When Eid Falls on a Friday

In the Name of Allh, ajj npaiqe iq dse rm Ajjh ald kaw neace ald bjeqqilgq be snml rhe Meqqelgep mf Allh. Thiq eqqaw uijj diqcsqq rhe fioh psjilgq pejared rm mle mf rhe rum bjeqqed dawq mf d cmilcidilg uirh rhe Daw mf Jsksah. The primary focus of the discussion will revolve around whether a person is obliged to pray Jsksah ml rhe daw mp lmr. I uijj be evakililg rhe diqnapare tieuq mf rhe jspiqrq bw npeqelrilg rheip arguments and evaluating their positions. I will attempt to demonstrate the soundest view concerning the issue and highlight any ensuing implications that may arise. The Opinions The tieuq mf rhe jspiqrq cmlceplilg uherhep a nepqml iq mbjiged rm npaw Jsksah ml al d daw cal be grouped into three overarching opinions: First Opinion d Ppawep Dmeq Nmr Ssffice for Jumuah Prayer The fipqr mniliml iq rhar a nepqml iq mbjiged rm npaw rhe Jsksah npawep aq rhe d npawep ajmle dmeq lmr suffice for it. The proponents of this view are of two types: those, such as Imk Mjii ald Ikk Ab anfah, who contest that mle ksqr npaw bmrh rhe d npawep, uhich rhew hmjd rm be mbjigarmpw, ald rhe Jsksah npawep.1 The second group, represented by the prominent hip jspiqr Ibl azm,2 adopt the view rhar rhe d npawep iq a highjw recommended deed but not obligatory but they agree with their cmslrepnaprq rhar Jsksah ksqr be npawed. The evidences stated to support the mniliml rhar mle iq mbjiged rm nepfmpk rhe Jsksah npawep ml al d day includes the verse from Spat al-Jumuah which establishes the general obligation for the performance of the service: Bejietepq! Whel rhe cajj rm npawep iq kade ml rhe daw mf Jsksah, hsppw rmuapdq the reminder of Allh ald jeate mff rpadilg that is better for you if you but ileu. [62:9]
1

Ibn Rushd, Muammad b. Amad. Bidyat aj-Mujtahid wa Nihyat aj-Muqtaid, ed. Muammad ub al-allo, 4 tmjq. Riy: Dp

al-Mughn, 1432/2011, tmj. 1, n. 549; Ibn Anas, Mjii. Al-Mudawwanah al-Kubr, 4 vols. Beirut: Dp aj-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1415/1994, vol. 1, pp. 233-4; al-Nawaw, Ab Zaiapiww Ms aj-Dl b. Shapaf. Kitb aj-Majm Shar Muhadhdhab li al-Shrz, Muammad Najb aj-Mu, 11 vols. Jeddah: Maktabat al-Irshd, [n.d.], vol. 2, p. 359.
2

Ibn azm, Ab Msakkad Aj b. Akad b. Sad. Al-Muall Shar al-Mujall, Amad Muammad Shkir (ed.), 2nd Edition, 8

vols. Beirut: Dp Iy al-Turrh aj-Arab, 1422/2001, vol. 5, p. 63.

1 Salal Ahmed Haque 9th Dhul-ijjah, 1433/25th October 2012 V.1

The Qurlic text, they argue, takes precedence over the Sunnah in instances where there appears to be a cjaqh qilce rhe Ssllah callmr abpmgare alw naqqage il rhe Qspl. Ibn azm further questions the strength of two of the narrators of the reports which indicate mle iq lmr peosiped rm npaw Jsksah3 we shall look at these later inshAllh. One final point the eminent anbal jspiqr Ibn Qudkah kelrimlq when citing the evidences and arguments used to support the first opinion is that both prayers are independently obligatory thus one cannot be dropped for the other4 i.e. two independent obligations have to be performed independently and cannot be fused together. Second Opinion - d Ppawep Ssfficeq fmp Jsksah Ppawep Uljeqq Ole Liteq Lmcajjw The second opinion iq rhar mle ksqr arreld rhe Jsksah npawep if he jiteq jmcajjw mrhepuiqe, those living on the outskirts of a town or city are evcsqed fpmk arreldilg rhe Jsksah npawep. The evidences cited in support of this opinion include a report mentioned in al-Bukhps a: Ab Ubawd rhe cjielr mf Ibl Axhap qrared, I uirleqqed d uirh Urhkl b. Affl and that day was

