What Is The Minimum Number Of People Required For Performing Friday Prayer?

What is the minimum number of people required for performing Friday prayer?

Although all Islamic scholars agree that jama’ah (congregation) is a must for the validity of Friday prayer, they put forward different opinions on the minimum number of people required to perform it.

According to Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Muhammad, three people except the imam need to be present. According to Imam Abu Yusuf, at least two people should be present other than the imam (Ibn al-Humam, Fath, II, 58). Although Imam Shafi’i says in his qawl jadid (new views) that there must be forty people in the congregation for Friday prayer to be valid, three people are considered enough in his qawl qadim (old views). According to Hanbali school, at least fourty people should be present (Nawawi, al-Majmu, IV, 487; Zakariyya al-Ansari, al-Gurar, II, 8; Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni, III, 202-203). According to Maliki school, at least twelve people are required to be present (Harashi, Sharhu Mukhtasar, II, 76-77).

Forty people were present in the Friday prayer that was established in Naqi’ al-Khadamat (a place near Medina) before Prophet Muhammad’s migration to Medina (Ibn Majah, Iqamat al-Salat, 78). However, it is also known that Friday prayer was performed with less people. For example, Mus’ab ibn Umayr performed Friday prayer for a community of 12 people in Medina with the command of Prophet Muhammad (saw) (Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra, III, 255).

It is also recorded in authentic hadith sources that everyone except twelve people went out upon hearing that trade caravan came while performing Friday prayer with the Messenger of Allah (saw) (Bukhari, Jumu’ah,38). On the other hand, Prophet Muhammad (saw) declared that it is fardh to perform Friday prayer even if there are only four people in a residential area (Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra, III, 255).

As it is seen, the narratives coming from the Prophet Muhammad (saw) show that Friday prayer may be established in places where at least four people, one of whom is imam, are present. This determines the minimum number of people required to establish Friday prayer.

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA