❖ Individuals Exempt from the Obligation of Jumu‘ah and Their Rulings
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❖ Jumu‘ah Is Not Obligatory Upon: Women, Slaves, Travelers, and the Sick
➊ Narration of Ṭāriq ibn Shihāb (رضي الله عنه)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
الجمعة حق واجب على كل مسلم فى جماعة إلا أربعة: عبد مملوك أو امرأة أو صبى أو مريض
“Jumu‘ah is an obligation upon every Muslim to be offered in congregation, except for four: a slave, a woman, a child, and a sick person.”
[Sahih: Sahih Abu Dawud: 942 | Kitab al-Salah: Bab al-Jumu‘ah for Slaves and Women | Abu Dawud: 1067 | Daraqutni: 3/2 | Bayhaqi: 3/172]
➋ Narration of Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
ليس على مسافر جمعة
“Jumu‘ah is not obligatory upon a traveler.”
[Weak: Bulugh al-Maram: 438 | Ṭabarānī, as cited in Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr: 2/65]
• Ibn Ḥajar and Shaykh Ṣubḥī Ḥasan Ḥallāq classified it as weak,
• However, scholars affirm the meaning is sound, as per Shaykh Ḥāzim ʿAlī Qāḍī.
[Taʿliq ʿala Subul al-Salām: 2/658]
➌ Narration of Jābir (رضي الله عنه)
من كان يومن بالله واليوم الآخر فعليه الجمعة إلا امرأة أو مسافرا أو عبدا أو مريضا
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, Jumu‘ah is obligatory upon him, except for a woman, a traveler, a slave, or a sick person.”
[Weak: Daraqutni: 3/2 | Bayhaqi: 3/184 | Al-Kāmil of Ibn ʿAdī: 6/632]
• Weakness due to narrators Ibn Luhayʿah and Muʿādh ibn Muhammad al-Anṣārī
❖ Scholarly Commentary
◈ Imam Nawawī (رحمه الله):
➤ “Non-elderly women are, by consensus, not obligated to attend Jumu‘ah. For elderly women, Imam al-Shāfiʿī (رحمه الله) considers attendance recommended.”
[Al-Majmūʿ: 4/496]
❖ Rulings for Each Exempt Group
✔ Women:
• Not obligated to attend Jumu‘ah.
• Attendance is permissible, and they may offer Ẓuhr instead.
✔ Slaves:
• Exempt from Jumu‘ah due to limited autonomy.
• Zāhirī scholars, such as Imam Dāwūd, argue it is obligatory, citing general evidences.
✔ Sick Persons:
• Exempt when hardship or harm is involved.
• If illness prevents safe or comfortable attendance, Jumu‘ah is not obligatory.
✔ The Blind (Aʿmā):
• Abu Ḥanīfah (رحمه الله): Not obligated, even if assistance is available.
• Al-Shāfiʿī (رحمه الله): Obligated if guided to the masjid.
✔ Children (Minor Boys):
• Unanimous agreement: Not obligated.
✔ Travelers:
• Scholars differ due to weakness of specific narrations.
• Majority (Jumhūr) agree: Jumu‘ah is not obligatory for someone in a state of travel, provided the definition of a “traveler” is applicable.
❖ Supporting Evidence from the Sunnah
During the Ḥajj at ʿArafāt, the Prophet ﷺ did not offer Jumu‘ah, rather he performed Ẓuhr, indicating that in travel Jumu‘ah is not obligatory.
❖ Scholarly Views
✔ Majority (Jumhūr):
Jumu‘ah is not obligatory upon the traveler.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/505–506 | Subul al-Salām: 2/659 | Al-Majmūʿ: 4/496 | Al-Baḥr: 2/4]
✔ Imām al-Ṣanʿānī (رحمه الله):
Affirms the same view.
[Subul al-Salām: 2/659]
✔ Saudi Fatwa Committee:
The traveler does not have to attend Jumu‘ah. He should shorten (qaṣr) prayers while traveling, and offer Ẓuhr in full when residing.
[Al-Fatāwā al-Islāmiyyah: 1/397]
✔ Ibn Ḥazm (رحمه الله):
He holds that Jumu‘ah is obligatory upon travelers, which is not the stronger opinion.
[Al-Muḥallā bil-Āthār: 3/252]
❖ Additional Rulings:
✔ Although these individuals are exempt from obligation,
➤ If a woman, slave, traveler, or sick person performs Jumu‘ah, it is valid and acceptable.
➤ Such a person may also lead Jumu‘ah if qualified.
✔ Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) states in Minhāj al-Sunnah:
Jumu‘ah led by a slave, minor, or traveler is valid. Likewise, a person excused from congregational prayer is not required to attend Jumu‘ah.
[Al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/341 | Al-Maswā: 1/194]
✅ Conclusion:
✔ The following are exempt from the obligation of Jumu‘ah:
① Women
② Slaves
③ Children
④ Sick individuals
⑤ Travelers (while in travel)
✔ However, if any of them choose to attend, their Jumu‘ah is valid.
✔ Imam Ahmad’s view that Jumu‘ah is not required upon a traveler is the strongest and supported by practice of the Prophet ﷺ.