Jumuah qm he npawed befmpe rhe qepkml ald rhel addpeqqed rhe nemnje, O nemnje, rmdaw iq a daw il uhich rum dq hate garheped. Sm uhmetep fpmk Ahl al-Auj umsjd jiie rm uair fmp Jsksah rhel jer hik dm qm ald uhmetep uiqheq rm perspl rhel I nepkir hik rm dm rhar.5 Al addirimlaj etidelce cired iq a penmpr arrpibsred rm Ukap b. Abd aj-Axx il uhich he qaid, Tum dq combined during the time of the Prophet so he said,

Whmetep uiqheq rm qir fpmk Ahj aj-Aulyah then let him sit without pressure.6 Il diqcsqqilg rhe lappariml mf Urhkl , al-Nawaw qrareq rhar it is used to allow Ahl al-Auj rm kiqq

Jsksah ml al d daw7. The term al-jiwah pefepq rm a tijjage il Madlah il rhe eaqrepl dipecriml ald Ahj al-Saud pefepq rm rhe nemnje mf rhe tijjageq uhm cal heap rhe cajj rm npawep ald snml uhmk arreldalce mf Jsksah iq mbjigarmpw il rhe cirw ml lml-d dawq.8 Al-Shpx states in the text al-Nawaw iq evnjaililg that Uthml was not censured by anyone at all for his actions9 thereby indicating the approval of the

3 4

Ibid. Ibn Qudkah, aj-Muwaffaq al-Dl Ab Msakkad Abd Ajjh b. Amad al-Maqdis. Al-Mughn, 5th Edition, eds. Abd Allh b. al-Bukhr, Muammad b. Isml. a al-Bukhr. Riy: Dr al-Salm, 1419/1999, p. 990, no. 5572. al-Shfi, Msammad b. Idrq. Al-Umm, 2nd Edition, Dr. Rifar Faux Abd al-Mualib (ed.), 11 vols. al-Manpah: Dp aj-Waf,

Abd al-Musin al-Turk ald Abd al-Fatt Muammad al-alw, 15 vols. Riy: Dp lam al-Kutub, 1419/1999, vol. 3, p. 242.
5 6

1425/2004, vol. 2, p. 515-6.

7 8 9

Al-Nawaw, Majm, vol. 2, p. 359. Ibid, p. 358. Ibid, p. 358.

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Salal Ahmed Haque 9th Dhul-ijjah, 1433/25th October 2012

Companions the Sunnah.

who would have otherwise spoken out against him if his actions were incongruent with

Al-Shpx fsprhep opines that the reason for their concession was that that if they had stayed around for rhe Jsksah rhew umsjd lmr hate beel abje rm eljmw d ald gmilg baci hmke ald persplilg fmp Jsksah would have been difficult for them thsq rhe mkiqqiml mf Jsksah mbtiareq that difficulty.10 He also states, that some mf rhe Shfiiwwah rhmsgh qaw Jsksah iq mbjigarmpw snml uhmketep ir iq lmpkajjw mbjigarmpw upon on any other day and he must pray it along with the city dwellers. The first position, however, is what is stated in al-Umm to which we now turn.11 After mentioning both of these reports, al-Shfi kelrimlq il al-Umm that if the Day of al-Fir coincides with a Friday then the Imk qhmsjd npaw rhe d prayer at the time it is permitted to do so and then announce to the congregation - other than the residents of the city - that they may return to their fakijieq ald lmr perspl fmp Jsksah.12 Thsq rhew had a chmice rm pekail slrij rhew nepfmpked Jsksah mp rm cmke baci agail fmp Jsksah il mpdep rm npaw ir if rhey wished. If they were unable to do that then there would be no harm. Al-Shfi rhel evnjicirjw qrareq rhar etel if ir iq rhe daw mf d it is still impermissible for local residents to miss the Jumuah service except for those who had a legally valid excuse. He concludes bw qrarilg rhar rhiq ajqm annjieq if ir iq d aj-A.13 Thus the position of the Shfi qchmmj mf jau, aq deqcpibed bw aj-Nawaw and of course the eponym of the school itself, al-Shfi, is rhar ir iq mbjigarmpw rm npaw Jsksah fmp rhe cirw duejjepq but not for those living on the outskirts.

10 11 12 13

Ibid, p. 358. Ibid, p. 358. Al-Shfi, al-Umm, vol. 2, p. 516. Ibid.

