Is the Friday prayer obligatory for the inhabitants of a village whose distance from the major city is more than one Farsakh?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Friday Prayer
Primary text
If the distance between the village inhabitants and the major city is more than one Farsakh, the obligation to travel there is lifted, and their status is considered independently. If there are forty or more individuals in the village who meet the conditions for Friday prayer, they must establish it in their village, and establishing it there is superior because having some travel might disrupt the Friday prayer for those remaining, whereas establishing it locally ensures all attend and increases the Muslim congregations. If they are fewer than forty and thus the Friday prayer is not individually obligatory upon them, they have the choice between traveling to the city for Friday or praying Dhuhr. Traveling is preferable to attain the reward of striving for Friday prayer and to resolve scholarly differences.
Supporting text
If the distance is one Farsakh or less, and they are fewer than forty, they must travel to the Friday prayer at the city or another nearby established Friday prayer site, unless the nearby site is another village, in which case they may pray in their own location, as one village is not prioritized over another. However, if the nearby established prayer site is a major city, they may choose between traveling there or establishing Friday in their location. Imam Ahmad leaned toward obligating the travel unless there is a valid excuse preventing them from praying Friday.