Jumu'a in a village of two thousand, ihtiyat al-zuhr, and a khatib who does not lead the prayer

Question

Mas'ala: this village lies near the small town of Sardhana, five kos (a unit of distance, about 1.5 miles, ≈ 2.4 km) [from it], and there is no city nearer than that. According to the census, the said village has about two thousand people, of whom more than half are Muslims and the rest Hindus. Nothing prevents the Muslims from [observing] the rulings of religion. For essential needs there are twenty to twenty-two shops.

Answer

Answer (1) — Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi ﵀ In a village where there are two thousand people, Hindus and Muslims, Jumu'a is not [validly] performed according to Imam Abu Hanifa ﵀. There the Zuhr prayer should be prayed in congregation and Jumu'a should not be prayed. And since Jumu'a has not taken place, what room is there for ihtiyat al-zuhr?

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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