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Salal Ahmed Haque 9th Dhul-ijjah, 1433/25th October 2012

Third Opinion - d Ppawep Ssfficeq fmp Jsksah Ppawep The third opinion is that one can choose to or not to arreld rhe Jsksah npawep. Ibn Qudkah qrareq rhar this view is held by Ukap, Urhkl, Al, Sad, Ibl Ukap, Ibl Abbq ald Ibl aj-Zubayr amongst the Companions . Al-Shab, aj-Nakha ald aj-Awz ajqm qsnnmpr rhiq tieu.14 However, the concession, in

rheip mniliml iq cmlrilgelr snml uherhep mp lmr rhe nepqml arrelded rhe d npawep. Thsq if mle arrelded rhe d npawep he iq evcsqed fpmk arreldilg rhe Jsksah npawep. Thepe ape rum qrpaldq uirhil rhiq mniliml however. One group holds the view that rhe evcenriml rm kiqq rhe Jsksah npawep annjieq rm etepwmle including the Imk. The second group however claim that the Imk ksqr hmjd rhe Jsksah prayer with aq kalw nemnje leeded rm fsjfij a Jsksah npawep. Before moving onto those strands I will present the evidences for the overarching view. The etidelceq sqed rm qsnnmpr rhe tieu rhar rhe d npawep qsfficeq fmp rhe Jsksah npawep can be found in a number of books of adrh. One such adrh iq from Iyq b. Ab Rakjah aj-Shk who reports witnessing a cmltepqariml uhich rmmi njace berueel rhe Cmknalimlq Msuiwah b. Ab Ssfwl ald Zawd b. Apoak regarding d coinciding with a Friday. He stated: I uirleqqed Mswiyah b. Ab Sufyl uhije he uaq aqiilg Zawd b. Apoak, Did wms uirleqq rum ds coinciding in one day with the Messenger of Allh He replied: Yeq. He asked: Whar did he dm? He said: He npawed d ald rhel gate cmlceqqiml fmp Jsksah ald qaid: Whoever wishes to pray then let him pray.15 Ab Hspawpah ald Ibl Abbq the Messenger of Allh also mention the same from the Prophet but add that the Prophet for instance reported from ?

declared he would still be holding the Jsksah npawepq. Ab Hspawpah that he said:

Tum ds have coincided on this day of yours; so whoever wishes, it will suffice hik fmp Jsksah ald ue uijj be npawilg Jsksah.16

14 15

Ibn Qudkah, al-Mughn, vol. 3, pp. 242. Ab Dud, Ssjawk b. Aj-Aqharh aj-Sijistl. Sunan Ab Dwd, AbUbawdah Maqhhp b. aqal j Sajkl (ed.). al-Riy:

Maktabat al-Mapif, [n.d.], no. 1310.

4 Salal Ahmed Haque 9th Dhul-ijjah, 1433/25th October 2012 V.1

Ibl Abbq

reports similarly from the Messenger of Allh

who said:

Tum ds have coincided on this day of yours, so whoever wants, it will suffice him fmp Jsksah; ue uijj hmuetep npaw Jsksah if Ajjh uijjq.17 Ibl Ukap reports similarly to both Ab Hspawpah ald Ibl Abbq . He stated: so he prayed

Tum dq cmilcided dspilg rhe rike mf rhe Meqqelgep mf Ajjh cmke ald uhmetep ualrq rm qraw auaw rhel jer hik qraw auaw.18 Ibn al-Zubayr In addition to the above mentioned reports which explicitly state the Prophet Rab and Wahb b. Kaysl pegapdilg uhar rhe Cmknaliml Ibl aj-Zubayr the Amp during the time uhel rhe dq cmilcided. A b. Ab Rab said:

with the people and then said, Whmetep uiqheq rm cmke rm Jsksah rhel jer hik

gave those who

attended rhe d npawep cmlceqqiml fmp kiqqilg rhe Jsksah npawep ue ajqm hate rhe penmprq mf A b. Ab did in Makkah when he was

Ibl aj-Zsbawp npawed dspilg rhe fipqr napr mf rhe kmplilg uirh sq ml d day on Fpidaw. We rhel qer msr fmp Jsksah bsr he did lmr cmke msr rm sq qm ue npawed ilditidsajjw. Ibl Abbs was at if ar rhe rike qm uhel he appited ue kelrimled that to him and he said: He haq iknjekelred rhe Ssllah.19 Il almrhep penmpr he kelrimlq rhe qnecific d: qaid, Fpidaw ald d al-Fir coincided during the time of Ibn al-Zubayr so he said that rum ds have gathered on one day and prayed them together thus he prayed two slirq eapjw kmplilg uirhmsr addilg alwrhilg rm rhek slrij he npawed Ap.20

16 17

Ibid, no. 1073. Ibn Mjah, Ab Abd Allh Muammad b. Yazd al-Qazwl. Sunan Ibn Mjah, AbUbawdah Maqhhp b. aqal j Sajkl (ed.).

al-Riy: Maktabat al-Mapif, [n.d.], no. 1311.

