Ruling on performing the Friday prayer with fewer than forty people

A message was sent by a listener, Salam 'Abd al-Jabir al-Jabiri from Hadramawt. In one of his questions, he says: There is a mosque in our village that can accommodate about forty people, and the population of the village does not exceed twelve people. Therefore, we do not perform the Friday prayer in this mosque; instead, we go to another mosque that is a few kilometers away. The reason is that there are not forty people available to perform the Friday prayer. Is it permissible to perform the Friday prayer with this small number, which is twelve people? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer: Yes, it is permissible according to the most correct opinion of the scholars. You should establish the Friday prayer in your location, if you have an imam who is qualified for it, and praise be to Allah. If the mosque where the congregation gathers is far from you and involves hardship, meaning it is several kilometers away, establish the Friday prayer in your village, and praise be to Allah. Even if there were five or six, the minimum is three. If there are three settled, free, resident men in the village, it is permissible for them to gather, even if they are three or four. As for the condition of forty, it is not correct; it is a weak, weaker opinion among the scholars. So there is no harm or blame on you to gather in your village, even if you are twelve or fewer, as long as you do not fall below three. This is the correct view.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.