What the Shariah rules when Eid falls on Friday
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” The people asked, “Not even jihad for the sake of Allah?” He said, “Not […]
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” The people asked, “Not even jihad for the sake of Allah?” He said, “Not even jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing.” (Reported by al-Bukhari, 2/457).
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All Praise is due to Allah! We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our evils and bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah, is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and final messenger to mankind. May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon His last and final Apostle, his Household, his companions and all his followers until the end of time.
Though the concurring of Eid prayers and Jummu’ah prayers on the same day is a seldom incident, a lot of questions and confusions surround it persistently. While the Ulama’ continue to give different and confusing Fatwah, the Ummah becomes engulfed in incertitude and uncertainty as to what exactly is right based on our current circumstances and technological advancements. I read and heard many conflicting and inconclusive rulings uttered or written in books, treatises or recently on websites or social media for a concerning this important matter. But what actually moved me to write on this matter was a telephone call that I received from a friend informing that one Malam preached to them that when Friday coincides with Eid day, both Jummu’ah and Zuhr prayers are to be relinquished for anyone who witnessed the Eid prayers! This is one of the most irresponsible and baseless Fatwah that could be issued by any dangerously unqualified, harebrained and uneducated individual!
Thus, it is my sincere prayers to briefly and precisely enlighten the public on this important matter, hoping that it will go a long way in putting the perennial rough-and-tumbles amongst different self-acclaimed counterfeit-muftis to its final resting place.
Indeed! I am aware of both the majority and minority views of the early and the contemporary scholars on this matter. I have realized that all the rulings were specifically based on their peculiar situations and circumstances. Consequently, I wish to tread the path of fairness, peacefulness and consensus of the Ummah in what I intend to put for posterity. I also abhor anything that will end up dividing or sub-dividing the columns of the Muslim Ummah by avoiding contentious explanations. Similarly, I will be very careful not to tread the path of non-jurisprudents; scholars who were not categorized as jurist or Fuqaha’. I will also avoid scholarly debates which should be the cup of advanced students away from the multitudes.
First of all let me refreshing our minds as to what are the rulings on Eids prayers by various mazahibs; schools of law. The majority views is that Eid prayers are ‘Sunnah Mu’akkadah’; an enforced Sunnah. Such position was held by Imams Malik, Qarafi, an-Nawawy, as-Shafi’i, his majority of his companions, as-Shirazy and host of others. Other scholars held the position that they are simply Sunnah on equal basis with general Sunnah rulings. Yet others see them as ‘Sunnah Wajibah’; compulsory Sunnah. However, some scholars of Hanafiyyah held the views that they are ‘Fard Kifayah’; obligatory with representation. On the hand, Imam Abu Hanifah held the opinion that it is ‘Wajibah’; unavoidable prayers. As-Samarqandi was an allied of Imam Abu Hanifah in this ruling.
However, the followers of Imams Ahmad bin Hambali and as-Shafi’yi aligned with Imam Abu Hanifah by classifying them as ‘Fard Kifayah’, also. Thus, the two Eids prayers fell into the category of Shari’ah rulings which stipulated that any town or city which does not establish them on their due days be fought a Jihad until they accept to institute them on regular basis.
The wisdom of making this introduction as the premise of my write-up was to acquaint you with the various positions of the early righteous scholars, notwithstanding their healthy dissonances in their categorizations. However, that was on the ruling of Eid prayers. But, there was no diversity of views or ruling as to the obligatory verdict of Jummu’ah prayers upon all eligible Muslims, in those blessed days, or even in our present prejudiced epochs. The Qur’an, the Sunnah and the consensus of scholars have put their weights behind the compulsory position of Jummu’ah prayers all year round. Allah says:
“O ye who believe! when the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic): that is best for you if ye but knew!”[al-Jummu’ah: 9]
Similarly, Friday prayers is not only an important obligatory act of worship like Subhi or Zuhr prayers, it is also a indispensable celebration upon all able Muslims on weekly basis. This position is non controversial, non contentious and non disputatious as well as a defined held by all scholars. Unlike the Eid prayers which are still viewed as either enforced Sunnah, compulsory Sunnah, obligatory with representation, unavoidable or simply Sunnah prayers. These controversies and wide-ranging views have not changed the exalted position which Jummu’ah prayers occupies since time immemorial; obligatory act. Thus, an act that is less binding cannot replace that which is clear and precise both in ruling and binding, forever!
In other words, the mandate in this verse, and many other authentic statements of the Prophet about the necessity of Friday Prayers, should not be overturned by any reports which may approve something different unless they are of thorough authenticity. Similarly, Usul scholars have reiterated that if there are any reports in which that the Prophet made an exception such Hadiths must be confirmed by more than one Companion because such ruling could not have been heard by one person. What’s more, there could not be any reason for an obligation to be relegated because of another one, let alone by lesser obligation surrounded by disagreement and differences of interpretations!
In fact, all the school of laws (Hanafi’s, Maliki’s and Shafi’s), with the exception of Hanbali’s, have agreed that Jummu`ah prayers remains an obligation even if Eid falls on a Friday. The Hadith of Abu Ubaidah which was both reported in Bukhari and Muwatta suggests that only the people living at the outskirts and surburbs, (ahlul Awali) of Madinah were giving the option to return to Madinah or remain in their abodes due to the distance and lack of fast means of transportations which are commonly available in our moment in time. This position was substantiated by the narration of Zayd Ibn Arqam where he said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the `Eid prayer and then made the performance of the Friday prayer optional, saying: ‘Whoever wishes to pray it may pray it.’’
Thus, where the option of staying back was chosen by an individual or more, the obligation of Zuhr prayers lingers without leave. Every Muslim must, as a matter of duty prays five times every blessed day, no matter the circumstances, except where one is unconscious, or for a woman in a state of impurity or the visit of the ultimate!
However, the concession was to be availed on individual judgment or volition, as to attend the Friday prayers back to the city on that Sallah day or not, and that discretion lacks the jurisdictionally capacity to change the position of city dwellers, one tad! It was essentially then a matter of personal choice, not collective decision to either walk back to the town where one can get designated mosques for Friday prayers, or not. The following Hadith have this to say:
Abu Hurayrah said the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon