Is attending the congregation obligatory if the mosque is far from us, such that we do not hear the mu'adhdhin when he calls to prayer without a loudspeaker, and is it likewise obligatory if we have a car with us?
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The questioner : Shaykh, regarding... the Jumu'ah adhan, may Allah reward you. If the mosque is far from the house and one does not hear the adhan naturally, is it not obligatory for him to attend the mosque?
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory, but this does not mean that it is not permissible.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : It does not mean that it is not permissible to pray Jumu'ah; it is not obligatory. And in that case, if he does not pray Jumu'ah, he must pray four rak'ahs.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
Another questioner: And if a mount, a car, is available? Five minutes, and they arrive.
The Shaykh : ... And if a car is available, and if an airplane is available, is it obligatory? Hmm?
Another questioner: It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : The answer from his mouth, I am indebted to you.
The questioner : If airplanes and cars were not in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Shaykh : You gave an answer and spared me the trouble of detailing it, but I felt your answer was a bit weak. If it is truly weak, just a feeling and not certainty from me, it means we are asking for your support. But if you make this weakness a certainty, I am at ease. No... truly, as I felt that your answer was weak, this goes back and we complete the research. What do you think? That is, the mount was in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Hmm. The car was not, the airplane was not, so I answered you with an implied answer. This is called an implied answer. And if there is a car, we left the mount. What does "and if there is a car" mean? That is, there are ten kilometers between him and the mosque, but he has a car. Is it obligatory? The question returns to: is it obligatory?
Another questioner: It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : The car was not in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), what do you say?
The questioner : It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : Good, now the answer is certain, I know it, the opposite of the first. Hmm. Between him and the mosque where the Jumu'ah prayer is held are fifty kilometers, and he has an airplane. Is it obligatory?
The questioner : It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : ... My brother, one answer, may Allah bless you. The important thing is, why did we say in our question to the doctor, and he is one of those who knows these places, does he hear the adhan from the mosque naturally?
The questioner : He does not hear it.
The Shaykh : He does not hear it, or the loudspeaker makes you hear it from ten kilometers, and perhaps more.
The questioner : ... He tells you that the criterion is not hearing the adhan, but the criterion is the entry of the time.
The Shaykh : By knowing the entry of the time, yes.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : This is correct, but this has no relation to our topic at all. In the sense that the mosque is next to me, good? And I did not hear the adhan for some reason, but I knew that the adhan had entered, so I know from before that it is obligatory for me to pray in the mosque. Hmm? And here I say the criterion is knowledge, but I heard the adhan with a loudspeaker, and between me and the mosque are deserts. Hmm? Is it obligatory for me?
The questioner : It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : If so, the topic you read or heard from the tape is one thing, and what we were discussing just now is another. Clear?
The questioner : May Allah preserve you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.
Another questioner: Clarification... this combining, is it obligatory for them?
The Shaykh : What combining?
Another questioner: I mean, we are gathered, is it obligatory for them as an obligation, or in terms of permissibility?
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for them, how could it not be? The day of Jumu'ah is not as some of the fuqaha say, and I do not say some of the jurists. The day of Jumu'ah, the Jumu'ah prayer is not a substitute for the Zuhr prayer, but it is the original obligatory prayer. But the substitute is the prayer of four rak'ahs for the one who missed the Jumu'ah prayer, or who caught the Jumu'ah but only at its end, but he did not catch it as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and he ordered that he pray four rak'ahs. So the Jumu'ah prayer on the day of Jumu'ah is the original. Clear? Good.
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory, but this does not mean that it is not permissible.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : It does not mean that it is not permissible to pray Jumu'ah; it is not obligatory. And in that case, if he does not pray Jumu'ah, he must pray four rak'ahs.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
Another questioner: And if a mount, a car, is available? Five minutes, and they arrive.
The Shaykh : ... And if a car is available, and if an airplane is available, is it obligatory? Hmm?
Another questioner: It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : The answer from his mouth, I am indebted to you.
The questioner : If airplanes and cars were not in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Shaykh : You gave an answer and spared me the trouble of detailing it, but I felt your answer was a bit weak. If it is truly weak, just a feeling and not certainty from me, it means we are asking for your support. But if you make this weakness a certainty, I am at ease. No... truly, as I felt that your answer was weak, this goes back and we complete the research. What do you think? That is, the mount was in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Hmm. The car was not, the airplane was not, so I answered you with an implied answer. This is called an implied answer. And if there is a car, we left the mount. What does "and if there is a car" mean? That is, there are ten kilometers between him and the mosque, but he has a car. Is it obligatory? The question returns to: is it obligatory?
Another questioner: It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : The car was not in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), what do you say?
The questioner : It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : Good, now the answer is certain, I know it, the opposite of the first. Hmm. Between him and the mosque where the Jumu'ah prayer is held are fifty kilometers, and he has an airplane. Is it obligatory?
The questioner : It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : ... My brother, one answer, may Allah bless you. The important thing is, why did we say in our question to the doctor, and he is one of those who knows these places, does he hear the adhan from the mosque naturally?
The questioner : He does not hear it.
The Shaykh : He does not hear it, or the loudspeaker makes you hear it from ten kilometers, and perhaps more.
The questioner : ... He tells you that the criterion is not hearing the adhan, but the criterion is the entry of the time.
The Shaykh : By knowing the entry of the time, yes.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : This is correct, but this has no relation to our topic at all. In the sense that the mosque is next to me, good? And I did not hear the adhan for some reason, but I knew that the adhan had entered, so I know from before that it is obligatory for me to pray in the mosque. Hmm? And here I say the criterion is knowledge, but I heard the adhan with a loudspeaker, and between me and the mosque are deserts. Hmm? Is it obligatory for me?
The questioner : It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : If so, the topic you read or heard from the tape is one thing, and what we were discussing just now is another. Clear?
The questioner : May Allah preserve you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.
Another questioner: Clarification... this combining, is it obligatory for them?
The Shaykh : What combining?
Another questioner: I mean, we are gathered, is it obligatory for them as an obligation, or in terms of permissibility?
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for them, how could it not be? The day of Jumu'ah is not as some of the fuqaha say, and I do not say some of the jurists. The day of Jumu'ah, the Jumu'ah prayer is not a substitute for the Zuhr prayer, but it is the original obligatory prayer. But the substitute is the prayer of four rak'ahs for the one who missed the Jumu'ah prayer, or who caught the Jumu'ah but only at its end, but he did not catch it as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and he ordered that he pray four rak'ahs. So the Jumu'ah prayer on the day of Jumu'ah is the original. Clear? Good.