Abu Dawud

1068. Commentary:
It is evident that this practice was initiated by the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma'in) based on the teachings of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Those people were extremely cautious in matters of worship, and that was the era of the descent of revelation. If this practice had been impermissible, then certainly some guidance would have been revealed through revelation. The remnants of the mosque of Jawatha also exist; it is in a small area and consists of only a portico for two rows.

Offering Jumu‘ah in Small Villages

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: Jumu‘ah in congregation is an obligatory right upon every Muslim, except for four: a purchased slave, a woman, a child, or a sick person. [المستدرك للحاكم ج1 ص288 ح 1062]

Both Al-Hakim and Al-Dhahabi have declared this hadith authentic.

From the meaning of this hadith, it is understood that Jumu‘ah is obligatory upon both villagers and city dwellers.

Sayyiduna ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu said: Wherever you are, perform Jumu‘ah. [مصنف ابن ابي شيبه ج2 ص102 ح5068 وسنده صحيح]

In contrast, the narration from Sayyiduna ‘Ali radi Allahu anhu which states, “Eid and Jumu‘ah can only be held in a large city,” is abrogated or outweighed.

Imam Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri rahimahullah said: Perform Jumu‘ah even in small villages. [مصنف عبدالرزاق ج3 ص107 ح 5188 ملخصا و سنده صحيح]

For details, see my article: Research on Jumu‘ah Prayer in Villages: [ص104۔ 131]

Some Deobandis say that Jumu‘ah does not take place in villages, and then these same people also perform Jumu‘ah in villages. What else can this be called except hypocrisy!

… Original Article …

Fatawa ‘Ilmiyyah (Tawdih al-Ahkam) Vol. 2, p. 77

Hadith Commentary:
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has brought this hadith here solely in connection with the introduction of the delegation of Abdul Qais, and has clarified that these are the very people who established the Friday prayer (Jumu‘ah) in their village named Jawathi.
This is the second Jumu‘ah that was established in the Islamic world after the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid al-Nabawi).
From this, it is clearly evident that it is permissible to establish the Friday prayer in a village as well, along with the congregation.
But, alas, the extremist Hanafi scholars have strongly opposed the establishment of Jumu‘ah in villages.
Before me is the April 1957 issue of the magazine “Tajalli,” in which, on page 19, there is a mention of the esteemed Maulana Saifullah Sahib, preacher, who stated that those who perform Jumu‘ah in villages—let them write it from me—they are destined for Hell.
This is not just the opinion of Maulana Saifullah Sahib, but most of the senior scholars of Deoband have continued to say the same.
We have already written sufficiently on this issue in the book “Kitab al-Jumu‘ah.”
There is no further need.
However, here we present the speech of a prominent and powerful Hanafi scholar, translator and commentator of Sahih Bukhari, from which it will become clear what weight the conditions imposed by the Hanafis for Jumu‘ah actually have, and whether Jumu‘ah in villages is permissible or not.
For the sake of fairness, this heartfelt and comprehensive speech is sufficient.

