The reason why the Friday prayer is given this name is that Muslims on that day during the noontime gather together to perform this prayer. According to one view, it got this name because of the good deeds gathered on this day.
Before the advent of Islam, the Arabs called Friday “Arūba”. It is reported that it was only when the Quraysh in Mecca started meeting on Friday that Kaʿb Ibn Luayy first called this day Jumuʿah (Meeting, Friday).[1] It is well documented that Friday prayers were not performed in Mecca before the emigration to Medina. However, according to al-Dāraquṭnī’s report, the Messenger of Allah (saw) sent Mus’ab Ibn ʿUmāyr (d. 3/625) to Medina as a teacher after the Aqaba allegiances and informed him in writing that they should meet on Friday and pray two cycles at noon.[2] Thereupon, Muslims gathered in As’ad Ibn Zurāra’s (d. 1/622) land outside of Medina and started to perform the Friday prayers. According to the narration from Ibn Sirīn, the people of Medina performed this prayer before the Messenger of Allah (saw) migrated there and before the Qur’anic verse about Friday was revealed. It is said that it was them that called that day “Friday”. The narrative goes that the native Muslims of Medina (Anṣār) were one day talking among themselves and it was said, “Jews have a day when they gather and pray. Christians also have one. Let us set a day to remember Allah and pray together, and this will be the day of Arūba”.[3]
Taking into account that the Qur’anic verse stating that Friday prayer[4] is obligatory was revealed in Medina and that the Prophet (saw) led the first Friday prayer in the Rānūna valley of the Sons of Salim ibn ʿAwf during the migration, the prayer described led by Musʿab or Asʿad must have taken place before the time that the Friday prayer was declared obligatory.[5]
In Islam, Friday has a significant place and value that extends back to the chronological beginning of the world to its end, and even to the hereafter. It is said that in other monotheistic religions attention was drawn to Friday but they abandoned it and turned to other days.
Various hadiths have been narrated regarding the importance of Friday and the meaning of choosing it as a day of congregational worship. Some of these can be listed as follows:
“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 Christians’ (is) the day after tomorrow (i.e. Sunday).”[6] “The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday; on it, Adam was created. 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.”[7]
In another hadith, it is reported that there is a time (the time of acceptance of invocations) when the prayers made on Friday will be accepted. It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, “I knew which moment was the time of acceptance, but like the night of power, I was made to forget.”[8] The purpose of this concealment is to make people turn to Allah throughout the day. As a matter of fact, it is stated in the hadiths that the sins committed between two Fridays by a person who continuously prays the Friday prayers will be forgiven,[9] and it is stated that the heart of anyone who neglects three consecutive Friday prayers without a valid excuse will be sealed.[10]
A) The Textual Evidence About The Friday Prayer
Friday prayer is based on the proofs found in the Qur’an, sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslim jurists.
1) The sixty-second chapter of the Qur’an is named ‘al-Jumuʿah’ because it mentions the Friday prayer. Allah Almighty says in this chapter, “O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah (dhikr’ullāh), and leave off business (and traffic): That is best for you if you but knew!”[11] The expression “dhikr’ullāh” mentioned in this verse has been interpreted as Friday prayer and Friday sermon.[12]
2) Proof from the Sunnah: Various hadiths have been narrated about the virtue of the Friday prayer, for instance, it being a strong farḍ, and the fact that it is considered a major sin to abandon this prayer without an excuse. The following are some of these hadiths: “Five prayers and from one Friday prayer to (the next) Friday prayer is an expiation (of the sins committed in between their intervals) if major sins are not committed.”[13], and “He who leaves the Friday prayer (continuously) for three Friday on account of slackness, Allah will print a stamp on his heart.”[14] In another hadith transmitted by Samura bin Jundab (ra), it is stated that a person who abandons the Friday prayer without an excuse should give one dinar (approximately 4 grams of gold coin) as expiation, and if he cannot afford it, half a dinar as charity.[15] Furthermore, another hadith states, “People must cease to neglect the Friday prayer or Allah will seal their hearts, and then they will be among the negligent.”[16]
3) Proof from ijma: Muslim scholars are unanimous on the fact that the Friday prayer is farḍ. However, there were differences of opinion on the conditions of its performance.[17] We will examine the conditions for Friday being farḍ and the validity of its performance and especially focus on that which caused differences of opinion such as the conditions of the place, the permission of the state, and the number of people needed in the congregation.
B) Conditions For Friday Prayer To Be Obligatory (Farḍ)
Just like the words ṣalat, ṣawm, hajj, and zakāt, the phrase jumuʿa prayer is also a term with the feature of “closed expression” in terms of the methodology of Islamic jurisprudence. Therefore, its form and conditions require explanations by the Qur’anic verses, hadiths, and the Companions. This is because the Messenger of Allah said, “Perform the prayer as you have seen me performing”.[18]
For the Friday prayer to be obligatory upon a person, distinct from the daily prayers, a number of conditions must also be met.
In a hadith narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah, the following is stated: “Friday prayer is obligatory upon those who believe in Allah and the Last Day. However, travelers, slaves, children, women, and the sick are exempt from this.”[19] Other than these exceptions, every Muslim man is obligated to perform this prayer. Accordingly, we can list the conditions as follows.
