How many people are required for the Jumu'a prayer among the Shafi'is

Question

In a village there are two mosques of the Shafi'is. In one mosque twenty people gather for Jumu'a, and in the other thirty. Although in the Shafi'i school this number of people is a condition for Jumu'a, [and it] is present, the people of these two mosques do not gather in one place but pray separately. It is said that according to one saying of Imam al-Shafi'i ﵀ even twelve people suffice for the Friday prayer. Is this saying correct?

Answer

(1) In “al-Dirasat al-Fiqhiyya” (p. 115, vol. 2) several opinions are set out. The number forty is described as the relied-upon one (mu'tamad), and the number twelve is presented as the school of Imam Malik ﵀. Al-Suyuti ﵀, in “al-Hawi li-l-Fatawa” (p. 66, vol. 1)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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