❀ Virtues and Obligation of Jumu‘ah (Friday) Prayer ❀
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"خَيْرُ يَوْمٍ طَلَعَتْ فِيهِ الشَّمْسُ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ، فِيهِ خُلِقَ آدَمُ، وَفِيهِ أُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ، وَفِيهِ أُخْرِجَ مِنْهَا، وَلَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ إِلَّا فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ"
“The best day on which the sun rises is the day of Friday. On it, Adam (عليه السلام) was created, on it he was admitted to Paradise, on it he was expelled from it, and the Hour will not be established except on a Friday.”
[Muslim: 854; Tirmidhī: 488; Nasā’ī: 3/89; Aḥmad: 2/401; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1729]
"يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ"
“O you who believe! When the call is made for prayer on the day of Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade.”
[Sūrah al-Jumu‘ah: 9]
➊ Severe Warning to Those Who Neglect Jumu‘ah
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه):
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ رَجُلًا يُصَلِّي بِالنَّاسِ، ثُمَّ أُحَرِّقَ عَلَى رِجَالٍ يَتَخَلَّفُونَ عَنِ الْجُمُعَةِ بُيُوتَهُمْ"
“I had intended to order a man to lead the people in prayer, then go to the houses of those who stay away from Jumu‘ah and burn them down.”
[Muslim: 652; Aḥmad: 1/394; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1853]
➋ Warning of Spiritual Sealing for Neglecting Jumu‘ah
Narrated by Ibn ʿUmar and Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنهم):
"لَيَنْتَهِيَنَّ أَقْوَامٌ عَنْ وَدْعِهِمُ الْجُمُعَاتِ، أَوْ لَيَخْتِمَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ، ثُمَّ لَيَكُونُنَّ مِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ"
“People must cease neglecting Jumu‘ah, or Allah will seal their hearts and they will be among the heedless.”
[Muslim: 865; Dārimī: 1/368; Bayhaqī: 3/171]
➌ Obligation of Attending Jumu‘ah in Congregation
Narrated by Ṭāriq ibn Shihāb (رضي الله عنه):
"الْجُمُعَةُ حَقٌّ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ"
“Jumu‘ah is a right and obligation upon every Muslim to be offered in congregation.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 942; Abū Dāwūd: 1076; Dāraqutnī: 2/3; Bayhaqī: 3/172]
➍ Jumu‘ah Is Obligatory on Every Mature Muslim
Narrated by Ḥafṣah (رضي الله عنها):
"رَوَاحُ الْجُمُعَةِ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُحْتَلِمٍ"
“Going for Jumu‘ah is obligatory upon every adult (mature) person.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Nasā’ī: 1299; Nasā’ī: 1371]
➎ Severe Consequence for Repeated Neglect
Narrated by Abū Juʿd Ḍamrī (رضي الله عنه):
"مَنْ تَرَكَ ثَلَاثَ جُمَعٍ تَهَاوُنًا، طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ"
“Whoever neglects three Jumu‘ah prayers out of laziness, Allah will seal his heart.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 928; Abū Dāwūd: 1052; Tirmidhī: 500; Ibn Mājah: 1125]
➏ Ummah’s Distinction with the Day of Jumu‘ah
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
"نَحْنُ الْآخِرُونَ السَّابِقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، ثُمَّ هَذَا يَوْمٌ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَاخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ، فَهَدَانَا اللَّهُ"
“We are the last (in this world) but the first (on the Day of Judgment). This is the day (Friday) that Allah made obligatory upon them (previous nations), but they differed about it, and Allah guided us to it.”
[Bukhārī: 876; Muslim: 855]
Imām al-Bukhārī (رحمه الله) titled this: "باب فرض الجمعة" – “Chapter: The Obligation of Jumu‘ah”
[Bukhārī: 876]
✔ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
Jumu‘ah is obligatory (farḍ).
[Fatḥ al-Bārī: 3/4–5]
✔ Imām Nawawī (رحمه الله):
Jumu‘ah is farḍ ʿayn (individually binding).
[Sharḥ al-Muhadhdhab: 4/349]
✔ Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله):
Anyone who hears the adhān, Jumu‘ah is farḍ ʿayn upon him.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/501]
✔ Ibn Ḥazm (رحمه الله):
Jumu‘ah is wājib (obligatory).
[al-Muḥallā bil Āthār: 3/252]
✔ Ibn Qudāmah (رحمه الله):
The entire Ummah agrees on the obligation of Jumu‘ah.
