The
Merit And Importance of Jumu`Ah (Friday
Summary
1)
Allah chooses and favors certain times and places.
2)
Allah has favored Jumu’ah (Friday) over all other days, and
guided people to its virtue.
3)
The
Sunnah on Jumu’ah.
4)
The
Sunnah and the etiquettes of the prayer of Jumu’ah.
5)
Conditions that must be fulfilled in the sermon of Jumu’ah.
6)
Special features of the sermon of Jumu’ah
All praise
and thanks are due to Allah. We praise Him, ask His help and
forgiveness, and seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our
souls and our sinful acts, for he whom Allah guides aright,
there is none to mislead him, and he who is led astray, there
is none to guide him (aright). I bear witness that none has the
right to be worshiped except Allah; He is the Lord with no
associate. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger
and bondsman who has conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust,
and striven in the cause of Allah as he ought to strive, until
there came unto him from his Lord the hour that was certain.
The best of talk is embodied in the Book of Allah, the best of
guidance is that of Muhammad sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam,
the most evil things are innovations in religion (bid`ah),
every act of bid`ah leads to falsehood, and every falsehood
leads to the Hellfire. O Allah, protect us from the Hell and
its severe torture and from the condition of its people.
O servants of Allah! You
should know –may Allah have mercy on us out of His Absolute
Benevolence – that Allah made for His servants certain
occasions for acquiring bonus good deeds. Thus, they draw near
to Him through performing what He has enjoined upon them in
these occasions of all acts of worship, and win the favors and
bounties which Allah the Ever-Generous bestows on them on such
occasions. As a result they will lead a righteous life as Allah
says which means:
“(Namely) those whose lives the
angels take in a state of purity, saying (to them), "Peace be
on you; enter ye the Garden, because of (the good) which ye did
(in the world)."” (Al-Nahl: 32). Also, He
says which means, "And find in
their Hereafter nothing but goodness.”(An-Naba':
36). And, “The Truth (comes)
from thy Lord alone; so be not of those who doubt.”(Ar-Rahmaan:
60) The reward is dependant on the kind of action
“Then shall anyone who has done an
atom's weight of good, see it!
And anyone
who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it.”
(Az-Zalzalah: 7-8).
O servants of Allah! You
should know- may Allah lead us to what pleases Him – that
Allah, out of His great wisdom, diverted those who were before
us from the best day on which the sun has risen and gave the
nation of Islam the guidance for it. Allah says which means:
“Such is
the Bounty of Allah, which He bestows on whom He will: and
Allah is the Lord of the highest bounty.” (Al-Jumu'ah:
4). He also says which means,
“It is never the wish of those without Faith among the People
of the Book, nor of the Pagans, that anything good should come
down to you from your Lord. But Allah will choose for His
special mercy whom He wills for Allah is Lord of grace
abounding.” (Al-Baqarah: 105).
Also, “Such is the
bounty from Allah; and sufficient is it that Allah knoweth
all.” (An-Nisaa': 70).
The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam
said: “We
(Muslims) are the last (to come) but (will be) the foremost on
the Day of Resurrection though the former nations were given
the Holy Scriptures before us. And this was their day (Friday)
the celebration of which was made compulsory for them but they
differed about it. So Allah gave us the guidance for it
(Friday) and all the other people are behind us in this
respect: the Jews’ (holy day is) tomorrow (i.e Saturday) and
the Chrisitans’ (is) the day after tomorrow (i.e. Sunday)”.
(Bukhaari & Muslim)
The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam
said: “It
was Friday from which Allah diverted those who were before us.
For the Jews (the day set aside for prayer) was Saturday, and
for the Christians it was Sunday. In this order would they
(Jews and Christians) come after us on the Day of Resurrection.