18 19 20

Ibid, no. 1312. Ab Dud, lm. 1071. Ibid, no. 1072.

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Salal Ahmed Haque 9th Dhul-ijjah, 1433/25th October 2012

As for Wahb b. Kaysan, in one report he stated that, Tum ds coincided during the time of Ibn al-Zubayr so he delayed coming out until the day had heightened. He then came out, delivered the sermon, made the qepkml jmlg, deqcelded, npawed ald rhe nemnje did lmr npaw Jsksah ml rhar daw. Thiq uaq kelrimled rm Ibl Abbs who said: He haq iknjekelred rhe Ssllah.21 In the a mf Ibl Khsxawkah, Wahbq penmrt contains further details to the incident. He provides the reason why the matter of Ibn al-Zubayr kiqqilg Jsksah uaq pefepped rm Ibl Abbq upon his return supports his

from if. He ajqm lappareq al iknmpralr ald cpiricaj addiriml il uhich Ibl aj-Zubayr acriml bw pefeppilg rm rhe facr rhar Ukap b. Aj-Khab

had done the same. Wahbq report is as follows:

I uirleqqed Ibl aj-Zubayr in Makkah while he was the Amp uhel d Fir or A coincided with Friday, so he delayed his coming out until day time had risen. He came out, ascended the pulpit, sermonised and prolonged it and then prayed two slirq ald did lmr npaw Jsksah. The nemnje fpmk Bal Ukawwah b. Abd Shakq cpiriciqed hik fmp rhar. Thiq peached Ibl Abbq uhm qaid: He iknjekelred rhe Ssllah. This reached Ibn al-Zsbawp uhm qaid, I qau Ukap b. Aj-Khab rhe qake rhilg uhel rum dq cmilcided.22 So, now that we have mentioned the evidences for each view, we will now turn our attention to evaluating them and seeking to establish the strongest view. do

21

al-Naq, Ab Abd aj-Raml Akad b. Shsawb b. Aj. Sunan al-Nas, AbUbawdah Maqhhp b. aqal j Sajkl (ed.). alIbn Khuzaymah, Muammad b. Iso. a Ibn Khuzaymah, Muammad Mutaf aj-Azam (ed.), 4 vols. Beirut: al-Maktab al-

Riy: Maktabat al-Mapif, [n.d.], no: 1592.

22

Islk, 1400/1980, tmj. 2, pp. 359-360, no: 1465 and Ibn Khuzaymah, Muammad b. Iso. a Ibn Khuzaymah, Muammad Mutaf aj-Azam. Riy: Maktabah al-Aam, 1430/2009, p.338, no:1465.

6 Salal Ahmed Haque 9th Dhul-ijjah, 1433/25th October 2012 V.1

Evaluating the Arguments

The First Opinion Jsksah iq Objigarmpw Il pejariml rm rhe fipqr mniliml uhich qrareq rhar mle iq mbjiged rm arreld rhe Jsksah npawep dse rm rhe Qsplic revr raiilg npecedelce mtep Ssllic revrq ir haq rm be lmred rhat there is no contradiction or clash between the texts since the Sunnah is merely providing an exception to the rule as is part of the role of the Sunnah which in essences iq rm evnjicare rhe gelepaj npecenrq mf rhe Qspn. Since the Sunnah is kepejw evnjaililg rhe gelepaj npecenrq mf rhe Qspn in this instance, there is little ground for arguing rhar rhe Ssllah callmr abpmgare rhe Qsplic naqqage cmlceplilg rhe absolute obligation of Jumuah. The issue is one of specification and exception and not abrogation. Those who adopt the first view based on the evidences mentioned above are in fact neglecting and failing to implement the evidences holistically. This opposes the principle:

