For whom is the Friday congregational prayer obligatory regarding proximity to the major city (Misr)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Friday Prayer
Primary text
For the inhabitants of the major city (Ahl al-Misr), the Friday prayer is obligatory upon all of them, regardless of whether they heard the call to prayer or not, because the city itself is established for the Friday prayer, making distance irrelevant. This is the view of the companions of the Hanafi school and is similar to the opinion of Ash-Shafi'i. For those outside the major city (Ghayr Ahl al-Misr), the obligation applies to those whose distance to the main prayer site is one Farsakh or less. This distance limit is supported by a narration attributed to Sa'id bin Al-Musayyib and is the view of Malik and Al-Layth.
Supporting text
A dissenting opinion, attributed to Abdullah bin Amr, states that Friday prayer is obligatory upon whoever hears the call to prayer, supported by a narration to that effect, though this narration is deemed questionable. Another view, held by many including Ibn Umar, Abu Hurayrah, Anas, and Al-Awza'i, is that Friday prayer is obligatory upon whoever finds shelter (is stayed overnight) in his family's dwelling. The view based on hearing the call is preferred, especially since the verse {O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on Friday, then proceed to the remembrance of Allah} applies to anyone who hears the call, including non-residents. The narration regarding staying overnight is considered weak by Imam Ahmad.