A Speech of a Reliable Hanafi Scholar:
Jawathi is a village among the dependencies of Bahrain.
The Friday prayer (Jumu‘ah) is like the other obligatory prayers; the conditions that are set for the other prayers, such as purification of the body and clothes, and apart from these, are the same for it, except for the legislation of two sermons (khutbah).
There is no other evidence worthy of deduction that establishes any opposition between it and the other prayers.
Thus, it is understood from this that there is no authentic chain of transmission for establishing additional conditions for this prayer, such as the Grand Imam (Imam A‘zam), a central city (misr jāmi‘), or a specific number of people.
Rather, even if two people perform the Friday prayer, it will be sufficient for them, and the obligation will be lifted from them.
For a single person to perform Jumu‘ah is against the narration of Abu Dawud:
“al-Jumu‘atu ḥaqqun wājibun ‘alā kulli muslimin fī jamā‘ah” (Friday prayer is a true obligation upon every Muslim in congregation),
and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam never performed Jumu‘ah except in congregation.
Regarding a specific number, Shawkani has written in Nayl al-Awtar that just as there is no evidence for a single person to pray alone, similarly, there is no evidence for requiring eighty, thirty, twenty, nine, or seven people.
And whoever has stipulated a minimum number, his evidence is that the obligation is established by consensus and hadith, and the lack of evidence for stipulating a specific number, and the validity of prayer with two people in other prayers, and the absence of any difference between Jumu‘ah and congregation—Shaykh ‘Abd al-Haqq has stated:
There is no established evidence regarding the number for Jumu‘ah, and likewise Suyuti has said, and all the narrations from which a specific number is established are all weak and none of them are suitable for deduction.
And the condition of the Grand Imam, i.e., the Sultan, which is narrated only from Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, their evidence is:
“arba‘atun ilā al-sulṭān” and in another narration “ilā al-a’immah: al-jumu‘atu, al-zakāh, al-ḥudūd, wa al-qaḍā’” (Ibn Abi Shaybah has narrated it).
But this narration is not established from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam; rather, it is the statement of a few Tabi‘in, among whom are Hasan al-Basri, ‘Abdullah ibn Muharriz, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, ‘Ata’, and Muslim ibn Yasar.
Therefore, it cannot be used as a proof against the opponent.
And the narration which Bazzaar has reported from Jabir radi Allahu anhu,
Tabarani from Abu Sa‘id radi Allahu anhu, and Bayhaqi from Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu with the words:
“anna Allāha qad iftaraḍa ‘alaykum al-jumu‘ata fī shahrikum hādhā wa lahu imāmun ‘ādilun aw jā’irun,”
this hadith is weak, rather fabricated, and in the narration of Ibn Majah, the words “wa lahu imāmun ‘ādilun aw jā’irun” are not present, and this is the point of argument.
In the narration of Bazzaar, there is ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad Sahmi; Waki‘ has said he is a fabricator, and Bukhari has said he is munkar al-hadith (rejected in hadith), and Ibn Hibban has said it is not correct to use him as proof.
And the narration of Bayhaqi is from Zakariya, whom Salih, Ibn ‘Adi, and Mughni have accused of lying and fabrication.

(Fadl al-Bari, translation of Sahih Bukhari, translated by Maulana Fazl Ahmad, published by Sharafuddin and Fakhruddin, Hanafi madhhab, Lahore, in the year 1886 CE, Part 3, p. 301)

