Nasai

715. Commentary:

➊ Establishing scholarly circles before the Friday prayer diminishes the importance of Jumu‘ah, which is why religious educational institutions are closed on the day of Jumu‘ah. Or, it is prohibited to form circles during the Friday sermon; rather, everyone should sit facing the imam in a single circle. Or, the meaning is that during the Friday sermon, one should not sit in the form of circles, but rather sit in straight rows so that there is no difficulty later in performing the prayer. However, while sitting in the alignment of the rows, the face should still be turned towards the imam.

➋ Buying and selling in the mosque is not specifically related to Jumu‘ah; rather, buying and selling in the mosque is prohibited at all times because it leads to noise, disputes, and arguments. All these things are contrary to the sanctity of the mosque. The mosque is built for worship, remembrance (dhikr), and recitation of the Qur’an. Furthermore, if buying and selling were permitted in the mosque, it would cause disruption in prayers and other acts of worship, and people would come to the mosque not purely for worship but also with the intention of buying and selling. In this way, they would be deprived of the reward for coming. Coming to the mosque with preparation and intention for prayer is itself a deed of great reward.