1) Maleness
The Friday prayer is obligatory upon Muslim men who have no disability living in a town that meets certain conditions. Women, on the other hand, are free to attend the Friday prayer or not. However, if they attend the Friday prayer and pray in the congregation, this is sufficient for them and they do not have to perform the noon prayer again.[20] It is necessary to examine in the light of the non-linguistic aspects whether the verse that commands us to perform the Friday prayer includes women or not into the scope of addressing men. The Prophet (saw) encouraged women to perform the five daily obligatory prayers, Friday and Eid prayers in the congregation. Moreover, it was encouraged to let them join the congregation at night if they wanted, and a request was made not to hinder them. The following words of Abdullah Ibn Masʿūd addressing the women show the approach of the Companions of that day, “If you, women, perform the Friday prayer with the imam, perform two cycles with him. If you perform it alone, perform four cycles.”[21] As a matter of fact, al-Baghawī said, “Those who are not obligated to be present at the Friday prayer, if they perform the Friday prayer, the obligation of noon prayer will be dropped from them”. Accordingly, it is possible and permissible for them to attend and benefit from this worship, if the circumstances are appropriate and if the mosques are built in an architectural style that women can also benefit from. The fact that the Friday prayer takes the place of the noon prayer for women proves this.
As a matter of fact, in the 21st article of the final declaration of the “Contemporary Religious Issues Consultation Meeting-I” organized by the Presidency of Religious Affairs in May 2002, the following resolution was issued regarding the participation of women in Friday prayers: “Women may participate in daily prayers, Eid, Friday and funeral prayers. Taking into account the practice during the Prophet’s time, Our commission is of the opinion that Friday and Eid prayers should be encouraged for women and children.”[22]
2) Being Free
According to the majority of jurists, historically slaves and captives who had lost their freedom were not obliged to perform the Friday prayer. This is because it may not have been possible for slaves and captives to go to Friday prayers freely. Today such may be presumed to be the situation of convicts in prisons. However, if an appropriate environment for these people to perform the Friday prayer is created, the prayer they will perform will be sufficient in place of the noon prayer.
3) Being a Resident
The Friday prayer is not obligatory for a traveler. This is because the traveler generally encounters difficulties on his travels. For instance, he may not be able to find a place to put his belongings or he may lose his fellow travelers. For this reason, some conveniences have been recognized for travelers. Nevertheless, according to some mujtahids such as Zuhri and Ibrahim an-Nahaī, the traveler is obliged to perform the Friday prayer while he is staying at a place where the Friday prayer is performed. Moreover, according to the Zahirites, the Friday prayer is also obligatory for the traveler.
4) Absence of an Excuse that Would Prevent Performing The Friday Prayer
a) Illness: Friday prayer is not obligatory upon those who fear that their illness will get worse or prolonged when they go to the prayer. The same rule applies to very old people who cannot walk, and to the caregiver who is afraid that his patient will suffer harm if he goes to the mosque for the Friday prayer. Therefore, it is sufficient to perform the noon prayer instead of in situations such as serving as a soldier, a police officer, a security guard, or doing a job that requires uninterrupted work. However, if these people do attend the Friday prayer in the congregation then it will suffice as a prayer for that time period.[23]
b) Being Blind and crippled: According to Abu Yusuf, Imam Muhammad, and the Ḥanbalis, the Friday prayer is obligatory upon the blind who has someone to take him to the Friday prayer. According to the majority, it is not farḍ. Whereas, there is a consensus that Friday prayer is not obligatory upon him if there is no one to take him to the Friday prayer. Moreover, the Friday prayer is not obligatory for people whose legs are paralyzed or amputated and for bedridden patients.
c) Unsuitable weather and road conditions: In case of heavy rain, snow, extreme heat, and cold, which will cause significant harm or distress to the person if he attends the Friday prayer, the obligation to perform the Friday prayer is dropped.[24]
d) Fear: The Friday prayer is not obligatory upon a person whose property, life, or chastity will be in danger if he attends the Friday prayer.
C) Required Conditions For The Validity of The Friday Prayer
The conditions associated with the Friday prayer are the same as those associated with the regular noon prayer as well as all other ritual prayers. However, the Friday prayer has additional conditions associated with it as well, which we shall list below:
1) The Place where Friday will be Performed Should be a City or Have The Status of a City
This condition is based on some narrations and practices of the Companions. It is reported from Ali (ra) that he said, “Friday prayers, takbīrs of tashrīq, Eid prayers in Ramadan and Eid al-Aḍḥa are performed only in crowded cities or towns”. Ibn Ḥazm (d. 456/1063) demonstrated that this report is sound, and Abdurraẓẓāq narrated the same hadith from Ali (ra) through Abū Abdirraḥmān as-Sulamī. Ali’s statement is considered sufficient evidence by the Muslim jurists.
The phrase “crowded city” mentioned in the narrations reported on this subject has been described by Muslim jurists as follows:[25]
According to Abu Ḥanīfa (d. 150/767), settlements that have governors, judges, streets, bazaars, and neighborhoods are called “crowded cities”. While Abu Yusuf (d. 182/798) considers the places that are too crowded to fit into the largest mosque as cities, Imam Muhammad (d. 189/805) considers the places accepted by the rulers as cities to be cities.
Imam Shafiʿi (d. 204/819) and Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal (d. 241/855) establish the criterion on the number of the population in this matter. According to them, a settlement where at least 40 sane, adolescent, free, and resident men live without immigrating to another town in summer and winter is considered cities, and Friday prayer becomes obligatory for them.[26]
According to Imam Malik (d. 179/795), every settlement with a mosque and market is considered a city. In this case, the words village and city are considered synonymous. Moreover, the provision does not change whether the population is small or large.
