Listening to Khutbah on Youtube and then praying Jumu'ah alone

17-2-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalam alaikum. My question is regarding jummah salah. Suppose the nearest masjid is far away (say 30 minute drive) and its a work day. Is it permissible to listen to a khutbah on youtube and offer two rakah salah alone? Are there more than one opinion on this matter? Jazak Allah Khair
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His Slave and Messenger.

It is not sufficient for the person who is obliged to perform the Jumu’ah prayer to listen to the Khutbah on YouTube or any other media; rather, he is obliged to go to the Masjid as Allaah says (what means): {O you who have believed, when [the Aathaan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu’ah [Friday] then proceed to the remembrance of Allaah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew.} [Quran 62:9] A group of the Salaf (early scholars), including Sa’eed ibn Al-Musayyib, Sa’eed ibn Jubayr and others, interpreted {…to the remembrance of Allaah…} as meaning the Khutbah.

According to the consensus of the scholars, the Jumu’ah prayer is not valid if one prays it individually. The Fiqh Encyclopedia reads: “With regard to the Jumu’ah prayer, congregation is a condition for its validity, and it is not valid without the congregation; and this is according to the agreement of all the jurists.”

It is very important that you refer to Fatwa 88505.

Allaah Knows best.

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