Surah Al-Jumu'a (62) — Ayah 9

(Ayah 9) ➊ { يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اِذَا نُوْدِيَ لِلصَّلٰوةِ … :} Among the misfortune of the People of the Book and the good fortune of the unlettered is also this: that Friday was made obligatory upon the Jews and Christians, but they differed in accepting it. The Jews fixed Saturday and the Christians fixed Sunday for worship, whereas Allah granted the guidance of Friday to the Muslim Ummah, by which they gained precedence over both Jews and Christians. For details, see the commentary of Surah An-Nahl, Ayah (124): « اِنَّمَا جُعِلَ السَّبْتُ عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ اخْتَلَفُوْا فِيْهِ ».

➋ { يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا … :} This verse is clear evidence that Friday is obligatory upon all those who have believed, whether they live in a city, a village, or the desert. Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, established a chapter in his Sahih: {’’بَابُ الْجُمُعَةِ فِي الْقُرٰي وَالْمُدُنِ ‘‘} (The Chapter of Friday in Villages and Cities), and in it he brought the hadith of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: [ إِنَّ أَوَّلَ جُمُعَةٍ جُمِّعَتْ بَعْدَ جُمُعَةٍ فِيْ مَسْجِدِ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ صَلّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِيْ مَسْجِدِ عَبْدِ الْقَيْسِ بِجُوَاثٰٰی مِنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ ] [ بخاري، الجمعۃ، باب الجمعۃ في القری والمدن : ۸۹۲ ] “The first Friday that was performed after the Friday in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the mosque of the tribe of Abdul Qais, which was at Jawathi in Bahrain.” In Abu Dawood, in the narration of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, these words are also present: [ بِجُوَاثَاءَ قَرْيَةٍ مِّنْ قُرَی الْبَحْرَيْنِ ] [ أبو داوٗد، الصلاۃ، باب الجمعۃ فی القرٰی : ۱۰۶۸ ] “Jawatha is a village among the villages of Bahrain.” In the verse, upon the call to prayer on the day of Friday, there is the command to hasten to the remembrance of Allah, and performing the congregational prayer is obligatory not only in the city but in every village and desert.

Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: [ مَا مِنْ ثَلاَثَةٍ فِيْ قَرْيَةٍ وَلاَ بَدْوٍ لاَ تُقَامُ فِيْهِمُ الصَّلاَةُ إِلاَّ قَدِ اسْتَحْوَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَعَلَيْكَ بِالْجَمَاعَةِ فَإِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُ الذِّئْبُ الْقَاصِيَةَ ] [ أبوداوٗد، الصلاۃ، باب في التشدید في ترک الجماعۃ : ۵۴۷ ] “There are not three men in a village or desert among whom prayer is not established except that the devil has overcome them. So adhere to the congregation, for the wolf only eats the sheep that is far from the flock.” Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that people wrote to Umar (ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him) asking about Friday, and he wrote: [ جَمِّعُوْا حَيْثُمَا كُنْتُمْ ] [ مصنف ابن أبي شیبۃ : 101/2، ح : ۵۱۰۸ ] “Wherever you are, perform Friday.” Its chain is upon the condition of Bukhari and Muslim. Those who have stipulated the condition of a city or ruler for Friday have no evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah, and the famous narration {’’ لَاجُمُعَةَ وَلَا تَشْرِيْقَ إِلَّا فِيْ مِصْرٍ جَامِعٍ‘‘} (There is no Friday or Eid except in the central city) is not established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is a famous statement of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, which is contrary to the statement of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, which is narrated with an authentic chain. When there is a difference among the Companions, it is obligatory to refer back to the Book and Sunnah (see An-Nisa: 59), and according to the Book and Sunnah, Friday is obligatory upon all Muslims everywhere, as mentioned above, except for a few people who are exempted. Tariq bin Shihab, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلْجُمُعَةُ حَقٌّ وَاجِبٌ عَلٰی كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ فِيْ جَمَاعَةٍ إِلاَّ أَرْبَعَةً عَبْدٌ مَمْلُوْكٌ أَوِ امْرَأَةٌ أَوْ صَبِيٌّ أَوْ مَرِيْضٌ ] [أبوداوٗد، الصلاۃ، باب الجمعۃ للمملوک والمرأۃ : ۱۰۶۷، قال الألباني صحیح ] “Friday is a duty upon every Muslim to be performed in congregation except for four: a slave owned by someone, a woman, a child, or a sick person.” And Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لَيْسَ عَلٰی مُسَافِرٍ جُمُعَةٌ ] [ المعجم الأوسط للطبراني : 249/1، ح : ۸۱۸، وقال الألباني صحیح۔ دیکھیے الجامع الصغیر : ۵۴۰۵ ] “There is no Friday upon the traveler.”

