Performing Jumu'ah prayer in China Fatwa No: 90338
- Fatwa Date:8-8-2005
I'm Ashabi. I was an Indian. Now I was in China hardly one month. I came here for to study MBBS. There are five Muslim students with me from India. And here were four more Muslims from other countries. They three were here at least 4 year. My confusion was about Jumu'ah. Here the Masjid was very far from our dormitory. At Friday we all went to there for Jumu'ah. But there was Jumu'ah beginning after the Thuhr prayer. It was a confusing thing for us. We all get confused. In dormitory the four peoples are doing Jumu'ah. One of them from Yemen was the Imaam. We five were totally confused. What will we do? Whether go to Masjid or do it itself in the Dormitory. Gave us a solution. We are waiting for your reply.
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 is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
If you mean that Jumu'ah starts after the beginning of the usual Thuhr time, then this is how it should be and we do not know the reasons for your confusion.
Anyway, if you live in a place where Jumu'ah is prayed you should attend it regardless of how far the mosque is from where you live and regardless of whether you hear the Athaan or not (contrary to normal congregational prayers where only those who can hear it are obliged to attend) because the town is considered as one place. So, it is incumbent upon the people who live in the same place to attend the Jumu'ah prayer unless the mosque is so far away to the extent that you encounter unbearable hardship due to going to it. Allaah Says (which means): {Allaah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity..…}[Quran 2:286].
The Islamic ruling "hardship brings about easiness" means that in case of hardship, you can then perform Jumu'ah at your place with any number that is considered a congregation.
It is known that conditioning a given number for the Jumu'ah congregation is something over which there is a disagreement among scholars. In fact, there is no clear evidence expressing a given number for the Jumu'ah. But what all the scholars agree on is the daily congregation that is established by having two people, an Imaam and a follower like in the five obligatory prayers. On the other hand, Ibn Taymiyyah ruled that the congregation of the Friday prayer must be at least three people, an Imaam and two listeners. So, your number is adequate for performing Jumu'ah on your own if you cannot reach the mosque.
Allaah Knows best.