Abu Dawud

1086. Commentary: The meaning of these hadiths is that the Friday prayer (Jumu‘ah) of the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to take place immediately after the sun had passed its zenith (zawal). Since the sermon (khutbah) was brief and the prayer itself was somewhat lengthy, when the noble Companions radi Allahu anhum would return, they would not find enough shade from the walls to benefit from it, as is mentioned in the wording of the hadith in Sahih Muslim [860]. «وما تجد فيئا فستظل به» That is, there was shade, but it was very little. «غداء» refers to eating the midday meal, and «قيلوله» refers to resting at midday. Some people have deduced from this that the Friday prayer was held before the sun’s zenith (before zawal). However, this deduction is baseless. If the midday meal is eaten late, it is still called «غداء», and if the midday rest is delayed, it is still called «قيلوله». Therefore, eating and resting after the Friday prayer does not necessitate that the Friday prayer was held before the sun’s zenith.