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When the day of Eid coincides with Friday, the Jumuʿah prayer is still established in the mosques, in accordance with the general ruling, and it is not waived for the public.

The most complete and rewarding practice is for a Muslim to perform both prayers: to attend the Eid prayer in congregation and then also attend the Jumuʿah prayer, following the Prophetic guidance and seeking the reward of both acts of worship.

However, some jurists have permitted a concession (rukhsah) for those who have performed the Eid prayer in congregation, allowing them to be excused from attending Jumuʿah. In such a case, there is no blame upon them, provided that they perform the Ẓuhr prayer (four units) in its proper time instead.

As for the one who did not perform the Eid prayer in congregation, the obligation of Jumuʿah remains upon him, and he must attend it with the congregation of Muslims.

The Ruling and Importance of Jumuʿah Prayer in Islam

Allah, the Exalted, has bestowed a great favour upon the believers by legislating the Jumuʿah (Friday) prayer and making it obligatory upon them. It is not permissible to neglect it except for a valid Sharʿī excuse, such as illness, travel, or similar circumstances. Allah تعالى says:

“O you who believe! When the call to prayer is made on the day of Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade. That is better for you, if you only knew.”
(Sūrat al-Jumuʿah, 62:9)

It is reported from Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh (رضي الله عنهما) that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day must attend Jumuʿah on Friday, except for the sick, the traveller, a woman, a child, or a slave. Whoever abandons it out of distraction or trade, Allah is free of need of him, and Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.”
(Reported by al-Bayhaqī, al-Dāraquṭnī, and Ibn Abī Shaybah)

Due to its عظيمة (great status) in Islam, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ strongly encouraged maintaining it and warned against abandoning it. He made clear that neglecting it without excuse leads to severe spiritual consequences. Imām Muslim reports that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“People must cease neglecting the Friday prayers, or Allah will seal their hearts, and they will become among the heedless.”

This ḥadīth not only affirms the obligation of Jumuʿah but also highlights the serious warning for those who deliberately abandon it.

Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله explains in Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (6/153):

“The phrase ‘their abandoning’ means leaving it. This indicates that Jumuʿah is an individual obligation (farḍ ʿayn). The ‘sealing’ refers to stamping and covering the heart… as in the verse: ‘Allah has sealed their hearts.’”

Furthermore, a number of leading scholars have transmitted a consensus (ijmāʿ) on its obligation upon every adult (male). See: al-Ijmāʿ by Ibn al-Mundhir (p. 40) and al-Istidhkār by Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (2/56).

 The Ruling of the Eid Prayer

The Eid prayer is regarded as a confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah Muʾakkadah) according to the preferred opinion for fatwā. This is the position of the Mālikī and Shāfiʿī schools, as well as one opinion within the Ḥanafī school and a narration from Imām Aḥmad.

The Ruling of Jumuʿah When It Coincides with the Day of Eid

When the day of Eid coincides with Friday, the most complete and virtuous practice is for the legally accountable Muslim (mukallaf) to perform both prayers: to attend the Eid prayer in its time with the congregation, and then to perform the Jumuʿah prayer in its time as well.

However, the jurists have differed regarding whether it is permissible to suffice with one of the two prayers.

The majority of jurists—namely the Ḥanafīs, Mālikīs, and Shāfiʿīs (with respect to residents of towns and cities, and according to one view even for those in rural areas)—hold that Jumuʿah remains obligatory and is not waived by performing the Eid prayer. Thus, one prayer does not replace the other, except in the presence of a valid Sharʿī excuse such as illness, travel, or similar circumstances.

Imām al-Zaylaʿī (Ḥanafī) states in Tabyīn al-Ḥaqāʾiq (1/224):

“In al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr: when two Eids occur on the same day, the first is a Sunnah and the second is an obligation; therefore, neither of them is to be abandoned.”

Similarly, Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (Mālikī) writes in al-Maʿūnah (p. 311):

“If Eid and Jumuʿah coincide, neither of them cancels the other… because Allah says: ‘When the call to prayer is made on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah’, and because the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Jumuʿah is obligatory upon every Muslim.’ … Since the conditions of Jumuʿah are fulfilled, it remains binding. Moreover, Jumuʿah is more emphatic than Eid because it is obligatory, whereas Eid is Sunnah; thus, the lesser cannot override the greater.”

