Is it permissible to perform the Friday prayer for those who went on a trip or to the desert and were ten individuals?

The questioner : In a trip or in the desert, the Friday prayer in a trip or in the desert. We went out from here, or we went out from the Ghor. Is it permissible for us ten to pray the Friday prayer?

The Shaykh : I do not see anything that prevents that in the evidence of the Book and the Sunnah, because some of the conditions set by some of the imams are merely conditions based on independent legal reasoning (ijtihad), and there is no explicit text in the Book or the Sunnah regarding them. And I find, in addition to this, that there are some opinions that contradict what some of the scholars of the Salaf, indeed the imams of the Salaf and their righteous caliphs, used to hold. It is mentioned in many books of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) that the nomads are not required to perform the Friday prayer. Yes, that is correct.

The questioner : They say that one of the conditions for the Friday prayer is that one must be a settled resident.

The Shaykh : And one of the conditions for the Friday prayer is that the prayer is not valid except in a roofed mosque, so if it does not have a roof, the prayer is not valid. These are opinions and independent legal reasoning (ijtihad). We do not deny them personally; we deny their opinions which we are not religiously obligated to adhere to. The point is, so as not to take you too far, it is authentically reported from 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, the righteous caliph, that he wrote to some tribes that had settled in a valley or in a place for grazing, saying, "Establish the Friday prayer." In addition to this, and to the absence of a text that restricts the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted: If a mu'adhdhin calls for the Friday prayer in any place, Allah the Exalted said: He did not stipulate any condition in the verse, nor in the Sunnah, except the congregation. The congregation in the Friday prayer is more emphasized than the congregation in the congregational prayer. The congregational prayer is obligatory, but the jurists differed regarding whether the prayer of one who is obligated to perform the congregational prayer, if he prays alone, is valid but deficient, or invalid. The majority of scholars, from the Salaf and the Khalaf, are of the opinion that the prayer is valid, but he is a sinner. Be patient, and you are not your father's son. The intended meaning is that the majority of scholars said that the prayer of the one who prays alone without an excuse, leaving the congregation, is valid, but he is sinful, and his reward is less than the reward of the one who prays in congregation, due to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): In another narration, both are valid, The other opinion considers that the prayer of the one who prays with the congregation and has no excuse for leaving it, if he prays alone, is invalid. This is said by some scholars, but we did not find in what he held evidence that obligates us to adopt his opinion. So, on this basis, the difference remains between the congregational prayer and the Friday prayer: the congregation in the Friday prayer is a condition for validity, whereas the congregation in the congregational prayer is a condition for perfection, not a condition for validity. You have known the details regarding the congregational prayer. So, if people leave the town to the open space, to the desert, to the wilderness, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to like to go to the valleys at times for the sake of recreation and renewing life and living, and the like, if it happens that a group goes out of the town and they are not travelers—meaning the traveler is not required to perform the Friday prayer—then they may perform the Friday prayer, because there is no evidence that they must pray in the town of residence. Here there are strange and very peculiar details from the scholars. Some stipulate for the validity of the Friday prayer that it be in a "masr jami'" (a capital city), meaning in a capital, meaning in this land which has a capital around it. On this school of thought, the Friday prayer is not valid in a "masr jami'." And some added to this condition that it be established within the limits of the Shari'ah, but they were soon, unfortunately, forced to give up this condition when they found that some Muslim rulers were lenient in establishing the Shari'ah punishments. Do they lose the establishment of the Friday prayer because this condition was lifted? So some of the independent legal reasoners (mujtahids) in the school—and this is a late technical jurisprudential term—said that some of the independent legal reasoners in the school said it is sufficient that the ruler, if it is feasible for him to establish the punishments, establishes them. Meaning they do not stipulate their actual establishment, but only if it is feasible for him. And, unfortunately, the fatwa developed with the development of time, and they said it must be in a Muslim town, and the Muslim ruler called for the establishment of the Friday prayer. Glory be to Allah, meaning as he said (peace and blessings be upon him): These jurists, or rather those who study jurisprudence, develop against their will and follow the Sunnah, because they found that they have no way to establish the Shari'ah rulings except through the Sunnah. But as it is said, "After the destruction of Basra, while the pride is..." If it is permissible to take pride in the Sunnah, that it establishes it, and he is a lion among his kind, his people, and his Muslims. This is the establishment. But if it is out of necessity, there is no pride in that. I say this because it was granted to me, about twenty years ago, to tour some of the disbelieving countries in Europe, for example Germany, Britain, and so on. And there were the Hanafis, who are strict about their school of thought, establishing the prayer first in a disbeliever's country, second in a rented house and not in a mosque. Where did these conditions go? They went down the wind. Why? Because they felt in the land of exile that if they left the prayer with the congregation on Friday, which is the weekly festival, as you know, in every week, they felt in their conscience and hearts that, by Allah, this is not reasonable, especially with the clarity of the previous verse: Never mind, it seems the matter has taken its course from us. The point is that there is nothing preventing the establishment of the prayer for those who left the town to outside the town, not as travelers. There is no evidence for this, but the order issued by the Muslim caliph 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz confirms that many of these conditions have no basis in the Sunnah.

The questioner : Where is this statement of 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz found?

The Shaykh : It is most likely in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah.

Another questioner : Is it forbidden for the khatib to bring forward another man to pray?

The Shaykh : You were...The questioner : A few days ago, we often saw in the capital of Syria, Damascus, a man who was suitable to be a khatib, who would captivate the hearts of the attendees, but he did not know how to recite well. So we saw that this man would give the sermon and the reciter would lead the prayer, as he said (peace and blessings be upon him): But if the khatib has combined his oratory with good recitation, then it is not recommended to bring forward another person, because this bringing forward is mostly showing off (riya') and seeking reputation, and not for Allah the Glorious and Exalted. But if it is to realize two benefits: the benefit of the khatib's sermon, because he is a skilled orator, and the benefit of the recitation by the one who can lead the prayer on his behalf, because he is the most deserving of people to lead the people, then if it is for this reason and not... Please, Professor.