A Concise Summary on the Concurrence of Jumu’ah and ’Eid

Sheikh Saleem Al-Hilāli ḥafidhahullāh states: All praise is due to Allāh, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the Master of the Messengers, Muḥammad, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. My dear brothers and sisters...There has been much discussion regarding this matter (i.e. Concurrence of Jumu’ah and ’Eid). Some have asked: Does one prayer suffice for the other, or is it obligatory for a Muslim to perform both the ’Eid and Jumu’ah prayers? Many who have spoken on this issue have done so without the requisite qualification to understand the evidences transmitted from the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ. This is because they approach the matter based on a flawed methodology: they first adopt a belief, then seek out supporting evidence. This is a mistake! The correct methodology is to derive beliefs from evidence, not to impose one’s beliefs or schools of thought upon the evidence. Therefore, I shall briefly present the ḥadīths and reports attributed to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and the noble Companions—may Allāh be pleased with them—then explain the positions of the recognised schools of Fiqh on this issue, relying upon Allāh Almighty. So I say, with Allāh’s guidance, that there are both prophetic traditions (marfū‘) and reports from the companion (mawqūf) on this matter. The first is the ḥadīth of Zayd ibn Arqam (may Allāh be pleased with him), in which Mu‘āwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān (may Allāh be pleased with him) asked him: “Did you witness the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ having two ’Eids occur on the same day?” He replied, “Yes.” He asked, “What did he do?” Zayd said, “He performed the ’Eid prayer, then granted a concession regarding the Jumu’ah prayer, saying: ‘Whoever wishes to pray, let him pray.’” This ḥadīth was narrated by Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd, An-Nasā’ī, Ibn Mājah, Ad-Dārimī, and Al-Hākim, and it is authentic. The second ḥadīth is from Abū Hurayrah (may Allāh be pleased with him), in which the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “Two ’Eids have coincided on this day of yours. Whoever wishes, it will suffice him in place of Jumu’ah. But we will indeed perform the Jumu’ah.” This ḥadīth was also narrated by Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah, and it is authentic. The third ḥadīth is from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allāh be pleased with him), who said: “Two ’Eids coincided during the time of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ. He led the people in prayer, then said: ‘Whoever wishes to attend the Jumu’ah may do so, and whoever wishes to refrain may do so.’” This ḥadīth was narrated by Ibn Mājah. Aṭ-Ṭabarānī also transmitted it with the wording: “Two ’Eids coincided during the time of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ on the day of ’Eid Al-Fiṭr and Friday. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ led them in the ’Eid prayer, then turned to face them and said: ‘O people, you have achieved good and reward. Indeed, we are holding the Jumu’ah. Whoever wishes to join us may do so, and whoever wishes to return to his family may do so.’” This narration is also authentic. The fourth ḥadīth is from Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allāh be pleased with them both), in which the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “Two ’Eids have coincided on this day of yours. Whoever wishes, it will suffice him in place of Jumu’ah. But we are gathering, in-shā-Allāh.” This ḥadīth is also authentic and narrated by Ibn Mājah. From the reports of the Companions: ‘Aṭā’ ibn Abī Rabāḥ said: “Ibn Az-Zubayr led us in the ’Eid prayer on a Friday early in the day. Then we proceeded to attend Jumu’ah, but he did not come out to us, so we prayed individually. Ibn ‘Abbās was in Aṭ-Ṭā’if, and when he returned and we mentioned this to him, he said: ‘He acted in accordance with the Sunnah.’” This was reported by Abū Dāwūd, and by Ibn Khuzaymah with a different wording and with an addition: “Ibn Az-Zubayr said: ‘I saw ‘Umar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb, when two ’Eids coincided, do the same.’”