Catching the Friday Prayer with One Rak'ah

Q: A questioner asks: If a person comes to the mosque on Friday and finds that the prayer has been completed, and finds a man who has one rak'ah remaining, does he complete that rak'ah as Zuhr or as Jumu'ah? And if another person joins him after he has completed one rak'ah, does he also complete it as Zuhr or as Jumu'ah?

A: It is obligatory for him to complete it as Zuhr; because the Jumu'ah prayer has been missed. It is only caught with one rak'ah if he catches the second rak'ah with the imam, in which case he prays it as Jumu'ah.
As for if he does not come until after the taslim, or if he comes after the second rak'ah during the tashahhud or during the sujud of the second rak'ah, then he does not pray it as Jumu'ah but prays it as Zuhr. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): The implication of this is that if he catches less than one rak'ah, he has not caught the Jumu'ah, but he prays Zuhr. This is what is prescribed.
And if a person catches someone making up the prayer and prays with him, let him pray it as Zuhr and not as Jumu'ah. It should also be noted in this that it must be after the sun has passed its zenith. As for if the Jumu'ah prayer was performed before the sun passed its zenith, then he does not pray Zuhr until after the sun has passed its zenith.
Because it is permissible to pray Jumu'ah before the sun passes its zenith at six o'clock, according to the correct of the two opinions of the scholars. However, the better and more cautious course is to pray it after the sun has passed its zenith, as is the opinion of the majority of scholars. As for Zuhr, it is not permissible to pray it except after the sun has passed its zenith, by the consensus of the Muslims. And success is from Allah.