Short answer
In the Hanafi school, if you join the imam at any point before his final salam, even in the last sitting, you have caught Jummah: complete two rakats after he finishes. The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools, and Imam Muhammad, say you must catch the ruku of the second rakah; otherwise you complete four rakats of Dhuhr.
According to Abu Hanifa and Abu Yusuf, on which the fatwa is given, whoever joins the Jummah imam before the final salam, including in the tashahhud or the sajdah sahw, has caught Jummah and completes two rakats. Imam Muhammad held that he must catch most of the second rakah, meaning its ruku.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Jummah is caught only by catching the ruku of the second rakah; whoever joins after that completes Dhuhr as four rakats.
- Maliki
- The same as the Shafi'i view: one full rakah with the imam is needed, otherwise Dhuhr.
- Hanbali
- The same: one rakah is needed, otherwise four rakats of Dhuhr.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said: what you catch, pray, and what you miss, complete. The Hanafi school applies this general rule to Jummah: whatever part of the imam's prayer you join, you complete that same prayer, which is two rakats. The other schools rely on the hadith that whoever catches a rakah of the prayer has caught the prayer, and say that less than a rakah does not count as catching Jummah.
What to do in the Hanafi school:
- You joined in the second rakah's ruku or before: complete one rakah after the imam's salam.
- You joined after the ruku, in a sajdah or the final sitting: stand after the imam's salam and pray two rakats, with al-Fatiha and a surah in each, sitting after the second. Your intention is Jummah.
- You missed the prayer completely: pray four rakats of Dhuhr. See what happens if you miss Jummah.
Missing the khutbah: your Jummah is valid without hearing the khutbah, but you lose a great reward, and arriving late habitually is blameworthy. The angels record those who come early and close their books when the imam comes out for the khutbah.
Hurry to Jummah, but walk calmly once you are near; the hadith above was said to people rushing to the prayer. See also joining the prayer late and how to pray Jummah.
The evidence
Sahih al-Bukhari 636
Sahih... فما أدركتم فصلوا وما فاتكم فأتموا ...
"Whatever you catch, pray, and whatever you miss, complete."
The Hanafi basis: a latecomer completes the same prayer the imam was praying.
Sahih al-Bukhari 580
Sahih... من أدرك ركعة من الصلاة فقد أدرك الصلاة ...
"Whoever catches one rakah of the prayer has caught the prayer."
The basis of the other schools for requiring one rakah to catch Jummah.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on Jumu'ah. Whoever catches the imam in the tashahhud or sajdah sahw completes Jumu'ah according to Abu Hanifa and Abu Yusuf; Muhammad requires most of the second rakah.
- Minhaj al-Talibin (Nawawi), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on Jumu'ah. Jumu'ah is caught with one rakah; otherwise Dhuhr is prayed.
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.