the Friday prayer except for the people of the city center; this is because these characteristics have a merit that necessitates priority, so it is prioritized accordingly, like the Imam's Friday prayer. It is possible that the earlier of the two is the valid one (6) to the exclusion of the other, because the Imam's permission is more emphatic, and for this reason it was stipulated in one of the two narrations. If neither of the two has a merit—due to both being authorized, or neither being authorized—and the two locations are equal in the possibility of holding the Friday prayer in each of them (7), then the earlier one is the valid one, because it occurred according to its conditions, and it was not crowded out by something that invalidates it, nor was it preceded by something that would render it unnecessary. The second one is invalid because it took place in a city where a valid Friday prayer was already held, which suffices for all others. Precedence is determined by the opening takbir (ihram); because once the ihram for one of them is made, the ihram for any other becomes forbidden, as it is no longer necessary. If the ihram for both occurs simultaneously, then both are invalid (8); because it is impossible for both to be valid, and neither is more deserving of invalidity than the other, so both are void, like a man marrying two sisters, or if two guardians married a woman to two men. If the first of them is not known, or the manner in which they occurred is not known, both are also invalid; because one of them is invalid, but it is not specifically known which, and neither is more deserving of invalidity than the other, so both are void, like the aforementioned two cases. Then, if we know the invalidity of both Friday prayers because they occurred simultaneously, it is obligatory to repeat the Friday prayer if that is possible, while the time remains; because it is a city in which a valid Friday prayer has not been held, and there is still time to perform it, so it is incumbent upon them, just as if they had not prayed anything. If we are certain of the validity of one of them, but not specifically which, they may not pray anything but the Dhuhr (noon) prayer; because it is a city in which we are certain that the obligation of the Friday prayer was absolved by the earlier of the two, so it is not permissible to hold a Friday prayer in it, just as if we knew which one it was. The Qadi said: It is possible that they may hold another Friday prayer, because we ruled that both are invalid, so the city is one in which no valid Friday prayer was performed. The correct view is the first one; because the valid one has not become invalid, it is merely that the judgment of its validity cannot be established for it specifically due to our ignorance of it, so this becomes