Can the Jumu'ah salaah be performed at the Bombay Harbour?

Q: Salaah-273: We have boarded a ship yesterday and today is Friday. We have with us several Haajis from Bombay and the ship is still in the Bombay harbour. Should they perform the Jumu'ah salaah or Zuhr salaah? Should they also perform Qasr salaah or salaah in fuII?

Answer: As long as the ship is anchored at the Bombay harbour, these people ought to perform salaah in full because they are still within the borders of their city and are therefore still not Musaafirs. They may however not perform the Jumu'ah salaah on board because as long as they cannot freely leave the ship and others are not free to board, the condition of ldhn Aam (free access) is not found, which is one of the preconditions for the Jumu'ah salaah to be valid. This is like the inmates of a prison who cannot also perform the Jumu'ah salaah because there is no free access to and from the prison. They should therefore perform the Zuhr salaah individually and not in congregation because this will be Makrooh (Tahreemi).

Fatawa Rahimiyyah vol.2