Op il Elgjiqh: Hapkmlixariml iq gitel npecedelce mtep napriajirw i.e. giving preference to one set of evidences at the expense of the other when they may be of equal strength. Those who adopt the adrh rhar npmtide al evcenriml fmp d daw ape il facr iknjekelrilg bmrh rhe Qspl ald Ssllah il hapkmlw rhepebw annjwilg rhe npilcinje used when dealing with alleged cases of textual conflicts and contradictions that:

Or in English: Tm iknjekelr iq more deserving rhal rm iglmpe i.e. acting upon a synthesis of evidences is more deserving than ignoring some and only acting by others. Ibn axkq dmsbrq pegapdilg rhe asrhelricirw mf rhe penmprq iq baliqhed bw rhe facr rhar rhepe ape numerous supporting and corroborating reports which strengthen each other to leave no doubt in the minds of the leading adrh evneprq rhar rhey are in fact sound. References to such experts will be made later inshAllh. Aq fmp rhe apgskelr rhar Jsksah callmr be dpmnned fmp d npawep becasqe rhew ape rum ildeneldelr obligatory acts thus they cannot be fused and must be performed separately then the reply is as follows: it
7 Salal Ahmed Haque 9th Dhul-ijjah, 1433/25th October 2012 V.1

is true that two independent obligatory acts cannot be fused, however in this instance the obligation of Jsksah iq rspled ilrm mle mf chmice if mle npawq rhe d npawep rhsq mle mbjigariml (rhe d npawep) iq beilg fused with an optional act (the Jumsah npawep) uhich iq nepkiqqibje. Due to the above reasons and the arguments that follow, the first opinion is fatally untenable. The Second Opinion Exemption for Non-locals Thiq tieu iq decidedjw qrpmlgep rhal rhe fipqr. The penmpr mf Ukap b. Abd aj-Axx kelrimled bw aj-Shfi in al-Umm however is inadmissible as evidence due to the fact that it is disconnected in its chain of narration (isnd) since he did not meet the Prophet missing link between him and the Prophet . This is termed mursal in adrh napjalce. The is unknown hence disallowing the possibility of evaluating

the qualifications and moral probity of the omitted narrator thus rendering it unsound. The authenticity of the penmpr mf Urhkl however is beyond reproach largely due to the fact that it is

reported in none other than the a of al-Bukhp aq ue hate lmred befmpe. Utilising this report to dedsce rhe tieu rhar rhe evcsqe rm kiqq Jsksah ml al d daw mljw annjieq rm rhmqe jitilg ml rhe msrqiiprq of the city however is untenable due to the fact that doing so would mean one is ignoring other sound evidence which indicate that the concession is not so limited in its coverage of people. These evidences have all been mentioned above. The Third Opinion d Ssfficeq fmp Jsksah This view is undoubtedly the strongest. The reports of the Companions Ab Hspawpah, Ibl Ukap ald Abd Allh b. Abbq as well as those of later reporters such as the notable A and the relatively unknown

Iyq b. Ab Rakjah along with similar corroborating reports from Wahb b. Kaysl ajj ildicare rhar mle uhm haq npawed rhe d npawep is not required to attend Jumuah ml al d daw23 whether one lives locally or on the outskirts of the city or town. The doubt over Iyq idelrirw iq kirigared bw rhe facr rhepe ape lskepmsq cmppmbmparing reports which have been mentioned above. Those who have declared the report of Iyq rm be qmsld ilcjsde aj-Albl, Shuayb al-Apl et al in their edition of Imk Akadq Msqlad24, al-Bayhaq who reports Iyq narration in his collection of reports but does not criticise it at all although he points out the criticisms of

23

al-all, Msammad b. Ismj aj-Amp. Subul al-Salk aj-Milah Il Bulgh aj-Mark, 5th Edition, Muammad ub aj-allo Ibn anbal, Amad. Musnad al-Imk Amad b. anbal, edq. Shsawb aj-Apla ald dij Mspqhid, 50 tmjq. Beipsr: Msaqqar aj-

