The disputes turn on different legal variables: headcount (three or two followers besides the imam), commencement of a legally relevant action (setting out versus joining; imam appearing versus khutbah beginning), and minimum substance (brief remembrance versus a discourse properly called a sermon). Keeping these axes separate prevents conflating the reasons behind different rulings.
Opening interactive controls...
Three axes for understanding the legal disagreements
Friday Prayer: Conditions, Khutbah, Congregation and Related Rulings
The disputes turn on different legal variables: headcount (three or two followers besides the imam), commencement of a legally relevant action (setting out versus joining; imam appearing versus khutbah beginning), and minimum substance (brief remembrance versus a discourse properly called a sermon). Keeping these axes separate prevents conflating the reasons behind different rulings.