We are the last of (the nations) among the people in this world
and the first among the creatures to be judged on the Day of
Resurrection”. (Muslim)
Allah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam
also said:
“The most virtuous of your days is Jumu`ah. On that day, Adam
was created and on that day he died, (on that day) the horn
will be blown and the people will be dumbfounded! Increase your
prayers upon me as your prayers upon me will be presented to
me” The people said: “O Messenger of Allah, how will
our prayers be presented to you when you have passed away?” He
said: “Allah has prohibited the
earth from eating the bodies of the Prophets”.
(Ahmad, Abu Daawood, Ibn Maajah, Ibn Hibbaan & Al-Haakim)
Allah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam
said: “The
best day on which the sun has risen is Friday; on it Allah
created Adam. On it, he was made to enter paradise, on it he
was expelled from it. And the last hour will take place on no
day other than Friday”. (Ahmad & Tirmithi)
In his Muwatta’ Imaam Maalik reported that the Messenger of
Allah sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam
said: “The
best of days on which the sun rises is the day of Jumu`ah. On
it Adam was created, and on it he fell from the Garden, on it
he was forgiven, and on it he died. On it the Hour occurs, and
every moving thing listens from morning till sunset in
apprehension of the Hour except jinn and men. In it is a time
when Allah gives to a Muslim servant standing in prayer
whatever he asks for”
You should know, servants of Allah, that it was the practice of
your prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam
to honour this day and hold it in high esteem by performing
certain acts of worship on it alone. Following are some of
them:
1-
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam
used to recite in the Morning prayer on Friday Surat
Alif-Lam-Mim As-Sajdah’ (Chapter 32) ‘Surely there came over
the man a time’ (Chapter 76) (Muslim, Abu Daawood, Tirmithi,
Nasaa'i & Ahmad).
2-
It is preferred to pray for Allah's blessings on the
prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam during the day and night
of Jumu`ah as the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam
said: “Make
many prayers upon me during the day of Friday and the night of
Friday” (Al-Bayhaqi).
3-
The
performance of Jumu`ah prayer which is among the most important
Islamic obligations and among the greatest gatherings of
Muslims and he who neglects it Allah will seal their hearts
from accepting the guidance.
4-
The
command of performing ghusl on this day is stressed heavily.
5-
Putting on perfume on this day, which is given preference over
applying it on any other day of the week.
6-
The
use of siwaak (tooth-stick).
7-
Going early to Salaatul-Jumu`ah (Friday prayer).
8-
Keeping one's self occupied with the remembrance of Allah,
supplication, and recitation until the Imaam begins his khutbah.
9-
Listening to the Khutbah is obligatory. If he does not listen,
he does an evil act and as a result has no reward. Allah's
prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said:
“When the
Imaam is delivering the Khutbah, and you ask your companion to
keep quiet and listen, then, no doubt you have done an evil
act”. (Al-Bukhaari, Muslim, Maalik, and Abu Daawood)
10-
“The reciter
of
Surat al-Kahf
on Jumu`ah will be blessed with a light that will rise from
underneath his feet to the peak of the sky. This will be a
light for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will be
forgiven for what is between the Jumu`ah (and the next) Jumu`ah”
(Al-Haakim in his
Mustadrak, Al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan, and Ad-Daarami in his
Musnad).
11-
Recitation of Surat al-Jumu`ah
and al-Munaafiqoon or al-Ghaashiyah and al-A`la during the
Jumu`ah prayer, as the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam used to recite them in the Jumu`ah prayer. (Muslim,
Tirmithi, and Ibn Maajah)
12-
It
is the weekly feast-day for Muslims as reported in Ahmad’s
Musnad, Al-Haakim’s Mustadrak, and other books of Sunnah.
13-
It
is preferred that a Muslim wear the best of his clothes on that
day. It is reported that the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa
sallam said:
“A man who performs ghusl on Friday,
perfumes himself if he has perfume, wears form the best of his
clothes, then goes to the mosque covered with calmness until he
reaches the mosque, and offers two rak’ahs of prayer if he
wishes, and does not harm anybody, and then listens quietly
while the Imaam speaks until he offers the prayer, all his sins
between that Friday and the next Friday will be forgiven”
(Ahmad)
14-
It
is not permissible for the one upon whom Jumu`ah is obligatory,
to travel on its day before attending it if its time is due.
15-
It
is prefered to perfume the mosque with incense on Friday for it
is reported that Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, used
to perfume the mosque of Al-Madinah with incense every Friday
at midday.
16-
The
one who goes to attend the Jumu`ah will be given the full
reward of fasting the days of a year and observing night-vigil
on its nights for every one of his steps. It is reported that
the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said:
“Whoever performs ghusl on Friday after having sexual
intercourse with his wife[1]
and then goes early to the mosque and attends from the
beginning of the Khutbah and draws near to the Imaam and
listens to him attentively, then Allah will give him the full
reward of fasting the days of a year and observing night-vigil
on its nights for every one of his steps”
(Musannaf, Ahmad)
17-
On
Friday, one’s sins are expiated, for it is reported in the
authentic hadith that one who attends Jumu`ah will be forgiven
for what is between the Jumu`ah (and the next) Jumu`ah as long
as he avoids grave sins.
18-
The
Blazing fire is kindled to intensify its heat everyday, except
on Friday.
19-
In
it is a time when Allah gives to a Muslim servant whatever he
asks for. This is reported in the two Saheeh books of hadeeth.
20-
There are special conditions and rulings which are restricted
to Jumu`ah only, such as
residence, Khutbah, etc.
21-
Giving Sadaqah (charity) on that day is preferred to giving it
on any other day.
22-
In
paradise, the believers will see Allah and visit Him on Friday.
23-
It
is the best day which Allah has chosen from the days of the
week, just as he has chosen Ramadan as the best of the months
and Laylat al Qadr (the night or power) as the best of the
nights and Muhammad as the best of His creatures.
24-
It
is Makrooh (undesirable) to observe fast on it alone as
mentioned in many authentic hadiths.
25-
The
Khutbah of Jumu`ah should basically include stating the pillars
of belief, that is belief in Allah, his Angels, His books, His
Messengers, in the Last Day; the mention of paradise and the
Hellfire; the bounty and everlasting pleasures which Allah has
prepared for his servants and friends; and the punishment and
everlasting torture that He has made for His enemies who
disobey Him.
Scholars of the past and
present have stressed the importance of the Khutbah of Jumu`ah
and its great effect on Da`wah to Allah, provided that it is
employed properly and the orator fulfils the following
conditions:
1-
Devotion to Allah: for it is the basic condition for the
acceptance of one’s actions and attaining their fruits.
Therefore, if the khutbah is not meant to attain the reward of
Allah, be it directing people to what embodies their pleasure
and happiness both in this world and the hereafter, their words
will not exceed the ears of the audience as they proceed only
from their tongues. In contrast, what proceeds from the heart
reaches the heart directly.
2-
Following in the footsteps of Allah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam with respect to his way and guidance, in general, and
his guidance regarding the Khutbah of Jumu`ah, in particular.
Allah says which means,
“Say: "If ye do love Allah, follow
me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; for Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Aal 'Imraan: 31). He
also says which means, “Deem not
the summons of the Messenger among yourselves like the summons
of one of you to another: Allah doth know those of you who slip
away under shelter of some excuse: then let those beware who
withstand the Messenger's order, lest some trial befall them,
or a grievous Penalty be inflicted on them.” (An-Noor:
63). Thus he supports the Sunnah of the Prophet and does his
utmost in reviving it and fights against Bid`ah and removes it.
3-
Scientific efficiency through Fiqh (comprehension) of religion
and broad readings: so that the orator may be able to benefit
his audience of Muslims, for one cannot give what he does not
possess.
4-
Good
and excellent example: Allah says which means:
“And those
who pray, "Our Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will
be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the
righteous.” (Al-Furqaan: 74), i.e. a good example.
