❖ Prescribed Recitations in Friday Prayer
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❀ Recitation in the Friday (Jumu‘ah) Prayer
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to recite specific Sūrahs during the Jumu‘ah Salah, establishing a prophetic practice for Imams to follow.
✿ ① Sūrah al-A‘lā and Sūrah al-Ghāshiyah
Ḥaḍrat Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr (رضي الله عنه) reported:
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقرأ في العيدين وفي الجمعة بـ ﴿سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى﴾ و ﴿هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ﴾
“The Prophet ﷺ used to recite Sabbih isma rabbika al-A‘lā and Hal atāka ḥadīthu ’l-ghāshiyah in the prayers of both ʿĪd and Friday.”
[Muslim: 878 | Abū Dāwūd: 1122 | Tirmidhī: 533 | Nasā’ī: 3/112 | Ibn Mājah: 1281 | Bayhaqī: 3/201 | Dārimī: 1/315 | Ibn Khuzaymah: 2/358 | Aḥmad: 4/271]
These Sūrahs emphasize remembrance of Allah and reflection upon the Hereafter, aligning well with the spirit of Jumu‘ah.
✿ ② Sūrah al-Jumuʿah and Sūrah al-Munāfiqūn
Ḥaḍrat Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما) narrated:
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقرأ في صلاة الجمعة بـ ﴿الْجُمُعَةِ﴾ و ﴿الْمُنَافِقُونَ﴾
“The Prophet ﷺ used to recite Sūrah al-Jumuʿah and Sūrah al-Munāfiqūn in the Jumu‘ah prayer.”
[Muslim: 879 | Aḥmad: 1/226 | Abū Dāwūd: 1074 | Tirmidhī: 520 | Ibn Mājah: 820 | Nasā’ī: 2/159 | Ibn Khuzaymah: 533 | Ibn Ḥibbān: 1821 | Bayhaqī: 3/201]
This recitation pattern highlights community guidance and warning against hypocrisy, making it a timely reminder for the Jumu‘ah congregation.
❖ Conclusion
✔ It is Sunnah to recite either of the following combinations in Friday prayer:
① Sūrah al-Aʿlā (87) and Sūrah al-Ghāshiyah (88)
② Sūrah al-Jumu‘ah (62) and Sūrah al-Munāfiqūn (63)
These Sunnah combinations are well-established through authentic narrations, and Imams are encouraged to maintain this prophetic tradition.
