Jumu’ah prayer(Friday prayer)
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family and companions and those who are guided by his guidance. One of the most beautiful rituals in Islam that identifies this beautiful religion and the Muslims is the Jumu’ah prayer. Jumu’ah is the name of the day which is Friday. So the Friday prayer is one of the most important prayers in Islam.To the extent that there is a surah, one of the chapters of the Quran by this title and about this subject. And we all know that Friday is the best day of the week. It’s the best day that the sun had ever risen upon.
Allah Azza wa Jal had made that day a day of feast and celebration and Eid every single week. And Allah has blessed this day with a number of virtues so that people would know the value of this day and that they would do the actions according to the sunnah that the Prophet ﷺ directed us to do on it. The Prophet ﷺ said that the best day on which the sun rises is Friday. On it, Adam was created. On it, he was admitted to Paradise. On it, he was expelled there from and the day of judgment, will only begin on a Friday. And this was reported by Al-Imam Muslim in his sahih.
what’s the ruling on praying the Friday prayer or the Jumu’ah prayer?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family and companions and those who are guided by his guidance.
One of the most beautiful rituals in Islam that identifies this beautiful religion and the Muslims is the Jumu’ah prayer. Jumu’ah is the name of the day which is Friday. So the Friday prayer is one of the most important prayers in Islam.
To the extent that there is a surah, one of the chapters of the Quran by this title and about this subject. And we all know that Friday is the best day of the week. It’s the best day that the sun had ever risen upon.
It is mandatory upon every individual who is accountable, adult and male and of course someone who is capable to attend. Because Allah (SWT)says in the Quran, O you who believe, when the Adhan is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu’ah, on the day of Friday, then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. Do not sell or buy.
And the Prophet ﷺ also said, going to Jumu’ah is obligatory for everyone who has reached the age of puberty. And also the Prophet ﷺ warned people against not attending the Jumu’ah.
When he said, some people should stop neglecting Jumu’ah prayer or Allah will surely place a seal on their hearts. Then they will be among the heedless. So it is a huge sign of hypocrisy. May Allah (SWT)protect us.
Friday prayer is not mandated upon women or children who have not reached the age of puberty and those who are sick. And also a traveller is not obliged to attend the Friday prayer because the Prophet ﷺ would not pray it when he’s travelling.
However, if he settled in a city and the people in that city or town offered it, he would offer it with them.
if a woman or a child decided to pray the Friday prayer, are they required to pray Dhuhr again? The answer is no. Whoever prays Friday, this suffices him from offering Dhuhr.
But whoever skips Friday must pray Dhuhr. So those who are obliged to pray Friday are those who are in sound mind, they’re resident and not travelling, they have the ability physically to attend because the Prophet ﷺ said Jumu’ah prayer in congregation is obligatory for every Muslim except for a slave, a woman, a boy and the one who is sick. So these people are exempted from praying the Jumu’ah prayer.
What’s the time of Jumu’ah prayer?
It’s an issue of dispute among scholars. And according to the most authentic opinion is that Friday prayer’s time is identical to Dhuhr time. So after the sun has passed the meridian until the length of the shade is equivalent to the height of an erected object, this is the time of Jumu’ah.
However, the authentic hadith also supports the opinion that the Prophet ﷺ may have prayed it half an hour and some say an hour before the time of Dhuhr, but the majority of scholars stick with the opinion that you’ve heard earlier.
How many rak’ah
Friday prayer is composed of two rak’ahs, unlike the Dhuhr, which is four. And these two rak’ahs are to be recited loudly, unlike Dhuhr, which four rak’ahs are recited silently. These two rak’ahs must be preceded by two khutbah(before and after sitting ), and the oration, the khutbah, is a pillar of the Jumu’ah. So if someone just goes, gives the Adhan, and makes the Iqamah and prays two rak’ahs, in the same way that we pray Friday, without a khutbah,then this is an invalid prayer and an invalid Jumu’ah altogether.
Sunan of the khutbah is as follows.
1. The orator, that the khateeb, gives his khutbah while standing up, because this is what the Prophet ﷺ did, he gave two khutbahs, standing up in the first, after concluding it, he would sit for a short pause, then stand up to give the second khutbah afterwards. And Jabir ibn Samur, may Allah be pleased with him, said, whoever told you that the Prophet had ever given his khutbah sitting down, he told you a lie.
2. It is part of the Sunnah, that the khutbah should be on a pulpit, on a high, elevated place, so that the people would be able to see you and hear you clearly, and it is more powerful in reaching and delivering the message to the people.
3. Short pause between the two khutbahs, as stated earlier, this is a highly recommended Sunnah of the Prophet, as he had never ever left them.
4. It is Sunnah that these two khutbahs are short and concise. Ammar ibn Yasir, may Allah be pleased with him, says, the Prophet ﷺ said, the length of a man’s prayer, and the shortness or the brevity of his khutbah, are indicative of his proper understanding of religion, to make your prayers lengthy and to make your khutbah brief. And this is the way of the Prophet, alayhi salatu wa salam, when you make your khutbah short, concise, but to the point. People come out and say, the khutbah was about this and that.
Speaking during khutbah
It is prohibited upon those attending the khutbah to speak while the imam is delivering his khutbah. The Prophet ﷺ says, if you say you to your companion, listen. While Imam is delivering the khutbah, you have engaged in idle speech.Which means that your Friday is not counted for you.It is also not permissible for people who are late in attending to disturb the people who are sitting and present and distract them from their khutbah by crossing over their shoulders, stepping over them unnecessarily. This is so common in our masjids. We see people who come two hours, three hours before everyone else and they are in their rows waiting and one or two minutes before the imam comes, you find late comers coming from the end of the masjid, stepping over people’s shoulders and necks to try find a gap in the first row. Why? He said, we want the reward of the first row. You want the reward of the first row? Come early.
The Prophet ﷺ said to a man while he was giving the khutbah and the man was stepping over people’s shoulders and necks, he said to him, sit down, you are disturbing people. So the Prophet interrupted his khutbah to reprimand this man and to order him to sit down.The Prophet ﷺ said, whoever does ghusl on a Friday, then goes and does not force his way between two people, then prays whatever he has been decreed or whatever was decreed for him. His sins between that and the previous Friday will be forgiven.So, one of the conditions for your sins to be forgiven, not to separate between the two people.
Among the sunnah is that when the imam comes to the masjid and rises on the pulpit, he says As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. And also, that after saying the salam, the imam should sit on the pulpit until the muadhin gives the adhan.Once the muadhin gives the adhan and he finishes, then the imam should stand up and give or start his khutbah.
And finally, among the etiquettes and the recommended things to be said in the khutbah is to conclude it with dua. So, to offer supplication for the Muslims and those in authority, including praying for the Muslims religious and worldly affairs to be rectified, that throws a lot of comfort in Muslims’ hearts when the imam does this and it is part of the sunnah.
Allah knows best!
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