Friday Prayer in Lockdown: A Solution to Public Anxiety

Addressing Concerns and Misconceptions about Friday Prayer during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Solution to Public Anxiety Regarding the Friday Prayer and COVID-19

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, several questions have arisen, and people are experiencing significant anxiety on various issues, even leading to arguments in some cases. One of the issues is related to the Friday prayer and whether it can be performed at home instead of in the mosque. There are several concerns circulating among the public, especially regarding the following points:

1. Can a family pray the Friday prayer together at home?
2. Can 20–30 people gather in a house or camp to perform the Friday prayer?
3. Should the one giving the adhan and a few people pray the Friday prayer or perform the Zuhr prayer in the mosque?
4. Can Friday prayers be performed in mosques that usually do not hold the Friday prayer?
5. Is it a requirement that the Friday prayer is performed in the mosque, or can it be performed anywhere?
6. What is the correct opinion regarding the fatwa issued by some scholars who have permitted the Friday prayer at home?
7. Many are worried because they typically only perform the Friday prayer once a week. What is the benefit of offering Zuhr instead of Friday prayer on Friday?
8. The last concern is related to the hadith warning about missing three consecutive Friday prayers. Does this warning apply to those who miss Friday prayer due to the current situation?

I will attempt to address these issues briefly.

It is well-known that Friday is a day of great virtue, and the Friday prayer holds a significant place in Islam. The question, however, is whether due to a legitimate excuse, such as the coronavirus pandemic, people are allowed to perform Zuhr prayer at home instead of the Friday prayer.

Shari’ah provides for valid excuses under which one may skip the congregational prayer, including the Friday prayer. I will not elaborate on all the details of these excuses here as they have been extensively discussed by jurists, but it will be helpful to refer to those discussions. However, to clarify the issue, I will present a key hadith. Abdullah bin Abbas (RA) said that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:

مَن سَمِعَ المُنَادِيَ فَلَمْ يَمْنَعْهُ مِنَ اتِّبَاعِهِ عُذْرٌ، قَالُوا: وَمَا الْعُذْرُ؟ قَالَ: خَوْفٌ أَوْ مَرَضٌ، لَمْ تُقْبَلْ مَنْهُ الصَّلَاةُ الَّتِي صَلَّاهَا.
(Sahih Abu Dawood: 551)

Translation: “Whoever hears the call to prayer but is prevented from following it due to an excuse, they asked, ‘What is the excuse?’ He said, ‘Fear or illness.’ Then, the prayer that they performed would not be accepted.”

This hadith indicates that if a person hears the adhan but is prevented from attending the congregation due to illness or fear, their prayer alone will not be accepted, meaning that if there is fear of the coronavirus, one can skip attending the mosque and pray alone at home. In the current situation, where lockdowns and restrictions prevent people from gathering in mosques, people can perform Zuhr prayer at home instead of Friday prayer.

Now, the most pressing question is: can we perform the Friday prayer at home during this lockdown? Some scholars have issued fatwas permitting people to pray Friday prayers at home with their families. Is this correct?

To answer this, let us first recall the principle that if one is unable to attend the mosque due to a valid excuse, they are allowed to skip the congregation and pray alone. Now, consider the verse from Surah Al-Jumu’ah:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
(Al-Jumu’ah: 9)

Translation: “O you who have believed, when the call to prayer is made on the day of Jumu’ah, then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade. That is better for you, if you only knew.”

This verse highlights the importance of gathering for the Friday prayer, where the purpose of the adhan is to invite people to come together and pray in congregation. Additionally, consider the following hadith from Sahih Bukhari:

خَطَبَنَا ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي رَدْغٍ، فَأَمَرَ المُؤَذِّنَ لَمَّا بَلَغَ حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ، قَالَ: قُلْ: الصَّلَاةُ فِي الرِّحَالِ، فَنَظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ، فَكَأَنَّهُمْ أَنْكَرُوا، فَقَالَ: كَأَنَّكُمْ أَنْكَرْتُمْ هَذَا، إِنَّ هَذَا فَعَلَهُ مَنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِّنِّي، – يَعْنِي النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – إِنَّهَا عَزْمَةٌ، وَإِنِّي كَرِهْتُ أَنْ أُحْرِجَكُمْ وَعَنْ حَمَّادٍ، عَنْ عَاصِمٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الحَارِثِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، نَحْوَهُ، غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كَرِهْتُ أَنْ أُؤَثِّمَكُمْ فَتَجِيئُونَ تَدُوسُونَ الطِّينَ إِلَى رُكَبِكُمْ.
(Sahih Bukhari: 668)

Translation: “Ibn Abbas delivered a sermon on a rainy day and instructed the muezzin that when he reaches the part of the adhan for the prayer, he should say: ‘Pray in your homes.’ When the people heard this, some of them looked at each other as if they disapproved of it. Ibn Abbas (RA) said, ‘It seems that you find this disreputable. This is what someone better than me, meaning the Prophet (SAW), did. Indeed, it is a necessity, and I did not want to cause any hardship by having you walk through the mud to the mosque.'”

This hadith shows that when there was heavy rain, Ibn Abbas (RA) allowed the people to pray at home instead of attending the mosque, suggesting that in cases of difficulty or danger, people may pray at home. This can be applied today due to the ongoing pandemic, where people are unable to gather in mosques.

Regarding the fatwas allowing people to pray Friday prayers at home, such an act does not have any precedent in the Qur’an or Hadith. The original purpose of the Friday prayer is that people gather together in one location, not individually in their homes. While it is true that the mosque is not a strict requirement for Friday prayer, the people must gather in one place, such as a mosque or a similar gathering place, to perform the prayer together.

Those who advocate for people praying at home on Friday must answer the practical question: if each family performs the Friday prayer separately, what about the lack of someone qualified to lead the prayer? In such a case, they will have to pray to Zuhr, as a valid excuse would apply. Therefore, due to the current circumstances, it is preferable to perform Zuhr at home, as there is no legal requirement to perform the Friday prayer in isolation.

Now, for those who are anxious about missing the Friday prayer and have only ever prayed on Fridays, it is important to understand that performing Zuhr instead of Friday prayer does not diminish the reward. Coronavirus should be a wake-up call for those who only pray once a week; it is time to become consistent in the five daily prayers. Missing three Friday prayers does not exclude someone who is genuinely excused from Allah’s mercy.

In conclusion, due to the current lockdown and pandemic, it is completely acceptable to perform Zuhr prayer at home, either alone or with your family, instead of the Friday prayer. The Friday prayer is meant to be prayed in congregation, and the mosque is not a strict requirement, as long as people gather in one place. So, people should follow the guidelines of safety and health and offer Zuhr prayer at home.