Jummah obligation

Salam, I read on one of the forums here that jummah is not wajib in the absence of a zaydi imam, could you give me the daleel for this? It’s similar as in the twelver fiqh but I don’t understand as to why it wouldn’t be obligatory, as it’s established in the Quran and sunnah to be wajib? In that sense then why do we pray in the absence of an imam?
Something that is established as wajib can’t be changed after  prophet Muhammed SAW so on what basis do we say it’s not obligatory? 
Is there difference of opinion on this as there is in the twelver community?
jazakallah

wa alaikum as-salam,

Fifth Issue: [That the Imam is a condition for the validity of Jumuʿah]

We have said: The presence of an imam is a condition for the validity of Friday prayer, based on what Abū al-Ḥasan al-Karkhī narrated in al-Mukhtaṣar through his chain from Ibn al-Musayyib, from Jābir, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ delivered a sermon to us on a Friday and said: “Know that Allah, blessed and exalted, has made Friday prayer obligatory upon you in my place here, on this day of mine, in this month of mine, [in this year of mine], until the Day of Resurrection. Whoever abandons it during my lifetime or after my death, belittling it, neglecting its right, or denying it, while he has an imam, whether just or unjust, Allah will not unite his affairs nor bless him in his matters.”

Since the Prophet ﷺ condemned the one who abandons it on the condition that he has an imam, it is understood that having an imam is a condition for its obligation. And once it is established as a condition for obligation, it is also a condition for validity, because whenever Jumuʿah is valid, it is obligatory.

If it is said: But the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever has an imam, whether just or unjust,” [and according to you, Friday prayer is not valid under an unjust ruler, this contradicts the report].

It is replied: [His saying, “or unjust”] refers to what is inward (hidden), not what is outward (apparent). The benefit of this is that we are not tasked with investigating the inward state of the imam. Whether inwardly just or unjust, his leadership is valid and Jumuʿah is obligatory with him if his outward affairs are sound.

If it is said: From where did you conclude that Friday prayer is not valid under an outwardly unjust ruler, so that we must accept this interpretation?

It is replied: From the saying of Allah the Exalted: {And do not incline toward those who have wronged, lest the Fire touch you} (Hūd 11:113).

There is no greater form of inclining toward them in religious matters than to attach the validity of Jumuʿah to them.

If it is said: You are no better in restricting the hadith by means of the verse than those who restrict the verse by the hadith, It is replied: The verse is stronger than a solitary report, and it is more appropriate to restrict the weaker by the stronger than to restrict the stronger by the weaker.

It is also supported by his ﷺ statement: “Pray as you have seen me pray.” He performed [the Friday] prayer as a ruler whose obedience was binding, and his doing so in this explanatory way indicates that the imam is a condition for it, since his action served as an explanation of a general obligation, it must therefore indicate obligation.

Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr also narrated, through his chain, from Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥasan, that he was asked whether Friday prayer is valid with an unjust imam. He replied: “Indeed, ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn alayhim as-salam, the leader of the people of the household, did not count it as valid with them”.

This is the position of all Ahl al-Bayt, as far as I know, and our position is that their consensus is proof.

What also indicates that it is not established except with a just imam is that it is an act of worship which no individual is allowed to establish independently, resembling the prescribed punishments (ḥudūd), and since these cannot be carried out independently by anyone, likewise Jumuʿah cannot be established except with a just imam.

wa salam

Is there any difference of opinion within zaydi scholars on this matter? I don’t understand, if an imams presence is necessary for it to be an obligation, then it would be abandoned for the majority of Islamic history? So such an emphasis on it from the prophet and the imams and of course the verses in the Quran, just for it to not need to be practiced?
Iif I beleive it to be wajib, can I pray it with the niyah of it being wajib and would it substitute my duhr prayer?

akhil kareem,

That is precisely why scholars study fiqh, to understand why certain rulings are formulated the way they are. Perhaps you did not reflect on this deeply enough, so let me offer a few examples:

Ramadan is only obligatory during a specific timeframe each year.

Zakat is only required from those whose wealth exceeds a certain threshold. Throughout most of human history, the majority of people did not possess that level of wealth, meaning that most Muslims never actually paid zakāt.

Hajj is obligatory only for those who are physically and financially capable. Historically, only the wealthy or well-connected were able to undertake the journey, so the majority of Muslims across history never performed ḥajj.

Ṣalāh becomes obligatory only after reaching a certain age; before that, it is not required.

These examples, and many more could be given, show that every act of worship has conditions. If the conditions are not met, the act no longer retains its compulsory status.

Regarding your statement that the Friday prayer would be “abandoned”: what exactly do you mean by that? With the exception of the Imāmiyya, all Muslim sects historically had an Imam and therefore conducted the Friday prayer properly.

The Sunnis had their Caliph.

The Zaydis and Ibadis had their own Imams.

Only the Imāmiyya (Twelvers) lacked a present Imam, because they believe the Twelfth Imam entered ghayba (occultation) and has remained absent for over 1100 years.

Thus, for most of Islamic history, Muslims performed the Friday prayer correctly under an established Imam. It is largely with the rise of the modern era, marked by secularism and the decline of traditional political-religious Imamate, that many Muslim communities lost their institutional Imams.

wa salam

ok thanks for your reply but could you answer as to wether there is ijmah amongst the scholars regardign this matter, or if there is difference of opinion regarding it, and if so what is there daleel?
jazakallah

Wa iyyāk.

I only quoted the positions from our books. As for modern-day Zaydis in Yemen, as far as I know, the position is that Jumuʿah (Friday prayer) is not obligatory as long as there is no ruling Imam.

However, it is considered valid if there is a just/good prayer imam, meaning a Zaydi prayer imam.

So, if you have a valid prayer imam, you may pray Jumuʿah. If not, you should pray Ẓuhr instead.

Wa salām.