[al-Mughnī]
✔ Ibn ʿArabī (رحمه الله):
The Muslims have consensus (ijmāʿ) on the obligation of Jumu‘ah.
[ʿĀriḍat al-Aḥwadhī: 2/286]
✔ Ibn al-Mundhir (رحمه الله):
Jumu‘ah is farḍ ʿayn by consensus.
[al-Ijmāʿ: p.4, no. 54]
✔ Imām al-Khaṭṭābī (رحمه الله):
There is some difference whether Jumu‘ah is farḍ ʿayn or farḍ kifāyah, but most jurists consider it farḍ ʿayn.
[Maʿālim al-Sunan: 1/244]
✔ Amīr al-Ṣanʿānī (رحمه الله):
The majority of jurists hold that Jumu‘ah is farḍ ʿayn, and its general obligation is unanimously accepted.
[Subul al-Salām: 2/630]
✔ Shaykh al-Albānī (رحمه الله):
Jumu‘ah prayer is wājib, and it is not permissible to abandon it without valid excuse.
[Tamām al-Minnah: p. 328]
✔ Shaykh Ibn Bāz (رحمه الله):
Allah has made Jumu‘ah prayer compulsory upon the Muslims.
[al-Fatāwā al-Islāmiyyah: 1/399]
The ḥadīth:
"من ترك الجمعة من غير عذر فليتصدق بدينار فإن لم يجد فبنصف دينار"
“Whoever abandons Jumu‘ah without excuse, let him give a dinar in charity, or if he cannot, then half a dinar”
—is weak in authenticity.
[Ḍaʿīf: Ḍaʿīf Abū Dāwūd: 231; Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ: 5520; Ḍaʿīf Nasā’ī: 75; al-Mishkāh: 1374; Abū Dāwūd: 1053]
✔ Friday is the most virtuous day of the week with unique spiritual significance.
✔ Attending Jumu‘ah prayer is individually obligatory (farḍ ʿayn) on every mature male Muslim who hears the call to prayer.
✔ Numerous Qur’anic verses, authentic ḥadīths, and the consensus of scholars affirm its obligation.
✔ Neglecting Jumu‘ah without excuse incurs severe spiritual consequences and risks sealing of the heart.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❖ The Virtue of the Day of Jumu‘ah
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"خَيْرُ يَوْمٍ طَلَعَتْ فِيهِ الشَّمْسُ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ، فِيهِ خُلِقَ آدَمُ، وَفِيهِ أُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ، وَفِيهِ أُخْرِجَ مِنْهَا، وَلَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ إِلَّا فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ"
“The best day on which the sun rises is the day of Friday. On it, Adam (عليه السلام) was created, on it he was admitted to Paradise, on it he was expelled from it, and the Hour will not be established except on a Friday.”
[Muslim: 854; Tirmidhī: 488; Nasā’ī: 3/89; Aḥmad: 2/401; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1729]
❖ Evidence of Obligation from the Qur’an
"يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ"
“O you who believe! When the call is made for prayer on the day of Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade.”
[Sūrah al-Jumu‘ah: 9]
❖ Prophetic Warnings Against Abandoning Jumu‘ah
➊ Severe Warning to Those Who Neglect Jumu‘ah
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه):
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ رَجُلًا يُصَلِّي بِالنَّاسِ، ثُمَّ أُحَرِّقَ عَلَى رِجَالٍ يَتَخَلَّفُونَ عَنِ الْجُمُعَةِ بُيُوتَهُمْ"
“I had intended to order a man to lead the people in prayer, then go to the houses of those who stay away from Jumu‘ah and burn them down.”
[Muslim: 652; Aḥmad: 1/394; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1853]
➋ Warning of Spiritual Sealing for Neglecting Jumu‘ah
Narrated by Ibn ʿUmar and Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنهم):
"لَيَنْتَهِيَنَّ أَقْوَامٌ عَنْ وَدْعِهِمُ الْجُمُعَاتِ، أَوْ لَيَخْتِمَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ، ثُمَّ لَيَكُونُنَّ مِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ"
“People must cease neglecting Jumu‘ah, or Allah will seal their hearts and they will be among the heedless.”
