It is obligatory upon everyone who possesses the following conditions to perform the Friday Prayer:
First: that he be male. This excludes females and hermaphrodites, so the Friday Prayer is not obligatory upon them. [The evidence that maleness is a condition is that the Friday Prayer is a congregational prayer. Hence, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from attending the mosques of Allah, though their homes are better for them” (1). This is if the hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ said, “Friday prayer is an obligatory duty upon every Muslim except for four . . .” is not authentic; but if it is authentic, then the matter is clear.]
As for its not being obligatory upon a hermaphrodite, this is because the condition is not established in that case: it is not known whether such a person is male or female. The basic presumption is freedom from liability until the condition making it obligatory is established with certainty, and that has not been established here.
As for the female, it is because she is not among those required to attend the congregation.
His statement, “free,” is the second condition.
The opposite of a free person is a slave. What is meant by a slave is one who is owned, even if he is fair-skinned or of noble lineage. Friday prayer is not obligatory upon a slave, for the following reasons:
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The Prophet ﷺ said: “Friday prayer is an obligatory duty upon every Muslim except for four: an owned slave, a woman, a child, or an ill person” (2).
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Because he is occupied with serving his master.
Some scholars said: