Our work necessitates that we stay for a month in the desert and then we take a vacation. Is the Jumu‘ah prayer obligatory or recommended for us during this period of work?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.

If the desert where you work is far from any place where the Jumu‘ah prayer is held and there are no residents upon whom the Jumu‘ah prayer is obligatory, you are not required to perform it. Rather, you are required to perform the Thuhr (i.e. noon) prayer instead. But if the desert is near a place where the Jumu‘ah prayer is held and you can hear the Athaan (i.e. call for prayer) or there are residents obliged to perform the prayer, then you are required to perform it following the residents of this location or company. This is the opinion of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Fataawa.