge, and if he resides for less than that, he has the dispensation; because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Mecca on the morning of the fourth of Dhul-Hijjah, so he stayed with it the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, and prayed the dawn prayer on the eighth day, then he went out to Mina , and he was shortening the prayer in these days, and the implication of that: that whoever intends to reside for more than that does not take the dispensations of travel; because the original is the obligation of completing the prayer except in what is known that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) shortened it in, and it is not known that he resided a residence in which he aggregated the residence more than the mentioned duration. And as for the number required for the establishment of the Friday prayer: we do not know a text that indicates the determination of a specific number, and because of the absence of a text that determines the number, the scholars of knowledge differed in the number by which it is established. And of the statements that were said in that: that it is established with three of the settled men, and it is a narration from the Imam Ahmad , and he chose it al-Awza'i , and the Shaykh Taqi al-Din ibn Taymiyyah ; for His saying, the Exalted:
So hasten to the remembrance of Allah
فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِAnd success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.