The evidence of those who say that Friday prayers can be performed in small settlements is as follows:
a) When Abu Hurayra (d. 58/677) was on duty in Bahrain, he asked ʿUmar about the status of the Friday prayer. He replied, “Perform the Friday prayer wherever you are.”
b) ʿUmar Ibn Abdulaziz (d. 101/720), in a letter he wrote to his commander ʿAdiy Ibn Adī, said, “Whenever you come to a village (whose people) do not reside in a tent, appoint an officer who will lead the Friday prayer for its people”.
c) Imam Malik reports that the Companions performed the Friday prayer between Mecca and Medina, and further said that there no cities were found in those regions.[27]
d) Ibn Abbas said that after the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, the first Friday prayer was performed in a village (qarya) called “Juwāsā” in Bahrain.[28]
Muslim jurists, who were of the opinion that the Friday prayer would be performed in large settlements, interpreted the above-mentioned evidence as follows:
aa) ʿUmar’s statement has been understood as “pray Friday prayer no matter which city you are in” since the Companions already knew that Friday prayers could not be performed in deserts or in the fields.
bb) ʿUmar Ibn Abdulazīz’s statement was evaluated as a personal opinion and was not considered evidence.
cc) From the places about which it is reported that the Friday prayer was performed, “Ayla” was an important pier on Bahr Kulzūm, and “Juwāsā” was a castle belonging to Abdulqays in Bahrain. Even if these places were “villages (qarya)”, they were considered to be in the status of cities because they had administrators and municipal police forces appointed by the states.[29] The fact that Juwāsā was called a “village” in the words of Ibn Abbas does not prevent it from being considered a “city” in those times. This is because, in their language, the word qarya was also used in the sense of a city. It is also used in this sense in the Qur’an, “And they say, too, ‘Why was not this Qur’an bestowed from on high on some great man of the two cities?’”[30] What is meant by the “two cities (qaryatayn)” in this Qur’anic verse is Mecca and Taif. Moreover, the city of Mecca was given the name “Umm al-Qurā (mother of cities)” and there is no doubt that Mecca is a city.[31] Since there was a castle in Juwāsā, it was known to have a ruler, administrator, and scholar. That is why al-Sarakhsī [d.490/1097) uses another synonym of the word “city (miṣr)” for Juvâsâ.[32] Abdurraẓẓāq states that Ali (ra) accepted Basra, Kufa, Medina, Bahrain, Egypt, Damascus, Jazira, and perhaps Yamama as well as Yemen as cities (miṣr).[33]
Abu Bakr al-Jaṣṣāṣ (d. 370/980) says, “If it were permissible to perform Friday prayers in villages, it would be transmitted through tawatur because of people’s needs, just as in the case of the city” and reports via Ḥasan that Hajjāj stopped the performance of Friday prayer in the cities but had it performed in the villages.[34]
While Ibn Umar (d. 74/693) says that “places close to the city are like cities”, Anas Ibn Malik (d. 91/717) sometimes would come to the Friday prayer, and sometimes he would not when he was in Iraq since he lived in a place two leagues away from Basra (1 league is about 5544 m.). This indicates that they consider Friday only permissible in city centers.[35]
Examples from the Application
a) During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, the Friday prayer was performed only in the city center of Medina, and the people around came to the center to pray.
It is narrated from Aisha (d. 57/676) that she said: “In the time of the Prophet, The people used to attend the Friday prayer from their houses (manzil) and from the suburbs (awālī) of Medina.”[36] Manzil means the houses in the vineyard – gardens around Medina. Awālī, on the other hand, refers to small settlements around Medina, between 2-8 miles (approximately 3700- 14784 m.) from Medina towards the Najd direction. Since the Companions came to Friday prayers in turns from these places, it is understood that Friday prayer was not obligatory upon them. Otherwise, they would have had to perform the Friday prayer in the congregation in their own settlement or all of them would have had to come to Medina. On the other hand, it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw) ordered the residents of Qubā’ to be present at the Friday prayer in Medina.[37] That is because Qubā’ is about two miles (3700 m.) from the center of Medina. Abdullah Ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet (saw) said: “Friday prayer is obligatory upon every one who hears the adhān.”[38]
b) When some countries were conquered during the period of Rightly Guided Caliphs (Khulafā al-Rashidūn), Fridays were only performed in the city centers. This practice shows that they regarded performing Friday prayers in a “city (large settlement)” as a valid condition. Hence, since the noon prayer is obligatory, abandoning it due to the Friday prayer may be possible only with a definite textual proof (Qur’anic verse-hadith). The definitive textual proof is in the form of performing Friday prayers in city centers and the Friday prayer is considered one of the greatest Islamic symbols. Therefore, this can be best observed in the cities.[39]
In the light of the information given in the sources, it is possible to clarify the issue as follows:
aa) Cities and towns:
Every settlement with a governor, a mufti, a judge who has the power to enforce the rules and enforce the penal code, and a police officer to ensure security is accepted as a “city”. There is no emphasis on the feature of “having roads, villages, bazaars and markets” in the books of later Muslim jurists. This is because a city or town already has these features. Friday prayers can be performed both in the mosque of such a town and in places called “muṣallā (namazgāh)”. There is a consensus on this matter.[40] According to this definition, the centers of the provinces and districts are considered cities. Their situation is similar to that of Mecca and Medina, which are beyond a shadow of a doubt acknowledged as cities.
bb) Places that are in the status of the cities:
The settlement centers, whose population is so crowded that its largest mosque cannot accommodate those who are responsible for the Friday prayer, are also considered within the status of “cities”. This is per Abu Yusuf’s description of the city. Most of the later Muslim jurists based their fatwas on this view. These places, when an official is appointed, also fit Imam Muhammad’s definition of the city.[41] According to this criterion, township centers and large villages are also in the status of the cities.