Also the khutbah is meant to admonish the hearts and affect the
feelings and emotions, and this cannot be achieved unless the
adviser or commander practices what he preaches. Allah says
which means: “Do ye enjoin right
conduct on the people, and forget (to practise it) yourselves.
And yet ye study the Scripture? Will ye not understand?”
(Al-Baqarah: 44).
One cannot give what he does
not possess. Our righteous predecessors were aware of this fact
and many of their stories in this respect are narrated. Once
the slaves of Madinah came to Imaam Maalik Ibn Anas, the Imaam
of Daar Al-Hijrah (the home of migration), may Allah have mercy
upon him, and complained about the severity of slavery. They
asked him to deliver a khutbah encouraging people to free the
slaves and explaining the merit of this act. He promised them
to do something good. He waited for a short period and did not
deliver a khutbah concerning their complaint except after a
month. When he delivered the khutbah he encouraged people to
free slaves and explained the great reward which Allah prepared
for him who frees a slave seeking the reward of Allah. His
words affected people greatly, to the extent that people got
out of the mosque and freed great numbers of slaves. The freed
slaves came to him to blame and thank him. They blamed him for
he delayed his khutbah concerning their complaint for that
period and thanked him for their freedom as a result of his
khutbah.
His answer to their blame
indicated the importance of setting a good example for the
orator and Daa`iyah and its effect on his words and Da`wah. He
said: “As for delaying the talk about your issue, when you
asked me that, I found that I did not possess a slave to set
free before speaking about freeing slaves and its merit. So I
worked until I earned enough money to buy a slave and then I
freed him. Thereupon I delivered my khutbah which in turn
affected people’s souls. So praise be to Allah who is the
source of all favors."
5-
Being acquainted with the condition of the audience, so he
knows what is suitable to them and how to affect them like
rabbaani (godly) scholars. Allah describes them saying, which
means, “It
is not (possible) that a man, to whom is given the Book, and
Wisdom, and the Prophetic office, should say to people: "Be ye
my worshippers rather than Allah's": on the contrary (he would
say): "Be ye worshippers of Him Who is truly the Cherisher of
all: for ye have taught the Book and ye have studied it
earnestly.” (Aal 'Imraan: 79). A Rabbaani is the
scholar who is well acquainted with how to teach and admonish
people, so he teaches them the clear, general, basic principles
of knowledge before the ambiguous, specific, and branch issues
of knowledge.
6-
Show a reaction to the words
he says in his khutbah: which indicates that the khateeb is
affected by the issues that he is tackling which are concerned
with the hopes and pains of his nation. Thus he affects the
audience, attracts their attention, and makes them responsive
to him. This is the Prophetic guidance, for Imaam Muslim
reported: “When Allah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam
delivered the khutbah, his eyes became red, his voice rose, and
his anger increased so that he was like one giving a warning
against the enemy and saying: ‘The enemy has made a morning
attack on you and in the evening too” But the state of some
orators, who are unimpressive in their khutbahs to the extent
of being boring and causing the audience to sleep, their act is
undoubtedly in contrast with the guidance of the Prophet."
O servants of Allah! Be
pious and conscious of Allah, and thank Him for what He
conferred on you alone of the blessings of this day from among
all nations. So fulfil what He made obligatiory for you on it
and on the other days, so that you shall attain happiness in
this world and win the pleasure of Your Lord in the Next. O
Allah! Help us so that we may thank You, for the blessings and
favors You conferred on us, remember You, thank You, and
worship you in the best way. I ask Allah's forgiveness for me
and you, so ask His forgiveness, repent to Him, for he who
repents to Allah after committing a sin will have his sin
forgiven.
Second Khutbah
All praise and thanks are
due to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds. May
Allah's peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, His
household, his companions, and those who follow in his
footsteps and pursue his guidance and call to Islam until the
Day of Judgment. O Allah! Make us with them out of Your
Benevolence, Generosity and Bounty, O Lord of The Worlds.