[Muslim: 865; Dārimī: 1/368; Bayhaqī: 3/171]
➌ Obligation of Attending Jumu‘ah in Congregation
Narrated by Ṭāriq ibn Shihāb (رضي الله عنه):
"الْجُمُعَةُ حَقٌّ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ"
“Jumu‘ah is a right and obligation upon every Muslim to be offered in congregation.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 942; Abū Dāwūd: 1076; Dāraqutnī: 2/3; Bayhaqī: 3/172]
➍ Jumu‘ah Is Obligatory on Every Mature Muslim
Narrated by Ḥafṣah (رضي الله عنها):
"رَوَاحُ الْجُمُعَةِ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُحْتَلِمٍ"
“Going for Jumu‘ah is obligatory upon every adult (mature) person.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Nasā’ī: 1299; Nasā’ī: 1371]
➎ Severe Consequence for Repeated Neglect
Narrated by Abū Juʿd Ḍamrī (رضي الله عنه):
"مَنْ تَرَكَ ثَلَاثَ جُمَعٍ تَهَاوُنًا، طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ"
“Whoever neglects three Jumu‘ah prayers out of laziness, Allah will seal his heart.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 928; Abū Dāwūd: 1052; Tirmidhī: 500; Ibn Mājah: 1125]
➏ Ummah’s Distinction with the Day of Jumu‘ah
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
"نَحْنُ الْآخِرُونَ السَّابِقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، ثُمَّ هَذَا يَوْمٌ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَاخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ، فَهَدَانَا اللَّهُ"
“We are the last (in this world) but the first (on the Day of Judgment). This is the day (Friday) that Allah made obligatory upon them (previous nations), but they differed about it, and Allah guided us to it.”
[Bukhārī: 876; Muslim: 855]
Imām al-Bukhārī (رحمه الله) titled this: "باب فرض الجمعة" – “Chapter: The Obligation of Jumu‘ah”
[Bukhārī: 876]
❖ Statements of Scholars Regarding the Obligation of Jumu‘ah
✔ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
Jumu‘ah is obligatory (farḍ).
[Fatḥ al-Bārī: 3/4–5]
✔ Imām Nawawī (رحمه الله):
Jumu‘ah is farḍ ʿayn (individually binding).
[Sharḥ al-Muhadhdhab: 4/349]
✔ Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله):
Anyone who hears the adhān, Jumu‘ah is farḍ ʿayn upon him.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/501]
✔ Ibn Ḥazm (رحمه الله):
Jumu‘ah is wājib (obligatory).
[al-Muḥallā bil Āthār: 3/252]
✔ Ibn Qudāmah (رحمه الله):
The entire Ummah agrees on the obligation of Jumu‘ah.
[al-Mughnī]
✔ Ibn ʿArabī (رحمه الله):
The Muslims have consensus (ijmāʿ) on the obligation of Jumu‘ah.
[ʿĀriḍat al-Aḥwadhī: 2/286]
✔ Ibn al-Mundhir (رحمه الله):
Jumu‘ah is farḍ ʿayn by consensus.
[al-Ijmāʿ: p.4, no. 54]
✔ Imām al-Khaṭṭābī (رحمه الله):
There is some difference whether Jumu‘ah is farḍ ʿayn or farḍ kifāyah, but most jurists consider it farḍ ʿayn.
[Maʿālim al-Sunan: 1/244]
✔ Amīr al-Ṣanʿānī (رحمه الله):
The majority of jurists hold that Jumu‘ah is farḍ ʿayn, and its general obligation is unanimously accepted.
[Subul al-Salām: 2/630]
✔ Shaykh al-Albānī (رحمه الله):
Jumu‘ah prayer is wājib, and it is not permissible to abandon it without valid excuse.
[Tamām al-Minnah: p. 328]
✔ Shaykh Ibn Bāz (رحمه الله):
Allah has made Jumu‘ah prayer compulsory upon the Muslims.
[al-Fatāwā al-Islāmiyyah: 1/399]
❖ Note on a Weak Ḥadīth
The ḥadīth:
"من ترك الجمعة من غير عذر فليتصدق بدينار فإن لم يجد فبنصف دينار"
“Whoever abandons Jumu‘ah without excuse, let him give a dinar in charity, or if he cannot, then half a dinar”
—is weak in authenticity.
[Ḍaʿīf: Ḍaʿīf Abū Dāwūd: 231; Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ: 5520; Ḍaʿīf Nasā’ī: 75; al-Mishkāh: 1374; Abū Dāwūd: 1053]
❖ Conclusion
✔ Friday is the most virtuous day of the week with unique spiritual significance.
✔ Attending Jumu‘ah prayer is individually obligatory (farḍ ʿayn) on every mature male Muslim who hears the call to prayer.
✔ Numerous Qur’anic verses, authentic ḥadīths, and the consensus of scholars affirm its obligation.
✔ Neglecting Jumu‘ah without excuse incurs severe spiritual consequences and risks sealing of the heart.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
