Is Jumuah Salah Valid at a Rest Area

Answered by: Shaykh Umer Khan

Question

Is Jumuah Salah valid at a rest area? For example, there are a few people travelling on Friday during Zuhr time, and they decide to stop at a rest area and pray. Can they pray Jumuah or is this considered to be “outside of the city”?

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

According to the Ḥanafī madhhab, Friday (Jumuah) prayers are only valid in a city or town.[1] A rest area would not be considered an acceptable location while travelling. Friday prayers are not obligated upon travellers (so long as the travel starts before the beginning time of Zuhr prayer), so they can pray Zuhr instead.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Shaykh Umer Khan

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham