Chapter: The Friday Prayer

The Friday congregational prayer is a strict and binding obligation upon every free, adult male resident of the town, whether he lives near the mosque or on its outskirts, as well as upon anyone who hears the call to prayer even if he is outside the town limits. It is not required of travelers, women, or slaves according to the majority of scholars, yet should any of them attend the Friday prayer it suffices for them, for its exemption in their case is merely a concession and a facilitation.

The Friday prayer is likewise incumbent upon anyone who is healthy and able to make the effort to reach it—whether within the town itself or up to three miles beyond it—because at that distance he may still hear the call when the night air is calm and moist.