Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (5/16)

“Friday Prayer is not obligatory upon a traveller undertaking a journey that permits shortening the prayer, nor upon a slave or a woman. Whoever among them attends it, it suffices for him or her; but it is not established through him or her . . .”

His statement, “nor is it obligatory upon a traveller undertaking a journey that permits shortening the prayer”: the pronoun refers to Friday Prayer. Thus, it is not obligatory upon a traveller undertaking such a journey. This has already been explained, along with the evidence for it.

His statement, “upon a traveller undertaking a journey that permits shortening the prayer,” means a journey in which shortening the prayer is permissible. Friday Prayer is therefore not individually obligatory upon him, though it may become obligatory upon him by virtue of others, as mentioned previously. This means that if Friday Prayer is established, he must attend it; otherwise, he is not required to do so.

For example, if a man from Unayzah travels to Buraydah, then according to the well-known position of the madhhab, this journey is not one that permits shortening the prayer, because it is less than the stipulated distance. If Friday Prayer is established there, he must perform it, because his journey is not one that permits shortening the prayer.

Likewise, if a man travels to a town at the stipulated distance, but his journey is unlawful—for example, Allah forbid, he travels in order to commit indecent acts, drink wine, or the like—then Friday Prayer is not waived for him, because his journey is not one that permits shortening the prayer. One of the conditions for a journey that permits shortening the prayer is that it be permissible.

And if a man enters a town intending to stay there, for example, for five days and then depart, Friday Prayer becomes obligatory upon him by virtue of others, because he is not a traveller undertaking a journey that permits shortening the prayer. Rather, he is residing for a period that prevents shortening the prayer, so Friday Prayer is obligatory upon him.

His statement, “nor upon a slave or a woman”: this is because one of the conditions for it to be obligatory is that a person be a free male. This has already been discussed.

His statement, “Whoever among them attends it, it suffices for him or her; but it is not established through him or her,” means:

وَلَا تَجِبُ عَلَى مُسَافِرٍ سَفَرَ قَصْرٍ وَلَا عَلَى عَبْدٍ وَامْرَأَةٍ، وَمَنْ حَضَرَهَا مِنْهُمْ أَجزَأَتْهُ، وَلَمْ تَنْعَقِدْ بِهِ .......... وقوله: «ولا تجب على مسافر سفر قصر»، الضمير يعود على الجمعة، فلا تجب على مسافر سفر قصر، وقد سبق بيان هذا وذكر الأدلة عليه. وقوله: «على مسافر سفر قصر» أي: سفراً يحل فيه القصر، فلا تجب عليه، لكن تجب عليه بغيره كما سبق، [ومعنى ذلك أنها إن أقيمت الجمعة وجبت عليه وإلا فلا]. فلو أن رجلاً من أهل عنيزة سافر إلى بريدة، فالسفر على المشهور من المذهب ليس سفر قصر؛ لأنه دون المسافة، فإذا أقيمت الجمعة هناك يجب عليه أن يصلي؛ لأن السفر ليس سفر قصر. ولو أن رجلاً سافر إلى بلد يبلغ المسافة، ولكن سفره محرّم أي سافر ـ والعياذ بالله ـ ليفعل الفواحش، ويشرب الخمر، وما أشبه ذلك، فلا تسقط عنه الجمعة؛ لأن السفر ليس سفر قصر، لأن من شروط سفر القصر أن يكون السفر مباحاً. ولو أن رجلاً دخل بلداً ليقيم فيه خمسة أيام مثلاً، ثم يسافر فتلزمه الجمعة بغيره؛ لأنه ليس مسافراً سفر قصر، بل هو مقيم إقامة تمنع القصر، فتلزمه الجمعة. قوله: «ولا على عبد ولا امرأة»، لأن من شرط الوجوب أن يكون حراً ذكراً. وقد سبق الكلام عليه. قوله: «ومن حضرها منهم أجزأته ولم تنعقد به»، أي: