Fatwa No : 4016
Is Jumma Namaz Ja'iz in small localities and villages?

Is Jumma Namaz Ja'iz in small localities and villages?

Assalamu Alaikum! Is Jumma Namaz Ja'iz in small localities and villages? Here all the Ulamas in interior Sindh give Fatwa as to Jumma Namaz in villages are Ja'iz and say that Allama Muhammad Hashim Thatvi had given fatwa to them in favor of having Jumma Namaz in villages. Shall we, Hanafis, perform Jumma Namaz in villages due to the Fatwa of Allama thatvi? If it is not Ja'iz, then what is the population of a village that makes Ja'iz on them to conduct Jumma Namaz?

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

Let it be known that in reality Jumma is not correct in villages and it is correct in cities and towns. In our custom, city is a place where; the population is more or less four thousand; with a daily market that contains forty , fifty adjoining shops with all the daily living necessities available, for instance, footwear shop and textiles shop, cosmetics shop and tailoring shop, commodities merchant and milk shop. Also availability of Doctor and Hakeem, police station or cantonment and post office etc. etc., Also there should be different localities with different names in that city. Hence Jumma is valid in a in place where these conditions are fulfilled, and not otherwise. Further in such a circumstance, it will be necessitated to leave the Fardh Namaz of Zuhr and make arrangements to perform Nawafil in congregation which is prohibited and is a sin. As for the permission explained in having Jumma in villages in a Fatwa attributed to Allama Muhammad Hashim Tatwi Rahimahullah, let it be known that such a Fatwa is not available with us. If the questioner is able to e-mail a copy of the said fatwa after contacting the concerned Ulema e Kiram, perusal is possible on it.