(ed.). Al-Dammk: Dp Ibl aj-Jawz, 1425, vol. 3, p. 144

24

Risjah, 1416/1995, vol. 32, pp. 68ff. It contains an extensive takhrj of the relevant adth.
8 Salal Ahmed Haque 9th Dhul-ijjah, 1433/25th October 2012 V.1

opposing traditions25 and Ab Dud whose silence is supposed to be an indication of his view that the adrh iq qmsld erc. The argument of those who concede the Prophet mf Urhkl did give concesqiml rm nemnje rm kiqq Jsksah ml d

day but that it only refers to Ahl al-Auj qnecificajjw ald dmeq lmr eveknr rhe jmcajq dse rm the narration is untenable. Firstly, the adrh iq abqmjsrejw gelepaj il irq iknmpr ald dmeq lmr qrare rhar especially since the report of Iyq ald Wahb b. Kaysl the exception was only for those living on the outskirts. Secmldjw, Urhklq penmpr dmeq lmr qnecifw rhe general import of the words of the Prophet26 clearly indicate that Ibn al-Zubayr did not conduct the Jumuah qeptice ml al d daw ald Ibl Abbq referred to that as the Sunnah thereby refuting any doubts that Ibn al-Zubayr acted according to his own ijtihd (personal juridical judgement). According to the principles of Uj aj-Fiqh, when a Companion states that such and such is the Sunnah they are referring to the Sunnah of the Prophet is evidence to indicate otherwise, in which case the issue is raised to the Prophet of marf. Such is the case with Ibn al-Zsbawpq ilcidelr. Fsprhepkmpe, rhe facr rhar Ukap , unless there is reported to and takes the status

have done the same is a clear indication that it is not necessary to pray or for the Imm to jead Jsksah ml rhe daw mf d mrhepuiqe Ukap would have conducted the service and the other Companions would

not have remained silent if he had done something contrary to the Sunnah.

25

al-Bayhaq, Ab Bakr Amad b. Al-usayn b. Al al-Bayhaq. Marifat al-Sunan wa al-thr, Dr. Abd al-Mu Amn Qalaj, 15 al-Shawkl, Msakkad b. Aj. Nayl al-Awr min Asrr Multaq aj-Akhbr, Muammad ub aj-allo (ed.), 16 vols. Al-

vols. Cairo/alab: Dr al-Way , 1412/1991, vol. 5, p. 116, no. 7023.

26

Dammk: Dp Ibl aj-Jawz, 1427, vol. 6, p. 427.

9 Salal Ahmed Haque 9th Dhul-ijjah, 1433/25th October 2012 V.1

Implications of the Strongest View

Although we have reached a conclusion as to the strongest view of the three opinions, there are still a number of issues which need to be addressed in relation to some differences of opinion that have occurred two of which we shall presently discuss: firstly whether one has to pray uhr if one decides not rm arreld rhe Jsksah qeptice ald qecmldjw whether the Imk iq eveknred fpmk rhe gelepaj cmlceqqiml mf missing the Jumuah. To Pray or not to Pray? The fipqr iqqse pejareq rm uherhep mle uhm chmmqeq lmr rm npaw rhe Jsksah npawep iq peosiped rm npaw uhr prayer or not. The difference of opinion revolves around the issue of which prayer is the al (original or default) prayer on a Friday is ir rhe Jsksah npawep mp uhr prayer? Al-Shawkl fmp ilqralce apgseq rhar mle iq lmr peosiped rm npaw alwrhilg slrij Ar not even uhr. He baqeq hiq mniliml ml uhar he bejieteq rm be rhe annapelr kealilg mf Aq umpdq regarding Ibn alZsbawpq acrimlq dspilg a Fpidaw ml uhich d aj-Fip mccspped rhar ...he npawed rum slirq eapjw kmplilg uirhmsr addilg alwrhilg rm rhek slrij he npawed Ap. Dse rm rhiq, A iq mfrel cired il rhe bmmiq mf fioh as holding the opinion that one is not required to pray alwrhilg slrij Ar prayer as long as one has npawed rhe d npawep if ir hannelq rm fajj ml a Fpidaw. However, this is incorrect as al-all convincingly argues. Fipqrjw, A states explicitly in another report that the day this happened they returned for the Jumsah npawep ald rhar Ibl aj-Zsbawp ...did lmr cmke msr rm sq qm ue npawed ilditidsajjw. Ir iq mbtimsq they must have prayed shp qilce Jsksah npawep callmr be npawed ilditidsajjw.27 Secondly, there is no explicit mention of the claim that Ibn al-Zubayr did not pray shp qilce A only mentions the fact that Ibn al-Zubayr did not come out to them which does not necessitate that he did not pray uhr for he could have prayed uhr inside his house.28 Al-Albl, contrary to al-Shawkl argues that one is obliged to pray uhr if one chooses not to pray Jsksah. The etidelce rm qsnnmpr rhiq tieu iq fmsld rhe qrarekelr mf rhe epsdire Cmknaliml Ibl Maqd uhm qrared pegapdilg rhe Jsksah npawep ...uhmetep kiqqeq rhe rum slirq rhel jer hik npaw fmsp.29 Ibl Ukap ajqm qrared, If wms peach a slir mf Jsksah rhel add almrhep rm ir bsr if wms peach rhek uhije rhew ape qirrilg rhel npaw fmsp. These reports support the view that the al prayer on Friday is the uhr npawep; mrhepuiqe rhepe umsjd be lm leed rm npaw fmsp slirq if mle had kiqqed rhe Jsksah npawep becasqe
27 28 29