2) Obtaining a state permit:
The problem of “getting the permission of the representative of the state” in order for the Friday prayer to be valid has also been discussed by Muslim jurists. While some say that this permission is necessary, others argue the opposite. We will try to evaluate both opinions by giving their evidence in detail below.
a) The Hanafis view:
According to Ḥanafi jurists, state permission is required for the Friday prayers. The proof they rely on is the following hadith reported from Jabir Ibn Abdullah and Ibn Umar, “Whoever abandons the Friday prayer, whether during my lifetime or after I am gone, whether he has a just or an unjust ruler, whether he takes it lightly or denies (that it is obligatory), may Allah cause him to lose all sense of tranquility and contentment, and may He not bless him in his affairs.”[42] In this hadith, it is expected that a just or an unjust ruler must be present for the Friday prayer to be obligatory. Since the Friday prayer will be performed with a large congregation and the public will be addressed in the sermon, it is closely related to social order. If the condition relating to obtaining permission from the state is not sought after, mischief may emerge in society. For the performance of the Friday prayer and the reading of a sermon may be considered an accolade, and due to that rivalry may arise. The strife and passions of some people may hinder the congregation’s prayer. The fact that every group in the mosque may want to lead the prayer may destroy the projected benefit from the Friday prayer. If a group performs it and the others do not, the goal will still not be achieved, either. In short, wisdom and social psychology also require that Friday prayer be under certain state supervision.
However, if the ruler is indifferent to the Friday prayer and wants to forbid Muslims from praying without any significant reason, then the Muslims may gather behind an imam and perform the Friday prayers. Imam Muhammad cites the following proof in this regard: While Uthman (ra) was under siege in Medina, the Companions outside gathered behind Ali (ra) and he led the Friday prayer.[43] Bilmen states that this application is possible and permissible in dār al-ḥarb (Land of War).[44]
Is it necessary for the head of state or the governors to lead the Friday prayers personally? Ibn al-Mundhir says, “All along, the practice has been that the Friday prayer has been led by the head of state or by a person who was authorized to lead by his order. If these are not found, the people should perform the noon prayer.”[45] However, over time this practice was gradually abandoned and the imams and preachers replaced the rulers. It is stated in al-Fatawā al-Hindiyya, “The truth is that in our time, the chief of police, the governor, or the judge does not lead the Friday prayer. This is because they were not commissioned for this job. If the duty of leading the Friday prayer is found in their decrees or it is written in their edicts, then this situation would be exceptional.”[46]
When Uthmān became the caliph, he was speechless with excitement during the sermon of the first Friday prayer; Thereupon, he stated that he wanted to rule the people and that eloquent orators could be on the pulpit in the future.[47] It is clear that the principle of performing a Friday prayer by the ruler of the state in person cannot be applied if the ruler is a woman or a slave. Yet, in such a case, the prayer performed at their command is considered valid.[48]
b) The opinion of the majority:
According to Imam Shafiʿi, Malik, and Ahmad Ibn Ḥanbal, the permission of the state is not a condition for Friday prayer to be valid, it is a mustaḥab, that is, good conduct. The evidence they rely on is “analogy”. They compared the Friday prayer to the five daily prayers. Just as permission is not required to perform the obligatory prayers in the congregation, it is not required for Friday. Another proof is that when Uthmān was under siege, Ali (r.anhum) led the Friday prayer without his permission.[49]
According to the Ḥanafis, Ali led this prayer because people gathered among themselves and it was not possible to get permission from the head of state. This application does not mean that Friday prayer can always be performed without getting state permission.[50]
As a result, it is implicit that the Ḥanafis attach great importance to social order in this regard.
3) Number of Congregates in a Congregation
There is also a difference of opinion on the minimum number of men in the congregation required for the Friday prayer to be valid.
a) According to Abu Ḥanīfa, there must be at least three men besides the imam, and according to Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad, two men must be present. Their proof is the use of the plural form in the verse “…Hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah (Friday prayer)”.[51] Abu Ḥanīfa accepted three and the others two as plural.
b) According to the famous view of Shafiʿi and Ahmad Ibn Ḥanbal, there must be forty intelligent, free, adolescent, and resident (settled) men. The Friday prayers cannot be performed in places that do not have such a settled population. Their evidence is the presence of forty people in the first Friday prayer led by Asʿad ibn Zurāra in the Harra of the Bani Bayada tribe in Medina.[52]
c) Imam Malik does not give a specific number. The Friday prayers can be performed with a congregation of less than forty, for example, twelve people. The evidence is this: While the Prophet was giving a Friday sermon in Medina, during a time of famine, the caravan of food items expected from Damascus arrived. Hearing this, the congregation dispersed and twelve people remained in the mosque. The following verse was revealed regarding this incident,[53] “But when they see some bargain or some amusement, they disperse headlong to it and leave you standing. Say: ‘The (blessing) from the Presence of Allah is better than any amusement or bargain! and Allah is the Best to provide (for all needs).’”[54]
Since the Friday prayers were performed in congregations with various numbers in the practices of the Prophet and the Companions, instead of limiting it to one number, it seems more appropriate to be content with the minimum number that expresses “community (community)” as Ḥanafis say. This is because the numbers encountered in practice might be a happenstance.
4) To Perform The Friday Prayer in More Than One Place in a City
Since the Friday prayer was only performed in city centers and in a mosque during the time of the Prophet and his Companions, there was a difference of opinion on this issue as well.
a) According to Abu Ḥanīfa and Imam Muhammad, Friday prayers can be performed in more than one place in a town. “Al-Hindiyya” indicates that this is the sound view of the Ḥanafis. The opposite view has also been reported from Abu Ḥanīfa. Abu Yusuf is of the opinion that the Friday prayer can only be performed in two mosques in a town during unavoidable situations.[55]
b) While Imam Shafiʿi was of the opinion that the Friday prayers can only be performed in a single mosque in a town, he remained silent when he saw that Friday prayers were performed in various mosques in Baghdad.