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned this hadith in the context of the introduction of the delegation of Abdul Qais.
He has explained that when this tribe embraced Islam, after establishing the five daily prayers, they became concerned about the observance of Jumu‘ah (Friday prayer), so they selected a village named Jawathi in the region of Bahrain for this purpose.
➋
This is the second place where Jumu‘ah was established in the Islamic world after the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid Nabawi). It should be noted that until 8 AH, Jumu‘ah was not held anywhere except in the Prophet’s Mosque.
➌
From this, it is understood that Jumu‘ah should be established in villages as well, just as the responsible individuals of the delegation of Abdul Qais arranged for it in a settlement. Accordingly, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has titled this hadith with these words:
(Bab al-Jumu‘ah fi al-Qura wa al-Mudun)
“Establishment of Jumu‘ah in towns and villages.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Jumu‘ah, Chapter: 11)
➍
Bahrain is the name of a region located on the coast of the Sea of Oman, and Jawathi is a fortress near Basra.
(‘Umdat al-Qari: 12/337)
In ancient historical terminology, Bahrain comprised the coastal areas between Basra and Oman along the Gulf.
In the Prophetic era, the eastern coast of present-day Saudi Arabia was called Bahrain, which also included the current islands of Bahrain and Qatar.
Its capital was Hajar, which is now called Hofuf.
Darīn was the port of Bahrain, located on the Tarut peninsula east of the present city of Qatif. The present Emirates of Bahrain, which is within the Persian Gulf, is a group of several islands between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, whose capital is Manama.
The Bahrain of the Prophetic era is now called the eastern region “al-Ahsa” of Saudi Arabia, which is part of the Eastern Province (al-Mintaqah ash-Sharqiyyah).
(A‘las Sirat Nabawi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, p. 30, Darussalam edition)
In any case, the tribe of Abdul Qais was settled in the region of Bahrain.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
It should be noted that "Jawathi" was one of the villages of Bahrain, as is mentioned in other narrations.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Maghazi, Hadith: 4371; Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith: 1068)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah writes that Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, under this heading, has refuted those who restrict the Friday prayer (Jumu‘ah) to cities and deny its establishment in villages, foremost among whom are the Hanafis.
Their evidence is the mawquf narration of Sayyiduna Ali radi Allahu anhu, transmitted in Ibn Abi Shaybah (2/535).
In contrast, regarding Hazrat Umar radi Allahu anhu, it is narrated with a sound chain in Ibn Abi Shaybah (2/537) that he wrote to the people of Bahrain instructing them to establish the Friday prayer wherever they may be.
This generality includes both cities and villages.
In addition, it is also narrated from Hazrat Layth ibn Sa‘d rahimahullah that he held the view that the Friday prayer should be established in every city and village where there are a few Muslims; thus, the people of Egypt and its surroundings would perform Jumu‘ah by the order of Hazrat Umar and Hazrat Uthman radi Allahu anhuma, and the noble Companions radi Allahu anhum would also be present there.
Hazrat Abdullah ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu would see people living between Makkah and Madinah performing Jumu‘ah and would not object to it.
(Fath al-Bari: 2/489)
(2)
Some historians have written regarding "Jawathi" that it was a settlement comprising a city, whereas Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has explicitly stated at another place in his Sahih that it was a village.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Maghazi, Hadith: 4371)
It is also possible that when the establishment of Jumu‘ah began at that place, it was a village, and then, with the increase in population, it took the form of a city, as Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has clarified.
(Fath al-Bari: 2/489)
It should be noted that the tribe of ‘Abd al-Qays established the Friday prayer there only by the command of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, because the noble Companions radi Allahu anhum would not undertake any religious act on their own initiative during the time of revelation.
If this action had been impermissible, they would certainly have been warned through revelation.
In addition, Hazrat As‘ad ibn Zurara radi Allahu anhu established Jumu‘ah in the settlement of Banu Bayadah in the area of (word unclear).
(Sunan Abi Dawud, al-Salat, Hadith: 1069)
This settlement was at a distance of one mile from Madinah Munawwarah.
The greatest evidence for performing Jumu‘ah in villages is the statement of Allah the Exalted:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ﴾ (al-Jumu‘ah: 62:9)
“O you who believe! When the call is made for prayer on the day of Jumu‘ah, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade.”
This noble verse is general for all believers, whether they are city dwellers or villagers.
In short, Islam has not restricted the performance of Jumu‘ah to any specific place.
All the conditions that are mentioned regarding this are self-invented.
Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Ubaidullah Rahmani rahimahullah has given a very comprehensive commentary regarding the establishment of Jumu‘ah. He states: The scholars have differed regarding the place for establishing Jumu‘ah.
Imam Abu Hanifah and his followers are of the opinion that Jumu‘ah is only valid in the central city (misr jami‘), whereas Imam Shafi‘i, Imam Malik, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahumullah state that it is permissible and valid in cities and villages, in short, everywhere.
Imam Abu Hanifah has presented this hadith as evidence that Jumu‘ah and Eid are only valid in the central city, but Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahullah has declared the marfu‘ status of this narration to be weak.
Imam Ibn Hazm has accepted its mawquf status as correct, i.e., it is the statement of Hazrat Ali radi Allahu anhu.
Since it is mawquf and there is ample room for ijtihad in it, this narration cannot be presented as evidence. Moreover, from this narration, it would be necessary to restrict the verse of Surah al-Jumu‘ah, which is absolute, and this is not correct according to the principles.
(Mir‘at al-Mafatih: 2/288)