Praise be to Allaah.

There is no stipulation that Jumu‘ah prayer should be offered in a masjid or jaami‘ according to the majority of fuqaha’ of the Hanafi, Shaafa‘i and Hanbali madhhabs, unlike the Maalikis. 

It says in al-Bahr al-Raa’iq (2/162), which is a Hanafi book: The words “and general permission” mean: The condition of it being valid is that it should be done in the usual manner. So, for example, if a ruler were to close the gates of the fortress and lead his family and troops in offering Jumu‘ah prayer, that is not valid. This is what it says in al-Khulaasah. In al-Muheet it says that if he opens the gate of his palace and gives the people permission to enter, it is valid although it is makrooh, because he did not fulfil the right of the Jaami‘ mosque. End quote. 

It says in Tarh al-Tathreeb (3/190): Our view (i.e., the Shaafa‘i madhhab) is that establishing Jumu‘ah is not only to be done in the mosque; rather it may be performed in an ordinary building. If they do it in a place other than a mosque, the one who enters that place should not pray during the khutbah, because there is no “greeting” (2-rak‘ah prayer upon entering) for it. End quote. 

It says in al-Insaaf (2/378), which is a Hanbali book: With regard to the words “it is permissible to perform it in various buildings or buildings that are on the edge of the wilderness”, this is the view of our madhhab and it is the view of most of the scholars of the madhhab, many of whom stated it definitively. And it was said that it is not permissible to perform it anywhere except in the jaami‘. End quote. 

With regard to the Maalikis, they stipulated that it must be performed in the jaami‘, as stated above. 

Khaleel al-Maaliki said concerning the conditions of Jumu‘ah: It should be in a jaami‘ that is built separately. 

In al-Taaj wa’l-Ikleel (2/520) it says: “In the jaami‘.” Ibn Basheer said: The jaami ‘ is one of the conditions of offering this prayer. Ibn Rushd said: It is not valid to establish Jumu‘ah except in a  designated mosque. Al-Baaji said: One of the conditions is a mosque that is built specifically for that purpose in the usual style of mosques. End quote. 

To sum up: 

Jumu‘ah prayer in the place mentioned is valid according to the majority of scholars, if it is not possible to allocate a specific place for the Muslims to pray and if they cannot go to the nearest mosque or Islamic centre in which Jumu‘ah prayer is offered. 

And Allah knows best.

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