The proofs of those who say that Friday prayers can be performed in more than one place in a city are as follows:
Just as when Uthman (ra) was under siege, Ali (ra) led the Friday prayer outside of Medina, he also led the Eid prayers in a field outside of Medina, and the old and weak people who could not come there prayed in the city center. Eid prayer is like the Friday prayer in terms of being performed in the congregation. Moreover, an absolute expression was used in the hadith “The Friday prayer can only be performed in a crowded city”,[56] and it was not stated that it had to be performed in a single mosque in such a city. When the city is large, it is difficult for the congregation to gather in a single mosque.[57] The following is stated in these Qur’anic verses, “On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.”[58], and “He has imposed no difficulties on you in religion.”[59]
5) Time
The time of the Friday prayer is the time of the noon prayer. It is narrated from Anas Ibn Malik that he said, “The Messenger of Allah used to perform the Friday prayer when the sun passed the meridian.”[60] When the Prophet sent Musʿab Ibn ʿUmayr to Medina as a teacher before the migration, he (saw) instructed him to lead the Friday prayer when the sun tended to the west. If the Friday prayer is not performed on time, the noon prayer of that day is made up. According to the Ḥanbalis, the time for the Friday prayer begins when the sun has risen one spear’s length in the morning sky and ends when the length of each object’s shadow is equal to the object’s height, not including the length of the shadow cast at high noon.[61] According to the Malikis, the time for the Friday prayer extends from high noon until sundown such that if someone performs this prayer to completion together with the Friday sermon before sundown, he will have fulfilled his obligation in this regard.[62]
6) Sermon (Khutba)
What is meant by the “the Remembrance of Allah (dhikrullūh)” mentioned in the Friday verse “hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah” is the Friday prayer and the sermon. The Prophet did not lead any Friday prayer without a sermon. If the sermon had not been necessary, he would have sometimes abandoned it and shown that it is not obligatory. It is reported from Ibn Umar (r.anhuma) and Aisha (r.anha) that the Friday prayer is performed in two cycles due to the sermon.[63] The sermon (khuṭba) means to address someone and say something. The purpose of the sermon is to inform the believers, who gather in a place once a week, about religion and world affairs, by the highest-level administrator or a knowledgeable imam in that region, as well as to express the majesty and superiority of Allah. According to the Ḥanafis, after the Friday time commences, it is necessary to recite the sermon in the presence of at least one person. If there is no congregation during the sermon and the congregation comes and prays later, their prayers will not be considered valid.
The congregation does not need to hear the sermon since presence is sufficient. It is considered sufficient to have present one legally competent man during the sermon even if he is a traveler.
According to Abu Ḥanīfa, the essential pillar of the sermon consists of remembering Allah. Therefore, the condition of a sermon becomes fulfilled by saying only “alḥamdulillāh” or “subḥānallah” or “lā ilaha illallāh” with the intention of delivering a sermon. For, in the verse “Hasten to the remembrance of Allah”, no distinction is made between a little and a lot of such remembrances. When Uthman became the caliph, he got speechless after saying “alhamdulillah” in the first Friday sermon, and got down from the pulpit and led the Friday prayer. However, in general, it is makrūḥ to be satisfied with saying this amount as it would contradict common good practice.
According to Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad, a sermon should be delivered that is long enough to be called a sermon. This should include praises, ṣalawāt, and supplication for Muslims as long as the supplication of “taḥiyyāt”.
According to the Ḥanafis, a sermon does not have to be in Arabic, since it includes not only praise, ṣalawāt, and supplication, but also advice. It should be used in the language that each society understands so that people can understand the information and the advice delivered by the sermon. According to the Shafiʿis and the Malikis, it is a condition of validity of the Friday prayer that the sermon be in the Arabic language.
According to Imam Shafiʿi, there are five essential pillars (arkān) of a sermon: Praising Allah in both sermons, sending ṣalawāt to the Prophet, recommending ṭaqwā, preferably reciting a Qur’anic verse in the first sermon, and praying for the believers in the second sermon. According to the Ḥanbalis, apart from the last item, the essential pillars of the khutbah are like the Shafiʿis.
According to Imam Malik, the essential pillar of the sermon is that it consists of statements of good news or warning addressed to the community of believers.
The wājib acts of the sermon are: a) To recite the sermon standing up and facing the people,[64] b) To be cleansed of minor and major ceremonial impurities,[65] and c) To cover the awrah.
The sunnah acts of the sermon are to divide the sermon into two sections and to sit between these sections for a duration to say a tasbīḥ or recite three Qur’anic verses. That is why it is called two sermons. Each of these two sermons should contain ḥamd, the testimony of faith (kalima al-shahadah), and the sending of peace and blessing to the Prophet. Moreover, the first sermon should include a recitation of a Qur’anic verse and an admonition, and the second sermon should include a supplication for the believers.[66] In this second sermon, the orator’s voice should be lower than in the first one. These are considered the sunnah acts of the sermon.
Furthermore, it is sunnah not to prolong both sermons. It is makrūḥ to do long recitation by choosing from any of the chapters called Ṭiwāl al-Mufaṣṣala, that is, from suras like “al-Hujurāt (49)” to “al-Burūj (85)”, and this even more emphasized in case of winter. Moreover, the community should not be made to hate the Friday sermons.[67]
When the orator ascends the pulpit and sits down, a muezzin must call the adhān while being in front of him. This is the adhān that was recited in the time of the Prophet. Sāib ibn Yazīd (ra) said, “The first adhān used to be when the Imam sat on the pulpit on Friday, at the time of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and Abu Bakr and Umar. During the caliphate of Uthman, when the number of people increased, Uthman commanded that a further adhān be given on Friday, so that adhān was recited from the top of az-Zawrā’, and that is how it remained.”[68]
After the first adhān, the preacher gets up,[69] recites the audhu silently, praises and glorifies Allah openly, and delivers his sermon to the congregation. In a town taken by force, the orator reads his sermon by holding a sword in his left hand. This practice is a symbol of the power and dominance of Islam and shows the strength that the Muslim soldiers rely on. When the sermon is over, the iqāmah is recited. These are the sunnah acts of the sermon.
