Tirmidhi

Commentary: 1؎ :
This hadith indicates that the ritual bath (ghusl) for Jumu‘ah is not obligatory, because firstly, in it, permission for ablution (wudu) has been granted, rather it has been considered good, and secondly, the ritual bath (ghusl) has been described as superior, from which the permissibility of leaving the ritual bath (ghusl) is derived.

Note:

(This hadith is narrated from multiple Companions,
and all of their chains are weak,
this chain is also weak because the hearing (sama‘) of Hasan al-Basri from Samurah radi Allahu anhu is not established except for the hadith of ‘Aqiqah,
however, after being strengthened by all the routes, this hadith reaches the level of hasan li-ghayrihi,
the text is also supported by authentic (sahih) ahadith.)

1381. Commentary:

➊ Imam al-Nasa’i rahimahullah’s intent is that this narration was not heard directly by Hasan al-Basri from Samurah ibn Jundub radi Allahu anhu, rather he narrated it from his book, and in this he does not explicitly state that he heard it. Regarding Hasan’s narration from Samurah, the hadith scholars have three opinions: Hasan’s hearing from Samurah is established in an absolute sense, meaning all his narrations from him will be considered as having been heard directly. This is the position of Imam al-Bukhari’s rahimahullah teacher, Ali ibn al-Madini rahimahullah. Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned this in his “Tarikh al-Awsat,” and this is also the position of Imam al-Tirmidhi and Imam al-Hakim rahimahum Allah. The second opinion is that Hasan did not hear anything from Samurah radi Allahu anhu at all, i.e., his hearing from Samurah is not established in any way. This is the view of Imam Ibn Hibban rahimahullah. Imam Yahya ibn Ma’in rahimahullah and Imam Shu’bah also hold this view, but there is no evidence for this claim. The third opinion is that Imam Hasan’s hearing from Samurah is established only in the hadith of ‘Aqiqah, and that is all. This is the position of Imam al-Nasa’i rahimahullah. Imam al-Daraqutni rahimahullah also leans towards this in his Sunan. Imam ‘Abd al-Haqq and Imam al-Bazzar, among others, also hold this view. However, based on the evidence, the preferred position is that of Imam al-Nasa’i rahimahullah and others: only those narrations in which he himself explicitly states that he heard from Samurah, or which are strengthened by supporting evidence, will be considered authoritative; otherwise, not. In the hadith of ‘Aqiqah, Imam Hasan has explicitly stated that he heard it from Samurah radi Allahu anhu. And Allah knows best. For further details, see: [ذخیرة العقبیٰ شرح سنن السنائي : 131/16 ، 132]

➋ The majority of scholars, in light of this hadith, consider the ritual bath (ghusl) of Jumu‘ah to be recommended (mustahabb), but their opinion is questionable, because the words of the hadith: “Whoever performs the ritual bath, then this is better,” do not negate obligation (wujub); the virtue of something does not negate its obligation. And Allah knows best. To further understand the meaning of this hadith, see the introduction of this book.

354. Commentary:
From these hadiths, it is deduced that the ritual bath (ghusl) for Jumu‘ah is not obligatory. Undoubtedly, the original reason for the ruling was exactly as mentioned in the hadith of Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma, but when the Muslims accepted and acted upon it, they were made bound to it from a legal (shar‘i) perspective, as has been established by authentic hadiths in the previous chapter. Now, although the original reason no longer exists, the ruling of obligation remains—just as in the matter of Hajj, the original reason for performing ramal (walking briskly) during the arrival circumambulation (tawaf al-qudum) does not exist, yet the ruling of obligation remains. Therefore, the preferred opinion is that the ritual bath (ghusl) for Jumu‘ah is obligatory; one should be diligent in performing it, and negligence in this regard is a great deprivation.

Lexical Explanation:
«فَبِهَا» "Ha" refers to "Sunnah" or "concession" or "praiseworthy trait," and this jar majrur is related to a deleted «أَخَذَ».
«نِعْمَتْ» This is a verb of praise. Its subject is the hidden pronoun «هِيَ», whose antecedent is "Sunnah" or "concession" or "praiseworthy trait," and the one specified for praise is omitted, i.e., «هٰذِهٖ».

Benefit:
This hadith supports the view of the non-obligation of ritual bath (ghusl) on the day of Jumu‘ah, as is the position of the majority. However, the hadith that indicates its obligation is more authentic, more preponderant, and stronger than the hadith indicating non-obligation; therefore, it is more cautious to adopt what is more authentic, preponderant, and stronger.

Hadith Narrator:
(Sayyiduna Samurah radi Allahu anhu) — with a fathah on the "seen" and a dammah on the "meem." «جُنْدُب» — with a dammah on the "jeem," a sukoon on the "noon," and a dammah on the "dal." He is a well-known Companion of the Messenger. His kunyah is Abu Abdullah. Due to being a member of the Fazārah tribe, he is called Fazāri. He had alliance and relations with the Ansar. He was among those memorizers who had memorized many ahadith and the Qur’an. He resided in Basrah. He was very strict regarding the group of the Khawarij known as the Haruriyyah. He passed away at the end of 59 Hijri.