Short answer
In the Hanafi school Jummah needs at least three adult men besides the imam, who stay with the imam in the prayer at least until his first sajdah. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools require forty men, and the Maliki school twelve. The Hanafi school also requires a town, Dhuhr time, a khutbah before the prayer, and a gathering open to the public.
According to Abu Hanifa and Muhammad, which is the fatwa, the minimum is three men besides the imam. The other conditions are a town or city (misr) or its built-up surroundings, the time of Dhuhr, a khutbah before the prayer within that time, congregation, and general permission for anyone to attend (idhn 'amm).
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Forty adult, free, resident men including the imam, and it must be held in a settled place of buildings.
- Maliki
- At least twelve men besides the imam, who stay until the prayer ends, in a settled community.
- Hanbali
- Forty men including the imam, from those on whom Jummah is obligatory.
Explanation
Allah commands the believers to hurry to the remembrance of Allah when the call is made on Friday, and the Prophet ﷺ described Jummah as a duty on every Muslim in congregation. The number needed is not fixed by an explicit text, so the schools reasoned from the reports. The Hanafi school says a congregation in the full sense starts at three besides the imam, since the address "hasten" is in the plural and the imam is the one calling them.
The Hanafi conditions for a valid Jummah:
- A town: a city, town or its built-up area. Most Hanafi scholars do not hold Jummah in small villages; local scholars apply this.
- Time: within Dhuhr time.
- Khutbah: before the prayer, in that time, in the presence of worshippers.
- Congregation: three men besides the imam, who stay with him at least until his first sajdah.
- Open access: anyone who wishes may attend.
Workplaces and campuses: many contemporary Hanafi scholars allow Jummah in an office, university room or airport prayer room when every Muslim who is allowed into the building may join, even if the building itself has security. A Jummah deliberately closed to other Muslims is not valid in the Hanafi school. In countries without a Muslim ruler, the Muslim community appointing an imam takes the place of the ruler's permission.
Women, children and travellers can attend but are not counted in the Hanafi minimum of men. See who has to pray Jummah, can you pray Jummah at home and how to pray Jummah.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Jumu'a 62:9
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا نُودِىَ لِلصَّلَوٰةِ مِن يَوْمِ ٱلْجُمُعَةِ فَٱسْعَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلْبَيْعَ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٩﴾
O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew.
The plural command to hasten to Jummah is the basis for the congregation requirement.
Sunan Abi Dawud 1067
Graded sahih... الجمعة حق واجب على كل مسلم في جماعة ...
"Jummah is a binding duty on every Muslim in congregation, except four: a slave, a woman, a child or a sick person."
Jummah is only prayed in congregation.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on Jumu'ah. The conditions of Jumu'ah, and the minimum of three besides the imam according to Abu Hanifa and Muhammad.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on Jumu'ah. The condition of general permission (idhn 'amm) and the meaning of misr.
- al-Mughni (Ibn Qudama), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on Jumu'ah. The Hanbali and Shafi'i requirement of forty.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.