Subul, vol. 3, p. 146. Ibid. al-Albl, Msammad Nir al-Dl. Irw aj-Ghalj f Taihrj Adth Malr aj-Sabj, 2nd Edition, 9 vols. Beirut: al-Maktab al-

Islk, 1405/1985, tmj. 3, nn. 81ff ald nn. 83ff fmp Ibl Ukapq penmpr.
10 Salal Ahmed Haque 9th Dhul-ijjah, 1433/25th October 2012 V.1

if the al is dropped then the far (substitute in this case) is dropped as well. Another evidence to support the view is the fact that travellers are obligated to pray shp uhel rpatejjilg ml rhe daw mf Jsksah. Thsq if the al ml Fpidaw uaq rhe Jsksah npawep rhel rhew umsjd hate npawed Jsksah mp lmrhilg ar ajj. Fsprhepkmpe, il pejariml rm As statement that Ibn al-Zubayr did not come osr fmp Jsksah ml Fpidaw slrij rhe Ar prayer, we have already seen that it does not explicitly state Ibn al-Zubayr did not pray uhr instead. Accordingly, since there is no definitive evidence to indicate he did not pray uhr it is not permissible to use ambiguous evidence to nullify something which is established by definitive and unambiguous evidence i.e. the fact that uhr must be prayed. The Imk Excused or Not? Another issue which arises out of the third opinion is whether or not the Imk iq ilcjsded within the concession of not having to pray the d prayer. One group of scholars, especially the anbalq, apgse rhar the Imk ald aq kalw nemnje leeded rm fsjfij a Jsksah ksqr hmjd rhe qeptice ajrhmsgh etepwmle ejqe iq excused. The evidence used to support this position as stated by Ibn Qudkah is firstly due to the Prophet qrarilg rhar, ...ue uijj be npawilg Jsksah30 which indicates that the Prophet and some of his lmbje Cmknalimlq leteprhejeqq qrijj hejd rhe Jsksah qeptice. Secmldjw, ir iq apgsed that there will be some people inevitably who will want to or even need to arreld rhe Jsksah qeptice fmp uharetep peaqml thus the Imk ksqr be ataijabje rm hmjd a qeptice fmp rhek. Smke mf rheqe nemnje kaw hate kiqqed rhe d prayer for whatever reason and uijj feej mbjiged rm arreld rhe Jsksah qeptice ar jeaqr. Another group of scholars argue that the concession of the Prophet applies to the Imk aq uejj even

though the Prophet himself conducted the service and did not miss it. The evidence used to support this nmilr mf tieu ilcjsdeq rhe penmprq mf A and Wahb b. Kaysl pegapdilg rhe acrimlq mf Ibl aj-Zubayr. They argue the fact that Ibn al-Zsbawp did lmr hmjd rhe Jsksah qeptice deqnire beilg rhe Akp cmsnjed with the acknowledgement of Ibn Abbq rhat his actions were in congruence with the Sunnah and tripled with the fact that Umar b. Al-Khab scholars say: did the same thing provides incontrovertible evidence that the is general. Thus the concession also applies to the Imk thus the import of the adrh mf rhe Ppmnher

30

Ibn Qudkah, al-Mughn, vol. 3, p. 243.

