Jumu‘a in a Settlement with a Population of Three Thousand

Question

The population of our settlement, the village of Jalalpur, is somewhat more than three thousand. The nature of the settlement is as follows: eighty per cent of the houses are brick-built, and most of the lanes are half-paved. The shops are only for homespun cotton cloth, and they hold a good deal of cloth.

Answer

Invite a scholar who has experience and insight in fiqh and fatwas and have him inspect the settlement; then act upon whatever Shar‘i ruling he gives. This much is agreed upon by the Hanafis unanimously: Jumu‘a is not valid in a small village (qarya saghira). However, as custom (‘urf)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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