The Distinguished Status of Friday
Allah Almighty has honored the day of Friday with many honors and distinctions, the details of which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) explained on various occasions. The details that have been found in the light of authentic hadiths are as follows:
(1) The birth and death of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) occurred on Friday.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
من أفضل أيامكم يوم الجمعة ، فيه خلق الله آدم ، وفيه قبض ، وفيه النفحة ، وفيه الصعقة . . . . . . . .»
Imam Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) and Imam Dhahabi declared this hadith authentic.
Allama Nasiruddin al-Albani also authenticated it in his research on Sunan Abi Dawood.
“The best day for you is Friday; on it Allah created Adam (peace be upon him), on it he died, on it the trumpet will be blown for the Day of Resurrection, and on it people will die unconscious.”
Explaining more about the creation of Adam (peace be upon him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
خلق الله عز وجل التربة يوم السبت ، وخلق فيها الجبال يوم الأحد ، وخلق الشجر يوم الاثنين ، وخلق المكروه يوم الثلاثاء ، وخلق النور يوم الأربعاء ، وبت فيها الدواب يوم الخميس ، وخلق آدم عليه السلام بعد العصر من يوم الجمعة ، فى آخر الخلق فى آخر ساعة من ساعات الجمعة ، فيما بين العصر إلى الليل»
“Allah created clay on Saturday, mountains on Sunday, trees on Monday, disliked things on Tuesday, light (guidance and illumination) on Wednesday, animals on Thursday, and Adam (peace be upon him) was created on Friday after Asr prayer, the last of creation in the last hours of Friday between Asr and night.”
(2) All stages of the Day of Resurrection will be completed on Friday.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
خير يوم طلعت فيه الشمس يوم الجمعة ، فيه خلق الله آدم ، وفيه أدخل الجنة ، وفيه أخرج منها ، ولا تقوم الساعة إلا فى يوم الجمعة»
“The best day on which the sun rises is Friday. On it Allah created Adam (peace be upon him), on it he entered Paradise, on it he was expelled from it, and the Day of Resurrection will also occur on Friday.”
The hadiths related to نفخة» and صعقة» have just been mentioned.
(3) Due to the same greatness and awe of Friday, the entire universe weeps and laments on this day, except for humans and jinn.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
. . . . . . . . وما من دابة إلا وهى مصيحة يوم الجمعة من حين تصبح حتى تطلع الشمس شفقا من الساعة إلا الجن والإنس . . . . . .»
“… Every living being on Friday, from the break of dawn until sunrise, is terrified of the Day of Judgment, except for jinn and humans…”
In another place, the Prophet (peace be upon him) described the scene as follows:
. . . . . . ما من ملك مقرب ولا سماء ولا أرض ولا رياح ولا جبال ولا بحر إلا وهن يسفقن من يوم الجمعة»
Allama Al-Busiri in Az-Zawaid and Allama Al-Albani in Tahqiq Ibn Majah have graded this hadith as Hasan (good).
“Every close angel, the heavens, the earth, the winds, the mountains, and the seas are terrified on Friday because of its greatness.”
(4) Friday is the leader of all days. In terms of rank and status, it is greater and more honorable than Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
إن يوم الجمعة سيد الأيام ، وأعظمها عند الله ، وهو أعظم عند الله من يوم الأضحى ويوم الفطر . . . . . .»
This hadith is Hasan; the detailed reference has just passed.
“Friday is the leader of all days and the most honored before Allah. Before Allah, this day is more virtuous and honorable than Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr…”
In the recently mentioned hadiths, the Prophet (peace be upon him) described it as افضل أيامكم» (the most superior for you) and خير يوم» (the best day).
(5) In this regard, this day has been designated as the weekly Eid for Muslims.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
إن هذا يوم عيد جعله الله للمسلمين ، فمن جاء إلى الجمعة فليغتسل ، وإن كان طيب فليمس منه ، وعليكم بالسواك»
Allama Albani has classified this hadith as Hasan (good).
“This (Friday) is the day of Eid. Allah Almighty has appointed it for the Muslims. Therefore, whoever comes on Friday should come after bathing. If perfume is available, apply it, and on this day, be sure to use the miswak.”
(6) Jews have always envied Muslims. One of the many reasons for this envy is Muslims being honored with Friday. Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that I was present in the company of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when a Jew asked for permission to enter. The Prophet (peace be upon him) granted permission, and he said to the Prophet السام عليك» (may death befall you). The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied وعليك» and ended the conversation. She narrates that I intended to speak to him, but then a second and a third man came, and they also said السام عليك». The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied وعليك» and dismissed the matter. Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that then I addressed the Jews who had come and said:
“May death befall you, may Allah’s wrath be upon you; you are brothers of monkeys and pigs. You greet the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with words that Allah Almighty has not taught.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) turned towards me and said:
. . . . . . . مه ، إن الله لا يحب الفحش ولا التفحش ، قالوا قولا فرددناه عليهم فلم يضرنا شيئا ، ولزمهم إلى يوم القيامة ، إنهم لا يحسدوننا على شيء كما يحسدوننا على يوم الجمعة التى هدانا الله لها وضلوا عنها ، وعلى القبلة التى هدانا الله لها وضلوا عنها ، وعلى قولنا خلف الإمام آمين»
This hadith has been mentioned by Allama Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) in Zad al-Ma’ad 1/413.
