The Time of the Friday Prayer and the Ruling on Performing It Before the Sun Passes Its Zenith

Question:
May Allah reward you. We begin with calls from our brothers and sisters. I hope the questions are concise and within the scope of our blessed month of fasting. Please, my brother Muhammad from Hail. Muhammad is with us. Peace be upon you. And upon you peace. May your month be blessed and your work be long. Where are you staying? May Allah bless you. Please go ahead. Yes? The question, may you live long, is that the Friday prayer is not unified; we do not know in our region, the times vary among them. I see that it should be unified, meaning some people’s time is before the sun passes its zenith, some at the time it passes, and some after. I prayed in one mosque and went to the second mosque and found him delivering the sermon; he had not started the prayer. I do not know if it is permissible, may you live long, to join them as a voluntary prayer or not, because it is known that it is permissible for prayers other than Friday?

Answer:
The correct view is that the time for the Friday prayer is the time of the midday prayer, beginning when the sun passes its zenith. This is the stronger position among the statements of the scholars, and it is the basis of the ruling and practice in this land. Therefore, it is not befitting for an imam to begin the Friday prayer before the sun passes its zenith. Yes.