Just as it is makrūḥ to abandon the sunnah acts of the sermon, it is also makrūḥ to speak and warn the speaker while the sermon is being delivered. It is also considered makrūḥ for those who listen to the sermon to look around and greet each other. According to the narration from Abu Huraira, the Prophet (saw) said, “Whoever says to his companion on Friday, when the imam is delivering the khutbah, ‘Listen attentively,’ has engaged in idle talk.”[70] Salmān (ra) narrated that the Prophet (saw) said to him, “There is no man who purifies himself on Friday as he is commanded, then comes out of his house to the Friday prayer, and listens attentively until he finishes his prayer, but it will be an expiation for what came before it the week before.”[71] In the narration of Abu Hurayra, it is stated that the sins committed by this person between the two Fridays and in the additional three days will be forgiven.[72]
Some Issues About The Friday Prayer
The Friday prayers have long been allowed in many villages. If a villager goes to a city on a Friday and intends to stay there until the time of Friday prayer, the Friday prayer becomes obligatory upon him. However, if he intends to leave before the Friday prayer time, it will not be obligatory. If he intends to leave the city after the Friday prayer time commences, according to the preferred view, the Friday will still not become farḍ upon him. It is permissible for him to return to his village without waiting for Friday, for reasons such as the early departure of the vehicle to the village and the absence of a second passenger vehicle. In such a case, it is sufficient for him to perform the noon prayer.
It is permissible to leave in the morning on Friday. However, it is makrūḥ to set out after the zawāl time without performing the Friday prayer.
It is makrūḥ for those who are excused or imprisoned to perform the noon prayer in the congregation on Friday before or after the Friday prayer. It is mustaḥab for them to perform the noon prayer after the Friday prayer.
If a person performs the noon prayer at home before performing the Friday prayer without an excuse, even if this prayer is valid, he will be a sinner for abandoning the Friday prayer. However, if that person then turns to the mosque to perform the Friday prayer, according to Abu Ḥanīfa, even if he does not reach the Friday prayer, his previous prayer will turn into nafilah. If he cannot reach the Friday prayer of that day, he has to perform the noon prayer again. According to Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad, his noon prayer is not invalid unless he goes and starts the Friday prayer. However, Abu Ḥanīfa and these two imams are of the same opinion that running to Friday prayer after the imam completes the Friday prayer does not invalidate the noon prayer.
It is mustaḥab to say takbīr, to bathe, to wear perfume, to use miswak, and to put on beautiful clothes on Friday. It is obligatory for those who do not have an excuse and are obliged to perform the Friday prayer when the call to prayer is called from the minaret. They should stop everything else and go to the mosque immediately.
It is mandūb to go to the mosque early on Friday, to perform the two-cycle taḥiyyātu’l-masjid prayer, and to recite or listen to the recitation of chapter al-Kahf.
A person who enters the mosque on Friday can find for himself a place close to the preacher if he has not started the khutbah and as long as it does not cause any trouble or harm to others. Otherwise, he should sit down in the first place where he finds adequate space. However, if he cannot find a place and there is a vacant place in the front lines, he should move to that place.
When the orator ascends to the pulpit, the congregation must remain silent, not greet each other or perform voluntary prayers. If the first sunnah cycle of the Friday prayer has commenced, it should be completed hastily by observing its wājib acts without prolonging it. According to the Ḥanafis, a person who enters the mosque after the sermon starts should sit down and not pray the first sunnah cycle. According to Imam Shafiʿi and Ahmad Ibn Ḥanbal, he should perform the two-cycle sunnah prayers. This is because, according to the narration from Jabir Ibn Abdallah and Abu Saʿīd al-Khudrī (r. anhuma), while the Prophet was delivering the Friday sermon, he asked the person who entered the room whether he had prayed or not and told him to get up and perform it. That person thus performed a two-cycle prayer.[73] In the case of the khutbah, even when the blessed names of the Messenger of Allah (saw) are mentioned in the khutbah, it is more virtuous not to send peace and blessings to him and just listen to the sermon. However, according to an opinion from Abu Yusuf, in such a case, the greeting of peace and blessings should be said silently.
It is more appropriate for the person who delivers the Friday sermon to lead the Friday prayer as well. A person who follows the imam before the Friday prayer ends, completes this prayer. If he catches up with the imam in tashahhud or prostration of forgetfulness, he is considered to have reached the prayer. According to Imam Muhammad, a person who catches up with the imam after the rukūʿ of the second cycle completes the noon prayer, not the Friday prayer.
Zuhr al-Akhir Prayer
The Ẓuḥr al-Akhir prayer means the last noon prayer. Since the Friday prayer is performed at the time of the noon prayer and takes its place, what is the meaning of performing such a prayer and its place in Islam?
There is no mention of a ritual prayer called the ẓuḥr al-akhir prayer among the narrations from the Prophet and from the first period of Islam. This is a prayer that has come to the fore when the validity conditions of Friday prayer, especially the requirement of performing Friday prayer in a single mosque in a settlement, started to be violated due to the increase in the population of cities and towns, and the emergence of a necessity to perform Friday prayers in several places in a city. Due to the difference of opinion of the jurists on this issue, some jurists considered it recommended to perform a four-cycle prayer called ẓuḥr al-akhir after the Friday prayer.
The ẓuḥr al-akhir prayer is performed after the four sunnah cycles durıng the Friday prayer, and it is performed as four cycles just like the four cycles of the noon prayer or the four cycles of its sunnah, with the intention of “the last noon prayer whose time has started and has not dropped on me yet”. When it is performed like the sunnah cycles, a chapter or some Qur’anic verses added to the Fatiḥa recıted in the last two cycles will not harm its validity.
