The obligation of the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah), and who it is obligatory upon
Why the Friday prayer is an individual obligation (fard al-ayn), the six conditions that make it obligatory on a person, and what happens when an exempt person prays it anyway.
The Friday prayer is fard; it is written in the Qur'an and the hadith, and all the scholars of Islam agree on it. It matters even more than the daily Zuhr prayer. Someone who says it is not obligatory has left Islam; someone who just skips it without a good reason has done a serious sin.
1234Not every single Muslim has to go to Jumu'ah, though. There are six kinds of people who do not have to go, but if any of them goes anyway, and everything about the prayer is done correctly, it counts for their Zuhr and they don't have to pray Zuhr separately.
Who does not have to go to Jumu'ah
- A traveller.
- Someone who is sick, or who is looking after a sick person who would be left alone. This also covers someone very weak or very old, who cannot walk to the main mosque without help.
- A slave (this kind of slavery does not exist in most countries today, so this does not apply now).
- A woman.
- Someone who cannot walk to the mosque, such as someone who cannot use their legs, unless someone is available to carry them there, in which case they must go.
- Someone who is blind, unless someone is available to guide them there, in which case they must go. Someone with weak or poor eyesight, but who can still see, does have to go.
The Friday prayer is an obligatory duty (fard al-ayn), established by the Qur'an, hadith and the consensus of the Muslim community. It holds a higher status than Zuhr and is among the greatest symbols of Islam. Denying its obligation is disbelief (kufr); abandoning it without a valid reason is sinful (fisq).
1234There are six conditions under which the Friday prayer becomes obligatory on a person. Someone to whom any of these applies is not obligated to attend, though if such a person offers the Friday prayer anyway with all its conditions fulfilled, it suffices for their Zuhr and their obligation is lifted.
| Condition | Who is exempt when it is missing |
|---|---|
| Residency | Travellers are not obligated. |
| Health | The sick, and a carer whose absence would leave a patient unattended, are not obligated; this covers the extremely weak or elderly too. 'Sick' here means unable to walk to the main mosque unaided. |
| Freedom | Slaves are not obligated. (This legal status of slavery no longer exists in this country.) |
| Male gender | Women are not obligated. |
| Ability to walk | Someone crippled and unable to reach the mosque is exempt, unless someone is available to carry him there, in which case he is not considered unable and must attend. |
| Sight | The blind are not obligated, unless someone is available to guide them, in which case they must attend. Someone with poor or weak sight, who is not blind, is obligated. |
The Friday prayer is fard al-ayn, established by the Qur'an, the hadith and ijma'. It holds a higher status than Zuhr and ranks among the greatest symbols (sha'a'ir) of Islam. Denial of its obligation constitutes kufr; unexcused abandonment of it constitutes fisq.
1234Six conditions govern the obligation of the Friday prayer on an individual. These are conditions of obligation (shurut al-wujub), not of validity (shurut al-sihhah): where one of them is absent, the person is simply not addressed by the obligation, and if such a person nonetheless offers the Friday prayer with everything else in order, it is valid and discharges their Zuhr.
| Condition | Who is exempt when it is missing |
|---|---|
| Residency | The musafir (traveller) is not obligated; the legal definition of travel and its rules are treated separately, in the section on the prayer of a traveller. |
| Health | The sick, and a carer whose absence would leave the patient unattended, are not obligated; this extends to those who are extremely weak or elderly. 'Sick' is defined here as someone who cannot walk to the jami' mosque without assistance. |
| Freedom | The slave (meaning a legally recognised slave, not merely a servant, a status that no longer exists in this country) is not obligated. |
| Male gender | Women are not obligated. |
| Ability to walk | The crippled who cannot reach the mosque are exempt. Where someone is available to carry them there, they are not thereby counted as able to attend on their own, so the exemption still applies to them personally, though it is preferable for them to attend when this is arranged. |
| Sight | The blind are not obligated where no one is available to guide them; where a guide is available, they must attend. Someone with weak or partial sight, who is not blind, remains obligated. |
This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 384 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings Regarding Friday Prayer 1. Obligation of Friday Prayer
The Friday prayer is an obligatory duty (Fard-e-Ain) established by the Quran, Hadith, and the consensus of the Muslim community. It holds a higher status than the Zuhr prayer and is among the greatest symbols of Islam. Denying its obligation is an act of disbelief (kufr), and abandoning it without valid reason is considered sinful (fisq).
Rulings Regarding Friday Prayer 2. Conditions for the Obligation of Friday Prayer
There are six conditions under which Friday prayer becomes obligatory:
- Residency: It is not obligatory for travelers [The legal definition of a traveler (Musafir) and the rules regarding it have been explained in part four of the syllabus.].
- Health: It is not obligatory for the sick or for a caregiver whose absence would leave the patient unattended. Similarly, those who are extremely weak or elderly fall under this exemption [The term "sick" refers to one who cannot walk to the central mosque unaided.].
- Freedom: Slaves are not obligated [The term "slave" refers not to a servant, but to a legally defined slave, which no longer exists in the country today.].
- Male Gender: It is not obligatory for women.
- Ability to Walk: Those who are crippled and unable to reach the mosque are exempt [If there is someone available to carry them to the mosque, they are still considered unable to attend the mosque personally.].
- Sight: It is not obligatory for the blind [If there is someone available to help them go to the mosque, they are still unable to go on their own.], although those with partial blindness are obligated [Someone with poor vision or weak sight].
Rulings Regarding Friday Prayer Explanation
- If a traveler, sick person, slave, woman, or blind person (who are not obligated) offers Friday prayer with all the required conditions fulfilled, it will suffice for their Zuhr prayer, and their obligation will be lifted.
- For those exempt from Friday prayer, it is better to offer Friday prayer instead of Zuhr, except for women, who are better off offering Zuhr.
Note:
Apart from the specific conditions mentioned, the general prerequisites of prayer (like sanity, puberty, etc.) and the absence of valid excuses for missing the congregation are also necessary for Friday prayer to be obligatory [For example, heavy rain, severe cold, strong winds, muddy roads, or fear of an enemy, thief, or ruler when going to the mosque (see section four of the syllabus for details on conditions for prayer).].
Related
- The conditions for the Friday prayer to be valid The six conditions without which the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) does not count at all, how each is defined, why they differ from the conditions of obligation, and praying it in more than one mosque.
- The emphasis on the Friday prayer, and the warning against abandoning it The Qur'an's command to hasten to the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah), the reward for attending it properly, and the hadith that warn severely against missing it.
- The method of offering the Friday sermon and prayer The units (rak'ahs) of the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) in order, the intention to use, who may lead, and step by step how the imam moves from the sermon into the prayer.
- Who must fast, and the conditions for it Who fasting in Ramadan is obligatory on, the conditions for that obligation, and the two conditions a fast needs to be valid at all.