Ruling on performing Jumu`ah Prayer at the training centers of the general security sectors

Fatwa no. 20796 All praise be to Allah Alone, and peace and blessings be upon the Last of the Prophets. To proceed:The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' has read the letter sent to His Eminence, the Grand Mufty, from the leader of the Specialized Training Center (Part No. 7; Page No. 58) in Makkah Al-Mukarramah. The letter was referred to the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' by the Secretariat General of the Council of Senior Scholars, no. 7115, on Dhul-Hijjah 18/1419 A.H. His Eminence asked the question that reads as follows:In the Specialized Training Center of one of the general security sectors in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, we have a Masjid Jami` (the large mosque where Jumu`ah [Friday] Prayers are held) where the Jumu`ah (Friday) Prayer and Khutbah (sermon) used to be attended by many people and residents. However, after a large number of workers were relocated, the Khutbah was discontinued, as the number of persons who attend the Jum`ah Prayer varies from time to time; sometimes they are only ten persons and other times there are less than this. You should take into consideration that some courses that last for three or six months are held at the center for individuals numbering about forty from other sectors. During the Hajj, the personnel of the center reach about one hundred, in addition to assistants numbering about three hundred from other regions. After the end of Hajj, the center returns to normal for the rest of the year. Also, there is a number of Masjids surrounding our Masjid, each is about one kilometer away from our Masjid.We hope Your Eminence will give us a Fatwa (legal opinion issued by a qualified Muslim scholar) concerning the ruling on offering (Part No. 7; Page No. 59) the Jum`ah Prayer and Khutbah in this Masjid, so that we may be enlightened.


Having studied the question, the Committee answered that it is not obligatory upon you to offer the Jum`ah Prayer, and it will not be valid if you perform it independently (from the permanent residents). This is because you are not residents in the place where the courses are held. You have to offer the Jum`ah Prayer with other permanent residents in the nearby places where the Jum`ah Prayer is held, for it becomes binding upon you depending on other permanent residents, based upon the general evidence reported in this respect. If there is no nearby Masjid where the Jum`ah Prayer is held, you must offer the Zhuhr (Noon) Prayer instead.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.


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