Do I Have to Take My Children to the Mosque?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

As a divorced mom who works full time to support herself and her three kids (not receiving any support from the kids’ Dad), I have been leaving my job to drive 30 minutes each way so that my 15-year-old son can attend the Friday prayer at the masjid. This is making it difficult for me to work enough hours that are required for my job.

I also have a 13-year-old son who goes to a different school 25 minutes away from my older son’s school. The older son’s school does not have any other Muslim men whom he can do the Jumma prayer with. Am I obligated to leave work and take my son from school to Jumma?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

No, it is not obligatory upon you to help your sons attend the Friday prayer because before adulthood, it is not obligatory for them to attend the Friday prayer, and after adulthood, they are the ones who are responsible for attending this prayer. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

It is up to them to find a way to attend the Friday prayer in time. They can ask you for help, and you will have the choice to help or not. You will be rewarded for doing so!

Allah, Most High, says: “Help each other in righteousness and piety.” [Quran, 5:2]

But they will have to find another way to attend the Friday prayer if you prefer not to help them. Public transport can be a solution.

Distance from the Mosque

In a previous answer at SeekersGuidance, it has been mentioned that to be free from those excuses that allow one to miss the congregation is a condition for the obligation of the Friday prayer.

Please see: The Detailed Rulings Related to Friday Prayer

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, may Allah protect him, mentions in a previous answer that being far from the mosque is one of these excuses:

“As for ‘being far from the mosque,’ major scholars have explained at being an Arab mile (1.85 km) away from the mosque is considered being far, and considered an excuse. Others have chosen to explain it as being ‘such that there is genuine hardship in getting to the mosque.’ When one is ‘far from the mosque,’ one is no longer blameworthy for not praying at the mosque.”

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then, he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha’ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.