Imām al-Nawawī (Shāfiʿī) states in al-Majmūʿ (4/491):

“If the day of Eid coincides with Friday and the people from surrounding villages attend the Eid prayer, Jumuʿah does not fall from the residents of the town without disagreement. As for the villagers, there are two views; the correct one, as stated by al-Shāfiʿī in al-Umm, is that it is waived.”

On the other hand, it is reported from Imām Mālik (in one narration), and is the relied-upon position among the Shāfiʿīs, as well as the opinion of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (رضي الله عنه), that Jumuʿah is waived only for those who attended the Eid prayer and came from distant areas where Jumuʿah is not normally established (such as remote settlements and outskirts). This concession does not apply to city residents, and those excused must perform Ẓuhr instead.

Imām al-Qarāfī (Mālikī) states in al-Dhakhīrah (2/355):

“As for those outside the city… it is reported that they may be excused due to the hardship of returning, based on the permission given by ʿUthmān (رضي الله عنه) to the people of al-ʿAwālī.”

Likewise, Imām al-Shīrāzī (Shāfiʿī) writes in al-Muhadhdhab (1/206):

“If Eid and Friday coincide and the rural people attend the Eid prayer, they may return and leave Jumuʿah… because ʿUthmān (رضي الله عنه) said: ‘Whoever among the people of the outskirts wishes to attend Jumuʿah may do so, and whoever wishes to return may return,’ and no one objected to him… Also, requiring them to return would impose hardship.”

As for the Ḥanbalī school, they hold that attending Jumuʿah is waived for those who have performed the Eid prayer with the imām; however, they must perform Ẓuhr in its place.

Imām al-Buhūtī (Ḥanbalī) states in Kashshāf al-Qināʿ (2/43):

“If Eid falls on a Friday and they perform the Eid prayer, then Jumuʿah is waived for those who attended the Eid with the imām… This is a waiver of attendance, not of obligation; thus, its ruling is like that of one who has a valid excuse.”

 What Must Be Done by One Who Leaves Jumuʿah After Praying Eid

The position held by the verifying scholars and jurists is that if it is permissible for one who has prayed the Eid prayer to leave Jumuʿah, it is not permissible for him to also leave the Ẓuhr prayer. Rather, it is obligatory upon the legally responsible person to perform it.

This is based on what is reported in the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet ﷺ said to Muʿādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) when he sent him to Yemen:

“Inform them that Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, has made obligatory upon them five prayers in every day and night.”
(Agreed upon)

Imām Ibn Rushd said in Bidāyat al-Mujtahid (1/230):

“Dropping the obligation of Ẓuhr, as well as Jumuʿah—which is its substitute—on account of the Eid prayer is extremely far removed from the established principles.”

 On the Nature of the Disagreement

Since the issue of Jumuʿah coinciding with the day of Eid is one over which the jurists have differed, the matter is broad in scope, and one opinion should not be objected to on the basis of another.

Accordingly:

• Jumuʿah is to be established in the mosques, in accordance with the original ruling and as a precaution.
• Whoever has prayed the Eid prayer in congregation and finds it difficult to attend Jumuʿah, or chooses to take the concession by following those who hold that its obligation is lifted after performing the Eid prayer, then he may do so.
• However, he must perform Ẓuhr in its place.
• There should be no blame upon one who attends Jumuʿah, nor objection against those who establish it in the mosques.
• Likewise, no discord should be stirred in a matter over which the early scholars themselves differed.

Conclusion

Based on the above, in the case mentioned:

If the day of Eid coincides with Friday, Jumuʿah is to be established in the mosques in accordance with the original ruling. The most complete and greatest in reward is for the legally responsible person to perform the Eid prayer in congregation and then perform Jumuʿah as well, unless there is a valid excuse preventing him from performing both.

It is permissible for a person to take the concession of leaving Jumuʿah if he has prayed the Eid prayer in congregation, and there is no blame upon him in doing so, following those jurists who permit it. However, he must then perform Ẓuhr in its place.

As for the one who did not pray the Eid prayer in congregation, Jumuʿah does not fall from him; rather, he remains obligated to attend it with the congregation of Muslims.

And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Translated from Darul Ifta Egypt website : https://www.dar-alifta.org/ar/fatwa/details/21914/حكم-صلاة-الجمعة-إذا-وافقت-يوم-عيد