Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
A Muslim should not miss Friday Prayer. He should perform it at the time of Zhuhr. In exceptional circumstances, Friday Prayer may be performed before Asr time.
In response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states,
According to the vast majority of jurists—including the scholars of the four schools of jurisprudence—the proper time for Friday Prayer is the same time of Zhuhr (Noon Prayer).
It is, however, preferable not to delay it unnecessarily as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had never delayed Friday Prayer.
However, since the time of Zhuhr extends until the time of Asr begins, if, due to circumstances, you could not perform it at the preferred time, you can still perform Friday Prayer any time before the arrival of Asr.
You have another valid option as well. According to Imam Ahmad, you can pray Friday Prayer before zawal (the time of the sun’s zenith). If you have no choice, then you are free to follow this option.
Although this view is that of the minority, it is still better than missing Jumuah Prayer.
We must know that the Islamic Shari`ah takes into account people’s genuine hardships and circumstances.
So, in face of every hardship, there is some kind of latitude and flexibility allowed in the Shari`ah.
So, we are only making the laws of Allah hard upon us by failing to recognize the inner flexibility in the laws of Allah.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.