Skipping the Friday Prayer
Friday prayer is personally obligatory (Fard Ayn) upon every Muslim. It has been established from the Qur’an, Sunnah and the consensus of the Ummah. It is one of the most important features of Islam. The one who rejects it is a Kafir and the one who misses it without a valid excuse is a Fasiq.
To miss even one Jumu’ah prayer without a legally valid excuse is highly sinful, and to miss three is totally unacceptable, with Allah Most High sealing the heart of the transgressor due to which no good enters his heart.
The Shaafi’i School of jurisprudence stipulate that the Jumu’ah should be performed in residential areas regardless of whether they are in cities or villages. The Maaliki School of jurisprudence is also of similar opinion. They say that the Jumu’ah should be performed in a place, which is appropriate, for settling, such as residential areas which are established for permanent living. But if they are not so, and they are made only for temporary residences then the Jumu’ah should not be performed in such places.
The Hanbali School of jurisprudence does not stipulate any conditions. They believe wherever a prayer can be performed, the Jumu’ah also should be performed.
The preponderant opinion is that performing the Jumu’ah prayer in any place where there is a group of Muslims is permissible. The linguistic meaning of Jumu’ah is gathering; thus, this meaning supports the last opinion. The requirement of a city for the validity of the Jumu’ah is not correct; so performing it in villages or towns is permissible. Imam al-Bukhari entitled a chapter in his Saheeh saying: To offer the Salatul-Jumu’ah in villages and towns.’ Then, he reported the Hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) who said: “The first Jumu’ah prayer after the Jumu’ah prayer at the mosque of Allah’s Messenger (saw) was offered in the mosque of the tribe of ‘Abdul Qays at Jawatha in Bahrain.”
Imam Ibn Hajar wrote in explanation of this Hadeeth: “This Hadeeth proves that the tribe of ‘Abdul Qays did not perform the Jumu’ah prayer except when the Prophet (saw) had ordered them. Because the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) always used to follow his orders and they never did anything from their own as far as religious matters are concerned. If performing prayers in villages was not correct, the Quran would have revealed that ….” [End of quote]
Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrated that some people wrote to ‘Umar (ra) asking him about the Jumu’ah prayer, and he replied to them “You should perform the Jumu’ah prayer wherever you are living.” [Ibn Abu Shaybah and Ibn Khuzaymah, who said this is a sound narration]
Imam Ibn Hajar 
said ‘Umar, may Allaah pleased with him, did not differentiate between cities and villages.” There are many other narrations from the companions of the Prophet and their immediate followers that prove they performed the Jumu’ah prayer in villages as well as in cities.
2. Approval of the Muslim ruler for the performance of the Jumu’ah.
This condition is stipulated only by the Hanafi School of jurisprudence. No other school of Fiqh stipulates this condition. The Maaliki School of jurisprudence is of the view that taking a ruler’s permission is desirable. But if he does not permit it and the Muslims do not expect any harm from him, then performing the Jumu’ah becomes obligatory on them without his permission.
By Imam Yasar Mailk
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