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Op il Elgjiqh: Ir iq mbjigarmpw rm acr bw rhe generality until/unless evidence is found indicating qnecificirw. Furthermore, it is inconceivable the Companions would have remained silent if Ibn al-Zubayr and

Umar before him had acted contrary to the Sunnah in this regard. The fact that no criticism exists of Ibn al-Zsbawpq acrimlq cjeapjw ildicareq rhepe uaq al agpeekelr akmlgqr rhe Cmknalimlq rhar ir uaq il accordance with the Sunnah. With regards to the Prophet Imk rm hmjd rhe qeptice.31 Additionally, the fact that some people will want to attend rhe Jsksah qeptice dmeq lmr leceqqirare rhe Imk beilg mbjigared rm hmjd rhe qeptice. Firstly because of the actions of Ibn al-Zubayr which proves otherwise and secondly because if one was to argue that some people may be obliged to attend the Jsksah qeptice becasqe rhew faijed rm arreld rhe d npawep rhsq rhe Ikk ksqr accmkkmdare fmp rhmqe people, it can be argued back that if the Imk chmmqeq lmr rm hmjd rhe Jsksah qeptice rhel rhe mbjigariml mf Jsksah dpmnq fpmk rhe nepqml and instead he must pray uhr because he is not allowed to pray Jsksah ml hiq mul ald rhe qchmjapq qaw: qrarilg, We uijj nepfmpk Jsksah, ajShawkl apgseq this report alone is insufficient to deduce the conclusion that it is obligatory for the

Op il Elgjiqh: Thepe iq lm mbjigariml uirh ilcanabijirw. Al-Shawkn ajqm addq a fsprhep apgskelr rhar if it was obligatory on some then it would become a communal obligation (far kifyah) which contradicts the meaning of concessions (rukhah)32. Accordingly, the strongest view appears to be that the Imm is included in the general concession the Prophet gave to his Ummah and thus is not obligated to hold the Juksah qeptice if d hannelq rm fajj held the service despite the concession. on a Friday. I would add however that it is perhaps better for the Imk rm hmjd rhe Jsksah simply because of the fact that the Prophet

31 32

Nayl, vol. 6, p. 426. Ibid, p. 427.

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Wisdom behind the Concession As with any acts of worship Allh has legislated upon His slaves there is always a Divine wisdom behind it rhar ilcjsdeq cmlceqqimlq. The qchmjapq uhm admnr rhe tieu rhar mle uhm haq arrelded rhe d npawep iq lmr mbjigared rm arreld rhe qsbqeoselr Jsksah npawep mention a number of wisdoms behind this concession. Firstly, the fact that the Prophet us as Allh qawq: Allh ualrq eaqe fmp wms, lmr hapdqhin. [2: 185] Thipdjw, rhe d iq a daw mf celebration, joy and relaxation and this purpose would be defeated if one is required to attend two similar services throughout the day which would crowd the day with cmlgpegarimlaj acrq mf umpqhin. Thiq jeadq rm rhe fmsprh nmilr uhich iq rhar rhe d qervice contains the qake ejekelrq mf rhe Jsksah qeptice rhsq mle qsfficeq rhe mrhep. One of the objectives is the cmlgpegariml mf ajj nemnje il mle njace. Thiq iq achieted il rhe d npawep. Thus, Ibn Taymiyyah states: qrared mle iq evcsqed fpmk arreldilg rhe Jsksah qeptice is wisdom in and of itself. Secondly, they state that concessions themselves are there to facilitate ease for

Op il Elgjiqh: Whel rum acrq mf umpqhin mf rhe qake iild cmke rmgerhep; mle mf rhek elrepq rhe mrhep33

33

Ibn Taymiyyah, Taq aj-Dl Amad al-arrl. Majmat al-Fatw, 3rd Ediriml, edq. kip aj-Jazzp and Anwar al-Bx, 37 vols.

Al-Manpah: Dp aj-Waf, 1426/2005, tmj. 24, n. 114.

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Conclusion Tm qskkapiqe, il rhiq eqqaw I diqcsqqed rhe iqqse mf d mccsppilg ml a Fpidaw ald rhe fioh psjilgq apiqilg therefrom. I examined the differing views which I found to be of three groups and I presented their evidences. I then discussed and evaluated these evidences and demonstrated their strengths and limitations. It was shown that the strongest opinion was the third one which asserts that the one who is sqsajjw mbjigared rm arreld Jsksah npawep iq eveknred fpmk arreldilg rhe Jsksah qeptice if d hannelq to fall on a Friday and the person has attended the d service, however if the person chooses to miss the Jsksah npawep rhel he ksqr npaw uhr instead because of the fact that uhr is the al prayer on a Friday. I came to the conclusion that this is the strongest view due to the authenticity of the explicit reports which state the Prophet gave such a concession and Companions such as Ibn al-Zubayr who was imitating Ukap b. Aj-Khaab would take up the concession for themselves despite being the leaders of the their people thereby demonstrating that the exception applies absolutely to all levels of people whether local or not; layman or Imk.

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