Allama Shu’ayb al-Arna’ut has said that its chain of narration is Hasan (good) and many hadiths support this meaning.
“Stop! Allah Almighty does not like foul language and bad words. They said something to us, and we returned the same to them. Their words did not harm us, but this foul language became part of their history until the Day of Judgment. These people do not envy us for anything else as much as they envy us for Friday, which Allah Almighty has granted us success in, and they could not attain it. They also envy our Qiblah, which Allah enabled us to have, and they were deprived of it. They also feel great jealousy when we say ‘Ameen’ behind the Imam.”
(7) Thus, the day of Friday became a symbol of leadership for the Muslim Ummah. Although it is the last Ummah to come, it has surpassed all others in every respect. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
نحن الآخرون الأولون السابقون يوم القيامة ، بيد أنهم أوتوا الكتاب من قبلنا ، ثم هذا يومهم الذى فرض عليهم فاختلفوا فيه ، فهدانا الله والناس لنا فيه تبع اليهود غدا والنصارى بعد غد»
“We are the last to come but the foremost in rank, and on the Day of Judgment, we will surpass them (the Jews and Christians), even though they received the scripture before us. Allah had made this Friday obligatory upon them, but they differed regarding it, so Allah granted us the opportunity of this Friday. People follow us in this matter. Tomorrow (Saturday) is the turn of the Jews, and the day after tomorrow (Sunday) is the turn of the Christians.”
Explaining the order of arrival in this world and the reckoning in the Hereafter in more detail, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
أضل الله عن الجمعة من كان قبلنا ، فكان لليهود يوم السبت ، وكان للنصارى يوم الأحد ، فجاء الله بنا فهدانا الله ليوم الجمعة ، فجعل الجمعة والسبت والأحد ، وكذلك هم تبع لنا يوم القيامة ، نحن الآخرون من أهل الدنيا والأولون يوم القيامة المقضي لهم قبل الخلايق »
“Allah deprived the nations before us of the honor of Friday, so for the Jews, the day of Saturday was appointed, and for the Christians, Sunday. Then Allah sent us as a Messenger and granted us the day of Friday. The order of the days of the week is thus: Friday, Saturday, Sunday. On the Day of Resurrection, they will also come in this order after us. In this world, we are the last to come, but on the Day of Resurrection, we will be the first, meaning our reckoning will be before all other creatures.”
(8) Allah Almighty has honored the day of Friday with an additional distinction that there is an hour in this day during which every legitimate supplication is accepted.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
إن فى الجمعة لساعة لا يوافقها عبد مسلم وهو قائم يصلي يسأل الله تعالى شيئا إلا أعطاه إياه ، وأشار بيده يقللها»
“There is an hour on Friday during which if a Muslim servant stands and prays and asks for something, Allah grants it to him.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) indicated with his hand that this time is very short. (Meaning this is a brief interval, so make full use of this time with proper care.)
On another occasion, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
سيد الأيام يوم الجمعة ، وأعظمها عند الله ، وأعظم عند الله من يوم الفطر ويوم الأضحى ، وفيه خمس خصال: خلق الله فيه آدم وأهبط الله فيه آدم إلى الأرض ، وفيه توفى الله عز وجل آدم وفيه ساعة لا يسأل الله العبد فيها شيئا إلا آتاه الله إياه ما لم يسأل حراما . وفيه تقوم الساعة ، ما من ملك مقرب ولاسماء ولا أرض ولا رياح ولا بحر ولا جبال إلا وهن يشفقن من يوم الجمعة»
Allama Al-Busiri has classified this hadith as Hasan (good) in Az-Zawaid.
Some phrases of this hadith have appeared in various places.
“Friday is the chief of all days, it is the most honored day in the sight of Allah, greater than Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Five important things are related to this day:
◈ Allah created Adam (peace be upon him) on this day.
◈ On this day, Allah sent Adam down to the earth.
◈ On this day, Adam died.
◈ And on this Friday, there is an hour during which if a servant asks Allah for anything, Allah grants it to him unless he asks for something forbidden.
◈ On this Friday, the Day of Judgment will be established. Every close angel, the earth, the winds, the seas, the mountains, the trees—everything fears the greatness of Friday.”
The question is: which is that blessed hour? The scholars, based on their own reasoning, ijtihad, and knowledge, have specified different times, but authentic hadiths confirm only two times.