According to the Ḥanafi school’s view, the Friday prayers can be performed in more than one place in a city in order to eliminate such difficulty. This is because in big cities today it is no longer possible to gather the entire congregation into one mosque. Otherwise, great difficulties will arise and the path of those who will come on Friday will be very long and difficult. Therefore, not performing Friday prayers in small mosques where there is no need, and performing Friday prayers in fewer places in cities where it is needed is more suitable and identifiable with the understanding of the Friday prayers during the time of the Prophet and the four Rightly Guided Caliphs.
Due to the above historical reasons, performing the ẓuḥr al-akhir prayer was recommended by many scholars, and even many Shafiʿi jurists deemed it appropriate. This is because, according to Imam Shafiʿi, the Friday prayer that is first to be performed in a city becomes valid, while the others do not. When this is the case, those who have started the Friday prayer late were advised to perform the noon prayer. Imam Malik, on the other hand, took the Friday prayer performed in the oldest mosque on Friday as the basis and did not consider the prayers performed in the other mosques to be valid at all.
However, since the issue is based on ijtihād, Imam Shafiʿi did not object to the many simultaneous Friday prayers he saw being performed in various mosques in Baghdad.
It is important to note that after stating that there is no robust evidence to prevent the performance of Friday prayers in more than one place, Ibn Rushd (d. 520/1126) writes, “Otherwise, the Messenger of Allah (saw) would not have kept silent on such an important issue, but would have made an explanation” and he ended his discussion by quoting the two following Qur’anic verses, “We have sent down unto you (also) the Message; that you may explain clearly to men what is sent for them.”[74], and “And We sent down the Book to you for the express purpose, that you should make clear to them those things in which they differ.”[75]
[1] Al-Qurṭubī, Aḥkām al-Qur’ān, Cairo, 1967, XVIII, 97, 98.[2] Al-Ṣuyūtī, al-Durr al-Manthūr, Beirut, n.d. VI, 218, Transmited from al-Daraquṭnī; Ibn Ṣaʿd, Ṭabaqāt, Beirut, n.d., III, 118.[3] Ibn al-Humām, Fatḥ al-Qadīr, Egypt 1898, I, 409; Ibn Ṣaʿd, ibid, III, 118; al-Haythamī, Majma al-Zawāid, Beirut 1967, II, 176.[4] Al-Jumʿa, 62: 9.[5] Ibn Maja, ‘Iqāmah, 78; Ahmed Naim, Tecrid-i Sarih ter. Ankara 1980, III, 4-8.[6] Al-Bukhari, Jumʿa, 1, I, 211; Muslim, Jumʿa, 22. The wording in Muslim is slightly different.[7] Muslim, Jumʿa, 17,18; al-Bukhari, Jumʿa, 4; Abū Dawūd, Witr, 26; al-Tirmidhī, Jumʿa, 1, 2; al-Nasā’ī, Jumʿa, 3, 5; Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, II, 311.[8] Ḥākim, I, 279.[9] Al-Bukhari, Jumʿa, 6, 19; Muslim, Jumʿa, 26; Abū Dawūd, Ṣalāh, 202, 203.[10] Abū Dawūd, Ṣalāh, 204.[11] Al-Jumʿa, 62: 9.[12] Jaṣṣāṣ, Aḥkām al-Qur’ān, V, Cairo, n.d., p. 338, 339; al-Kāsānī, Badāyi al-Ṣanā’i, I, Beirut, 1974, p. 256.[13] Muslim, Ṭaḥāra, 14-16; Abū Dawūd, Ṭaḥāra, 127, Ṣalāh, 229; Al-Tirmidhī, Ṣalāh, 46.[14] Abū Dawūd, Ṣalāh, 204; Ibn Maja, ‘Iqāmah, 93; al-Tirmidhī, Jumʿa, 7; al-Nasā’ī, Jumʿa, 2.[15] Ibn Maja, ‘Iqāmah, 93, Hadith No: 1128; al-Nasā’ī, Jumʿa, 3.[16] Muslim, Jumʿa, 12; al-Nasā’ī, Jumʿa, 2.[17] Al-Sarakhsī, Mabsūt, Beirut, 1978, II, 22.[18] Al-Bukhari, Adhān, 18, Adab, 27.[19] Abū Dawūd, Ṣalāh, 208, 209, I, 644, Hadith No: 1067; al-Daraquṭnī, II, 3; al-Baghawī, Sharḥ al-Sunna, I, 225. Abū Dawūd stated that the narrator Ṭāriq b Shihāb saw the Prophet (saw) but did not hear anything from him. Ḥākim al-Nisābūri stated that Ṭāriq b Shihāb narrated this hadith from Abū Musa al-Ashʿarī. See al-Bayḥaqī, Sunan, II, 3; Ibn Hajar, Talḥīṣ al-Khabīr, IV, 603 ff.[20] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, 22, 23; Ibn Abidīn, Radd al-Mukhtār, I, 591, 851-852.[21] Al-Baghawī, Sharḥ al-Sunan, IV, 225.[22] This meeting was held between the dates May 15-18, 2002 in Istanbul Tarabya Hotel with the participation of more than 80 academicians from the branches of tafsīr, hadith and fiqh and about 30 scholars from the Directorate of Religious Affairs and lasted for four days.[23] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, vol. II, p. 22, 23; Ibn al-Humām, Fatḥ al-Qadīr, I, p. 417.