Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (5/17)

A traveller undertaking a journey that permits shortening the prayer, slaves, and women: whoever among them attends the Friday Prayer and prays with the imam, his or her Friday Prayer is valid and sufficient.

If it is asked: How can it suffice for them when they are not among those upon whom it is obligatory?

The answer is that its being waived for them is a concession. Thus, if they attend and pray, they have chosen that for themselves, and it is valid. Yet it would be preferable to give another rationale: namely, that they are praying behind one who is performing the Friday Prayer, so it suffices for them by virtue of following their imam. Something may be valid consequentially that is not valid independently.

His statement, “but it is not established through him or her,” means that it is not established through any one of these people. That is, he or she is not counted toward the required number, because they are not among those upon whom it is obligatory. The number, as will come, Allah willing, according to the madhhab, is forty men.

For example, if thirty-nine free men attend and a slave comes, he does not complete the required number; they must therefore pray Zuhr, because the Friday Prayer is not established through him.

Another example: a man arrives in a small village containing thirty-nine men, while he himself is a traveller. He does not complete the required number, because he is a traveller.

“And it is not valid for him to lead it . . .”

His statement, “And it is not valid for him to lead it,” means that it is not valid for any of these people to serve as imam for the Friday Prayer.

As for a woman, there is no doubt that it is not valid for her to lead it, nor is the Friday Prayer established through her, because a woman cannot be an imam for men and is not among those upon whom it is obligatory.

As for a slave, it is not valid for him to serve as imam for it, because he is not among those upon whom it is obligatory. Thus, even if this slave is a well-read reciter, learned, knowledgeable in jurisprudence, and devout, while those in the

المسافر سفر قصر، والعبيد، والنساء، من حضر الجمعة منهم، وصلى مع الإمام أجزأته جمعة. فإن قيل: كيف تجزئهم وليسوا من أهل الوجوب؟ فالجواب: أن إسقاطها عنهم تخفيف، فإذا حضروا وصلوا فهم الذين اختاروا ذلك لأنفسهم فتصح، ولكن لو قيل بتعليل سوى هذا، وهو: أنهم ائتموا بمن يصلي الجمعة، فأجزأتهم تبعاً لإمامهم، وقد يثبت تبعاً ما لا يثبت استقلالاً، لكان أولى. وقوله: «ولم تنعقد به» أي: لم تنعقد بواحد من هؤلاء، ومعنى لم تنعقد به أي: لا يحسب من العدد المعتبر؛ لأنهم ليسوا من أهل الوجوب، والعدد كما سيأتينا إن شاء الله على المذهب أربعون رجلاً. مثال ذلك: لو حضر تسعة وثلاثون رجلاً حرّاً، وجاء عبد فإنه لا يتمم به العدد فيصلون ظهراً؛ لأنها لا تنعقد به. مثال آخر: قدم شخص قرية صغيرة فيها تسعة وثلاثون رجلاً، وهو مسافر فلا يكمل به العدد؛ لأنه مسافر. وَلَمْ يَصِحَّ أَنْ يَؤُمَّ فِيهَا ....... قوله: «ولم يصح أن يؤم فيها»، أي لا يصح أن يكون أحد من هؤلاء إماماً في الجمعة. أما المرأة فلا شك أنه لا يصح أن تؤم فيها، ولا تنعقد بها؛ لأن المرأة لا تكون إماماً للرجال، وليست من أهل الوجوب. وأما العبد فلا يصح أن يكون إماماً فيها؛ لأنه ليس من أهل الوجوب، فلو كان هذا العبد قارِئاً عالماً فقيهاً عابداً، والذين في