Those upon whom Friday is not obligatory, if they come for Friday, it is a cause of reward. In the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), women also used to come for Friday, and besides the reward, they would get the opportunity to listen to and memorize the verses of the Qur’an, increase in knowledge by listening to the Qur’an and Sunnah, and be reformed by listening to admonition. Umm Hisham bint Harithah bin Nu’man, may Allah be pleased with her, said: [ مَا أَخَذْتُ « قٓ وَ الْقُرْاٰنِ الْمَجِيْدِ » إِلَّا عَنْ لِسَانِ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْرَؤُهَا كُلَّ يَوْمِ جُمُعَةٍ عَلَی الْمِنْبَرِ إِذَا خَطَبَ النَّاسَ ] [ مسلم، الجمعۃ، باب تخفیف الصلاۃ و الخطبۃ : ۵۲ /۸۷۳ ] “I memorized Surah « قٓ وَ الْقُرْاٰنِ الْمَجِيْدِ» from the tongue of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); he used to recite it on the pulpit every Friday during the sermon.” In another narration in the same chapter of Sahih Muslim (873), the words of Umm Hisham, may Allah be pleased with her, are: [ مَا حَفِظْتُ « قٓ » إِلَّا مِنْ فِيْ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَخْطُبُ بِهَا كُلَّ جُمُعَةٍ ] The meaning has passed above. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade men from preventing women from coming to the mosque to obtain their share of reward and knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لَا تَمْنَعُوا النِّسَاءَ حُظُوَظَهُنَّ مِنَ الْمَسَاجِدِ إِذَا اسْتَأْذَنُوْكُمْ ] [ مسلم، الصلاۃ، باب خروج النساء إلی المساجد … : ۱۴۰ /۴۴۲ ] “Do not prevent the women from their share of the mosques when they seek your permission.”

Among the innovations of the day of Friday is the innovation of precautionary Zuhr. Some people, who think that Friday is not valid without an Islamic ruler and that Friday is not valid in villages, after leading the two units of Friday prayer in cities and villages, also perform four units of Zuhr as a precaution. This is the worst innovation, because its foundation is doubt, which is the habit of the disbelievers, as He said: « بَلْ هُمْ فِيْ شَكٍّ يَّلْعَبُوْنَ» [ الدخان : ۹ ] “Rather, they are in doubt, playing.”

➌ The “al” in { اِذَا نُوْدِيَ لِلصَّلٰوةِ مِنْ يَّوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ : ’’ اَلصَّلاَةُ ‘‘} is for specification, meaning the prayer that is specific to the day of Friday, and everyone knows that it is the Friday prayer which is performed in place of Zuhr on that day, and by “call” is meant the adhan. See the commentary of Surah Al-Ma’idah, Ayah (58). Nowadays, generally two adhans are given before the sermon on Friday, but in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, there was only one adhan. Sa’ib bin Yazid, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates: [ كَانَ النِّدَاءُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ أَوَّلُهُ إِذَا جَلَسَ الإِْمَامُ عَلَی الْمِنْبَرِ عَلٰی عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَ أَبِيْ بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا فَلَمَّا كَانَ عُثْمَانُ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ وَكَثُرَ النَّاسُ زَادَ النِّدَاءَ الثَّالِثَ عَلَی الزَّوْرَاءِ ] [ بخاري، الجمعۃ، باب الأذان یوم الجمعۃ : ۹۱۲ ] “On the day of Friday, the first adhan used to be when the Imam sat on the pulpit. This was the practice in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both. Then when Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, became caliph and the people increased, he added a third adhan at a place called Zawra in the market.” Note that this third adhan refers to the adhan that is now given fifteen minutes or half an hour before the sermon; the two adhans after that refer to the adhan and the iqamah. This third adhan was not given in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, or Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both; Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, added it due to the increase in people, but in his time this adhan was not given in the mosque but in the market, so that people would be informed. Nowadays, this adhan is not given separately in the market, nor is there a need for it due to loudspeakers, nor is it the practice of Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, to give two adhans in the mosque before the sermon. Therefore, only one adhan should be given in the mosque before the sermon, which is the practice of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, and the action of Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, is also this.

➍ The meaning of { فَاسْعَوْا اِلٰى ذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ : ’’سَعٰي يَسْعٰي سَعْيًا‘‘} (fa) is both to run and to strive, as He said: « وَ اَنْ لَّيْسَ لِلْاِنْسَانِ اِلَّا مَا سَعٰى » [ النجم :۳۹ ] “And that there is not for man except that for which he strives.” Here, the second meaning is intended, i.e., come with utmost effort and attention, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade coming to prayer running.

➎ Although coming early for Friday is a great virtue and there are well-known hadiths about it, the final limit after which it becomes forbidden to engage in anything other than setting out for Friday or what is required for it is the adhan of Friday. Here, the mention of {’’ الْبَيْعَ ‘‘} is due to the specific incident that is coming in the next verse, otherwise, striving towards the remembrance of Allah cannot be done only by leaving trade but also by leaving all other work, and it is clear that when striving is obligatory, then every action that prevents it is forbidden.

➏ {ذٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُوْنَ :} It is clear that in comparison to the reward of the Hereafter, the benefits of this world have no value.

➐ The rulings and virtues related to Friday, such as performing ghusl, wearing good clothes, applying perfume, coming early, listening to the sermon silently, and other related rulings and virtues, are mentioned in detail in the books of hadith.