Servants of Allah! We have
mentioned some of the characteristics of Friday and some of the
conditions to be fulfilled by the orator. Now we will discuss
some of the conditions of the khutbah itself:
1 – It should include
praising Allah as He deserves to be praised, teaching the
pillars of Islam, its laws and ethics, enjoining what is good
and forbidding what is evil. The prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa
sallam used to praise Allah with His due praise and then say:
“He whom
Allah guides aright, there is none to mislead him, and he who
is led astray, there is none to guide him (aright). The best of
talk is embodied in the Book of Allah” Then, he used
to say the tashahhud (i.e. to bear witness that there is no god
but Allah) and then say, “to
commence”. He also would command or forbid his
companions if the occasion necessitated this, even while
delivering the khutbah. Once he commanded the man who entered
the mosque (while he was delivering the khutbah) to offer two
rak`ahs as reported by Al-Bukhaari.
2 – It should include what
benefits Muslims concerning their religion and worldly life, by
reminding them of Allah's great blessings in that He guided
them to Islam and sent the honourable prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam to them, and of the Days of Allah; warning them
against His wrath and punishment; asking them to be pious and
conscious of Him and do what makes them nearer to Him, His
pleasure and Gardens; and forbidding them from what makes them
nearer to His wrath and Hellfire.
It should not be used as a
means to decry and defame certain personalities by name. During
his speech about the required methodology of admonition and
delivering khutbahs, Sheikh `Abdullaah Ibn Qa`ood, may Allah
preserve him, said: “.. Thus, it is clear that the way of
decreasing the praising of Allah in the khutbah to the least
amount of praise which appears in the khutbah, as a means to
praise certain persons by name or defame others by name,
contradicts the way of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa
sallam, his Companions, and those who followed on their
footsteps. Thus we should follow in their footsteps with
complete devotion to Allah, so that Allah may accept from us
our obedience and we achieve the purpose for which the khutbah
is meant. This purpose consists of reminding people from time
to time, showing them the right path, knowing their problems
and the diseases of their hearts in order to solve and cure
them by the cure that Allah prescribed for them in His saying
(which means):
“O mankind! There hath come to you a
direction from your Lord and a healing for the (diseases) in
your hearts, and for those who believe, a Guidance and a Mercy.
Say: "In the
Bounty of Allah. And in His Mercy, in that let them rejoice":
that is better than the (wealth) they hoard.”
(Yoonus: 57- 58)
3 – Shortness of the khutbah,
without failing to fulfill its purpose by choosing eloquent
words, avoiding difficult, strange words and terms which common
people do not understand. Also, the lengthening of prayer, in
such a way that is not boring, is recommended. For the Prophet
sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said:
“The lengthening of prayer by a man
and the shortness of the khutbah (sermon) is the sign of his
understanding (of faith)” (Muslim and Ahmad).
Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “Whoever
reflects on the khutbahs of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa
sallam and those of his Companions finds them sufficient to
explain the guidance and monotheism, the Attributes of Allah,
and the general principles of faith and Da`wah to Allah. They
showed the favors of Allah which make His creatures love Him,
and His Days which make them fear His punishment. Moreover,
they included the command to remember and thank Him so that He
may love them, mentioned of His Attributes and Names…what makes
them love Him, and Commanded them to obey, thank, and remember
Him so that He may love them. As a result, the audience will
leave having loved Allah and Him having loved them. Then long
ages passed over them and the light of prophetood disappeared,
to the extent that the laws and commands became mere formal
practices, performed without being conscious of their purposes
and objectives. Thus, they made these forms and practices
sanctified that should not be neglected, while they neglected
their objectives which really deserved their attention. They
became concerned with ornamenting their khutbahs with rhymed
prose and good style, and thus, the share of hearts from them
decreased or even disappeared, and they failed to fulfil their
objective."