Answered by Shaykh Nafīs Al-Raḥmān and authorized by Shaykh Muftī Riḍā al-Ḥaq
Rendered into English by Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
Some governments have declared that it is not suitable for people to gather in large numbers and at public places due to the spread of the coronavirus. Keeping this is mind, would it permitted to stop people from gathering for Jumūʿah prayers in such circumstances or would it still be mandatory to gather for Jumūʿah prayers? Is there any similar occurrence in Islamic history? If so what did Muslims do?
Answer:
Jumūʿah in General
Jumūʿah prayers are farḍ (mandatory) upon all sane, adult, resident, healthy muslim males. Gathering for Jumūʿah prayers is amongst the hallmarks of Islam. It is not permissible to forgo or halt the Jumūʿah as long as gathering [for it] is possible and there are no government imposed restrictions for it.
Jumūʿah and General Sickness
Jurists have not regarded the mere possibility of unconfirmed spread of sicknesses amongst the valid excuses to relinquish congregational prayers.
Jumūʿah and Confirmed Virus Transmission
Yes, if the virus has become wide spread in a confirmed manner, death toll has increased, and a pandemic situation [due to the virus spread] has intensified, then it is permissible to perform Jumūʿah in homes with small congregations. The minimum requirement to conduct a Jumūʿah is to have three adult males behind the imam.
Medical experts have stated that a peculiar element of this coronavirus is that it is not possible to recognize the transmission of this virus. In fact, it is transmitted from one to another without any sign, indication or symptom. Symptoms only appear after five days to a two weeks period. In these situations, it is imperative for the khatīb [leading the congregation] to suffice on the minimum requirements of the sermon and also lead the prayers with short surah recitations. People praying together in small congregations should not remain in the masjid [or place of prayer], rather quickly exit.
Epidemics in Islamic History
There have been plagues in the history of Islam such as the Amwās, Jārif and other known outbreaks. Despite that, believers still prayed together [albeit, in small groups].
(References: Al-Badāʿi Al-Ṣanāʿi, Fatāwā Al-Hindīyyah, Dur Al-Mukhtār, Nūr Al-Iḍāḥ, Marāqī Al-Falāḥ, Hashīyat Al-Shurunbulāliy, Fatāwā Dār Al-Ulūm Zakariyyah, Aḥsan Al-Fatāwā, Al-Hidāyah, Al-Nujūm Al-Zāhirah, Al-Mustadrak ʿAlā Al-Ṣaḥīḥayn, Riḥlah Ibn Baṭūṭah, Mirʾāt Al-Jinān, Al-Mawsūʿah Al-Tārīkhīyyah)
Click here for original fatwā in Arabic.
And Allāh Knows Best
