Embody Islām

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum,

Bismillāh,

Imām al-Ḥajjāwī [d. 968 AH] (1), may Allāh have mercy on him, said:

And whoever prays al-Ẓuhr prayer, from those whom it is obligatory upon them to attend the Friday Prayer, before [the mosques in his city] have completed the Friday Prayer, his prayer is incorrect.(2)

Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān, may Allāh protect him, commented on this passage by writing:

The Friday Prayer is obligatory [on Fridays]. Al-Ẓuhr is alternatively prayed in case the Friday prayer is missed. So, as long as the Friday Prayer is still being prayed, it is not permissible for someone who must attend the Friday Prayer to pray al-Ẓuhr.

He only prays al-Ẓuhr if he misses the Friday Prayer. Therefore, if he prays al-Ẓuhr before the [mosques in his city] have completed the Friday prayer, his prayer is not correct; this is because [if he prays al-Ẓuhr before the completion of the Friday prayers], he hasn’t [truly] missed the Friday Prayer.(3)

Shaykh Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-‘Uthaymīn [d. 1421 AH], may Allāh have mercy on him, commented on this issue by saying:

…A man, who must attend the Friday prayer, who prays al-Ẓuhr in place of it, [before the mosques in his city have completed the Friday Prayer], has performed an action that neither Allāh nor His messenger has commanded him with.

He has been commanded to attend the Friday Prayer, and instead, he has prayed al-Ẓuhr. Therefore, it is not accepted from him.

This is due to the statement of the Prophet, may Allāh exalt his mention and grant him security: ‘Whoever performs an action that we have not legislated, it is rejected.’ In other words, it is returned back to him…(4)

Al-‘Allāmah Manṣūr al-Buhūtī [d. 1051 AH] (5), may Allāh have mercy on him, commented on this issue by writing:

…The reason for this ruling is that he has prayed al-Ẓuhr when he was ordered to pray the Friday Prayer. So, in actuality, he has left off that which he was ordered to do. Therefore, his prayer is incorrect. Similarly, the same would be said if he prayed al-‘Asr in place of al-Ẓuhr…(6)

In conclusion, it is a mandatory for those who must attend the Friday Prayer to do so. And if he doesn’t, he does not make the mistake of praying al-Ẓuhr before the mosques in his city have completed the Friday Prayer; rather, he performs it (i.e. al-Ẓuhr) after their completion, just as scholars of Islām have said. And Allāh knows best.

[Important Point]

This discussion is pertaining to those who have left off the Friday Prayer without a valid excuse. As for those who have an excuse, such as women and the sick, scholars view it to be correct for them to pray al-Ẓuhr prayer even if the Friday Prayer hasn’t been completed in the mosques of the city. However, it is better to wait. (7)

Translation and Footnotes by:
Abū Ādam Jamīl Finch
Umm al-Qurā University, Faculty of Sharī’ah
Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
1st of Rabī’ al-Ākhar, 1433/February 24, 2012