The conditions for the Friday prayer can be divided into three types:
1. Conditions for obligation.
2. Conditions for validity.
3. Conditions for both validity and obligation.
The difference between the condition for obligation and the condition for validity is that the Friday prayer is not established unless the condition for obligation is present, but if someone performs it without meeting this condition, the prayer is still considered valid. On the other hand, the condition for validity is necessary for the prayer to be valid, even if it is obligatory.
The conditions for obligation are summarized as follows:
– Residence, so it is not obligatory for travelers.
– Male gender, so it is not obligatory for women.
– Health, so it is not obligatory for someone with a disability, an elderly person who cannot attend, or a severely ill person.
– Freedom, so it is not obligatory for a slave, a detainee, or a prisoner.
The conditions for validity are summarized as follows:
– Congregation, so it is not valid if performed individually.
– Sermon, so it is not valid with prayer alone.
– A designated place for prayer, so it is not valid in streets, markets, and other such places.
The condition for both validity and obligation is the same and is agreed upon by consensus, which is the entry of the prayer time. Therefore, the Friday prayer is not considered obligatory nor valid unless its time starts.
The Hanafis have a different opinion regarding the combining of prayers, which is opposed by the majority of scholars, and the easiest opinion is that of the Hanbalis, who permit it in deserts and wilderness areas.
Therefore, the Friday prayer is not obligatory for women, but if they attend, their prayer is valid. As for the second part of the question regarding bringing children who disturb the worshipers, the default is that mosques should be kept free of anything that causes annoyance to people. The Prophet, peace be upon him, forbade entering the mosque after eating garlic or onions, as this causes harm to others. He also prohibited raising one’s voice, even when reciting the Quran, saying, “Do not raise your voices above one another in reciting the Quran.” He also said, “Do not harm one another.” (Reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawud).
The Shiekh of the scholar Ibn Abd al-Barr was asked about a person who talks excessively in the mosque, and he judged that he should be prevented from entering the mosque, in an analogy to the hadith about garlic and onions.
There is a weak hadith that is considered weak by scholars and used as evidence in this regard, narrated by Ibn Mājah from Wāthilah ibn Al-ʼAsqaʽ, in which he said, “Keep your children and insane people away from the mosques.”
As for the argument that the Prophet, peace be upon him, allowed ʼUmāmah bint ar-Rabīʽ, Al-Ḥasan and Al-Ḥusayn to attend the prayer, they were able to distinguish the prayer. Therefore, a sister who has a child who does not understand the etiquette of the mosque should pray at home, and this becomes obligatory upon her if harm is caused to others.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālīd Naṣr