The Ruling on Jumu‘ah Prayer in Small Villages – In Light of the Qur’an and Hadith
Reference: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, p. 530
❖ The Question:
Can Jumu‘ah prayer be performed in a small village, or is it restricted only to cities?
❖ The Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
It is clearly established that, apart from a slave, woman, child, sick person, prisoner, or traveler, Jumu‘ah prayer is individually obligatory (farḍ ʿayn) upon every adult Muslim male, whether he resides in a city or a village.
The following are the evidences from the Qur’an, Sunnah, and Ijma‘ (consensus):
① Evidence from the Qur’an
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ﴾
[Surah al-Jumu‘ah: 9]
“O you who believe! When the call to prayer is proclaimed on the day of Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade — that is better for you, if you but knew.”
This verse commands all believers to attend the Jumu‘ah prayer.
Since “believers” include both city dwellers and villagers, the command applies to everyone equally.
The entire Ummah is unanimous on this understanding.
② Consensus of the Ummah
Imām Ibn al-Mundhir and Imām Ibn al-ʿArabī (رحمهما الله) stated:
“Ibn al-Mundhir reported consensus that Jumu‘ah prayer is an individual obligation (farḍ ʿayn). Ibn al-ʿArabī said: Jumu‘ah is among the individual obligations (farā’iḍ al-aʿyān).”
[Nayl al-Awṭār, Vol. 2, p. 254]Thus, the obligation applies to every free, adult, sane Muslim male, regardless of whether he resides in a city or a village — unless he has a valid exemption such as illness or travel.
③ Evidences from the Sunnah
Hadith 1 – Ṭāriq ibn Shihāb (رضي الله عنه)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Jumu‘ah is a right and an obligation upon every Muslim in congregation, except for four: a slave, a woman, a child, and a sick person.”
[Abu Dawud: 153; Nayl al-Awṭār, Vol. 3, p. 258]Hadith 2 – Ḥafṣah (رضي الله عنها)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Attending Jumu‘ah is obligatory upon every adult male.”
[Al-Nasā’ī; Nayl al-Awṭār, Vol. 3, p. 257]These narrations are general, encompassing urban and rural Muslims alike.
④ Prophetic and Companions’ Practice in Villages
Hadith 3 – Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه)
“The first Jumu‘ah prayer offered after the Prophet ﷺ’s Jumu‘ah in Madinah was in the mosque of ʿAbd al-Qays at Jawāthā (in Bahrain).”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 122 – Bāb al-Jumu‘ah fī al-Qurā]This indicates that Jumu‘ah was performed in a village, not only in large urban centers.
Hadith 4 – Kaʿb ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه)
Kaʿb narrated:
“Saʿd ibn Zurārah was the first to lead us in Jumu‘ah at Hazm an-Nabīt, in the locality of Banī Bayāḍah, in a place called Naqīʿ al-Khaḍamāt. We were forty men that day.”
[Abu Dawud; ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd, Vol. 1, p. 414]Thus, the companions performed Jumu‘ah in small settlements.
Hadith 5 – ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه)
“Establish Jumu‘ah wherever you are.”
[Al-Bayhaqī in Al-Maʿrifah — chain graded ḥasan; also in Fatḥ al-Bārī & ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd, Vol. 1, p. 415]This explicit statement from ʿUmar رضي الله عنه affirms the validity of Jumu‘ah in every location, whether city or village.
⑤ The Reasoning of Imām Ibn Ḥazm (رحمه الله)
“The strongest proof for the validity of Jumu‘ah in villages is that when the Prophet ﷺ came to Madinah, it consisted of small scattered villages. He built his mosque in the locality of Banū Mālik ibn al-Najjār and established Jumu‘ah there — and it was neither a large city nor a metropolis.”
[ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd, Vol. 1, p. 410]This historical fact alone establishes that Jumu‘ah in small villages is perfectly valid according to Prophetic precedent.
Conclusion
Based on the Qur’anic command, Ijma‘ of the Ummah, authentic hadiths, and the practice of the Companions:
- Jumu‘ah prayer is obligatory on every adult Muslim male, whether he resides in a city or village.
- Small villages and rural communities may establish their own Jumu‘ah prayer without requiring proximity to a major city or central mosque.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
This is what I hold, and Allah knows best what is correct.
