How to Pray 5 Prayers and Friday Prayer in a Non-Muslim Country where there Is No Mosque

22-12-2021 | IslamWeb

Question:

Salam aleikum i wanted to ask bcoz i live in a non muslim country and there is no mosque in the whole country is it okay if i attend friday prayers and all prayers in my house?

---

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is known that performing the five daily prayers is obligatory, whether in Muslim countries or in non-Muslim countries, and whether in one’s own home or at any other place.

The establishment of the five daily prayers is an obligation that does not differ because of the different countries. If you are asking about whether it is permissible for you to perform the congregational prayer at home, then the answer is yes.

It is prescribed for you to pray in congregation with your family or with visiting friends who are present with you at the time of the prayer. Your prayer in congregation is better than praying alone.

The Prophet said: “The prayer offered in congregation is twenty-seven degrees more rewardable than a prayer offered by a single person.” [Muslim]

The Prophet also said: “A man's prayer offered with another man is purer than his prayer which he offers alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one, and if they are more (in number), then it is more beloved to Allah Almighty.” [Abu Dawood and an-Nasaa-i; Ibn Hibban: Saheeh (authentic)]

As for the Friday prayer, if you are residing in that country and not a settler – and settlement means the intention to permanently reside there, and to take that country as a home [as your country] – and there are no settlers with you in the city, then it is not valid for you to hold the Friday prayer with residents like you, because settlement is a condition for the Friday prayer, according to the opinion of most scholars.

Ibn Qudamah said in Al-Mughni: “As for settlement, it is a condition according to the view of most scholars.” [End of quote]

It is also not valid for a settler to establish the Friday prayer with the women of his household.
But if you are a settler – or a resident and there is a group of male settlers – then you must perform the Friday prayer with them, and you may pray it in homes or in open spaces since you do not have a mosque as you mentioned.

For more benefit on the conditions for Friday (Jumu’ah) prayer, please refer to Fataawa 82835, 82979, 356992, 117037 and 257203.

Allah Knows best.