Students in US College Unable to Perform Jumu’ah Prayer in the Mosque Fatwa No: 82412
- Fatwa Date:7-11-2000
1-Alsalamu alykom warahmatu ALLAH wabarakatuh This is a very important question and we need the answer very soon Please. Our Question is: We are students at the USA in a little unknown city which is Eugene located in the state of Oregon. We study at a famous university and it is called University Of Oregon. Some of the Muslim students here find difficulties to go to the only mosque in the city because of the conflict between their class times and the Jumah prayer time so they can not pray in the mosque, and they are not many, only between 5-10 people. In the university there is a small association which is called MSA (Muslim Student Association) and all the brothers here are members in it. We have discussed that problem and finally brothers suggested that we can do Juma prayer at the university in a place which is called "The International Lounge" and we could get permission from the administration of the university to do that. In addition the Khotba at the mosque begins at 12:15 p.m. but we decided to make it a little later at 1:00 p.m., when most of the students are finished with classes. Another reason is that the mosque is far away from the university and most of the students cannot get there easily. Furthermore, transportation doesn't go to the mosque as fast as we want to get there. Are these arrangements all right?
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
You should do your best to pray the Friday prayer in the mosque. But if you are not able to do so, for the reasons you mentioned in the question, the Friday prayer is no longer mandatory on you. Consequently, any of you who misses the prayer at the mosque can either pray at the university, if there is a place, or at home, whichever you feel more comfortable with.
Allah knows best.