al-Hadramī—a righteous man—against the apostates. Historical narratives contain fine accounts of them. May Allah, glorified and exalted be He, grant their later generations the same guidance He granted their earliest generations. Indeed, He is the One who grants this and has power over it.

Some of the delegation told us that they used to hold Friday prayer in part of your land, but that some people from Iraq had issued them a ruling to discontinue it. We asked the speaker to describe the place. He said, “There is a mosque built of clay, surrounded by many people who live there permanently. They do not leave the place in winter or summer unless someone forcibly expels them. Rather, they, their fathers, and their grandfathers have been settled there just as permanently as other villagers. Their houses, however, are not built of clay, but of palm stalks and similar materials.”

Know—may Allah have mercy on you—that Friday prayer is to be held in such circumstances. Whenever people are permanently settled in a cluster of buildings which they do not leave in winter or summer, Friday prayer is to be held there, provided that the buildings are constructed from whatever materials they customarily use: clay, wood, reeds, palm stalks, palm leaves, or anything else. The components and materials of the buildings have no bearing on this. What matters is that the people are permanently settled, unlike those living in tents and encampments, who generally seek out places where rain has fallen, move from one area to another, and take their dwellings with them when they move. This is the position of the majority of scholars.