[24] Al-Bukhari, Jumʿa, 14, 17.[25] Abdurrazzāq, Muṣannaf, III, 167, 168, Hadith No: 5175, 5177; Ibn Abi Shayba narrated this from ‘Abbād Ibn Awwām, similarly from Ḥasan Basri, Ibn Sirīn and Ibrahim Nahaī. Ibn al-Humām, ibid, I, 409.[26] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, p. 24, 25; al-Kāsānī, ibid, I, 259; al-Jazirī, Kitāb al-Fiqh ‘ala al-Madhāhib al-’Arba’a, Egypt n.d. I, 378, 379; Abdullah al-Mawṣilī, Ikhtiyār, Cairo n.d., I, 81.[27] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, 23; Ahmed Naim, ibid, III, 45, 46.[28] Al-Bukhari, Jumʿa, 11, I, p. 215; al-Baghawī, ibid, IV, 218; Ibn al-Humām, ibid, I, 490.[29] Ahmed Naim, ibid, III, 46.[30] Al-Zukhruf, 43: 31.[31] Al-Shūrā, 42: 7.[32] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, 23.[33] Abdurrazzāq, ibid, III, 167.[34] Jaṣṣāṣ, ibid, V, 237, 238.[35] Al-Bukhari, Jumʿa, 15; Jaṣṣāṣ, ibid, V, 237, 238.[36] Abū Dawūd, Ṣalāh, 205, 206,Hadith No: 1055.[37] Al-Tirmidhī, Jumʿa, 8, Hadith No: 501.[38] Abū Dawūd, Ṣalāh, 205, 206, Hadith No: 1056.[39] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, 23; al-Kāsānī, ibid, I, 259; Ibn al-Humām, ibid, II, 51.[40] Ibn Abidīn, ibid, I, 546, 547 ff.[41] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, 23, 24; al-Kāsānī, ibid, I, 259, 260; al-Mawṣilī, ibid, I, 81; al-Jazirī, ibid, I, 378, 379.[42] Ibn Maja, ‘Iqāmah, 78. Ibn Majah considers its chain of transmitters weak because of Ali Ibn Zayd and Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Adawi, who are part of the chain of the narrators of this hadith. After narrating a similar hadith, al-Haythamī said: “al-Ṭabarānī narrated this hadith in his Awṣaṭ and there is Musa Ibn Atiyya al-Bahili in its chain of the transmitters. I couldn’t find his biography. The rest of the narrators are reliable.” See Majma al-Zawāid, II, 169, 170.[43] Al-Kāsānī, ibid, I, p. 261; Fatawā al-Hindiyya, I, p. 146; Ibn Abidīn, ibid, I, 540.[44] Bilmen, Büyük İslam İlmihali, Istanbul, 1985, p. 162.[45] Ahmed Naim, ibid, III, 48.[46] al-Fatawā al-Hindiyya, I, 145.[47] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, 30, 31.[48] Ibn al-Humām, ibid, I, 413 ff.; Ibn Abidīn, ibid, II, 137.[49] Al-Kāsānī, ibid, I, 261;Tecrid-i Sarih Terc, III, 48.[50] Ibn al-Humām, The Commentary of ‘Inayah in the margins of Fatḥ al-Qadīr, I, 411, 412.[51] Al-Jumʿa, 62: 9.[52] Tecrid-i Sarih Tercümesi. III, 46.[53] Al-Bukhari, Jumʿa, 38; Muslim, Jumʿa, 36; al-Baghawī, ibid, IV, 220; al-Jumʿa, 62: 11.[54] Al-Jumʿa, 62: 11.[55] Al-Kāsānī, ibid, I, 260, 261; Ibn al-Humām, ibid, I, 411; al-Fatawā al-Hindiyya, I, 145; Ibn Abidīn, ibid, I, 542; Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, 120.[56] Abdurrazzāq, Muṣannaf, III, 166.[57] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, 121, 122.[58] Al-Baqara, 2: 286.[59] Al-Ḥajj, 22: 78.[60] Al-Bukhari, Jumʿa, 16; Abū Dawūd, Ṣalāh, 216, 217; Ibn Maja, ‘Iqāmah, 84.[61] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, 24; Ibn al-Humām, ibid, I, 412, 413; Abū Dawūd, Ṣalāh, 216, 217. Regarding the hadith that Ḥanbalis use as proof, Abū Dawūd said that it was ‘mursal’.[62] Jaziri, ibid, p. 492.[63] Al-Sarakhsī, ibid, II, 24.[64] Abū Dawūd, Ṣalāh, 219-222.[65] Al-Bukhari, Jumʿa, 1-6.[66] Muslim, Jumʿa, 33, 60; Al-Tirmidhī, Jumʿa, 11, Hadith No: 506.[67] Al-Kāsānī, ibid, I, 263 ff.; Ibn al-Humām, ibid, I, 421; Ibn Abidīn, ibid, I, 758, ff.; al-Fatawā al-Hindiyya, I, 146 ff.[68] Al-Nasā’ī, Jumʿa, 15, Hadith No: 1390; al-Shawkanī, ibid, III, 262.[69] Al-Jumʿa, 62: 11; al-Nasā’ī, Jumʿa, 18.[70] Al-Nasā’ī, Jumʿa, 22; Abū Dawūd, Ṣalāh, 228, 229, Hadith No: 1112; Ibn Maja, ‘Iqāmah, 86, Hadith No: 1110; Al-Tirmidhī, Jumʿa, 16, Hadith No: 512.[71] Al-Nasā’ī, Jumʿa, 23.[72] Muslim, Jumʿa, 26; Ibn Maja, ‘Iqāmah, 81, Hadith No: 1090.[73] Muslim, Jumʿa, 54; al-Tirmidhī, Jumʿa, 15, Hadith No: 510.[74] Al-Naḥl, 16: 44.[75] Al-Naḥl, 16: 64; See Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Bidāyat al-Mujtahid, I, 154; Ibn Abidīn, ibid, I, 755 ff.; Ibn Qudāmah, Mughnī, II, 334 ff.; Bilmen, ibid, p. 164, 165.
Source: Basic Islamic Principles (ilmiḥal) According to the Four Sunni Schools With Evidence From The Sources of Islamic Law, Prof. Hamdi Döndüren, Erkam Publications