In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer is a prayer that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according to the sun’s sky path regardless of time zones. Jumu’ah means Friday in the Arabic language.
At Friday prayers, also called Jummah, he preaches a sermon using words from the Qur’an. The Friday prayers are obligatory for men. Before worshipping Allah, Muslims perform ritual washing called wudu’u, to prepare for prayer.
Muslims pray five times on dailysis, but the most important prayer of the week is “jumah,” on the day of gathering, on Friday with minimum number of 12 people.
The Jummah prayer is a important prayer in Islam because it is different from a daily prayer and more important. Allah made the Jummah prayer a sacred prayer for Muslims and a prayer that is obligatory for Muslims.
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: 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.
Abu Hurayrah (R.A.) reported that ‘Five are the demonstrations of fitra (nature/ instinct). They are; 1) circumcision, 2) evacuating the hair underneath the navel, 3) trimming the mustache, 4) trimming the nails, and 5) culling the hair under the arms. All these Sunnah of the prophet are expected to be done by the believers, before the congregational prayer on every Fridays.
However, In a narration from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), it was stated that the one who reads Surah Al-Kahf on Fridays will find his entire week enlightened until the next Friday (al-Jaami).
Surat Al-Jumuʿah is the 62nd chapter of the Quran, with 11 verses. The chapter is named al-jumu`ah because it is the day of assembly, when the community abandons trade, transactions and other diversions in favor of assembling to seek the all-encompassing truth and most beneficent and seek the “bounty of God” exclusively.
Shaykh al-Tusi has also recorded that, it is highly recommended to recite Surah al-Tawhid, to invoke Almighty Allah’s blessings upon Muhammad and his Household, and to pray for forgiveness each one hundred times after the Fajr Prayer on Fridays.
In surat Al Jumu’ah, Allah says;
﴿وَإِذَا رَأَوْاْ تِجَـرَةً أَوْ لَهْواً انفَضُّواْ إِلَيْهَا وَتَرَكُوكَ قَآئِماً قُلْ مَا عِندَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهْوِ وَمِنَ التِّجَـرَةِ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الرَزِقِينَ ﴾
(11. And when they see some merchandise or some amusement, they disperse headlong to it, and leave you standing. Say: “That which Allah has is better than any amusement or merchandise! And Allah is the best of providers.”)
Allah criticizes what happened during one Friday sermon, when a caravan arrived at Al-Madinah and the people rushed out to the merchandise. Allah said,
﴿وَإِذَا رَأَوْاْ تِجَـرَةً أَوْ لَهْواً انفَضُّواْ إِلَيْهَا وَتَرَكُوكَ قَآئِماً﴾
(And when they see some merchandise or some amusement, they disperse headlong to it, and leave you standing.) meaning, on the Minbar, delivering the Khutbah. Several of the Tabi`in said this, such as Abu Al-`Aliyah, Al-Hasan, Zayd bin Aslam and Qatadah. Muqatil bin Hayyan said that the caravan belonged to Dihyah bin Khalifah before he became a Muslim, and there were drums accompanying it.So they rushed to the caravan and left Allah’s Messenger standing on the Minbar. Only a few remained, according to the authentic Hadith that Imam Ahmad recorded that Jabir said, “Once, a caravan arrived at Al-Madinah while Allah’s Messenger was giving a Khutbah. So, the people left, and only twelve men remained ﴿with the Messenger ﴾. Then Allah sent down this Ayah,
﴿وَإِذَا رَأَوْاْ تِجَـرَةً أَوْ لَهْواً انفَضُّواْ إِلَيْهَا﴾
(And when they see some merchandise or some amusement, they disperse headlong to it,)” The Two Sahihs also recorded this Hadith. Allah’s statement,
﴿وَتَرَكُوكَ قَآئِماً﴾
(And leave you standing.) proves that the Imam should deliver the speech on Friday while standing. In his Sahih, Imam Muslim recorded that Jabir bin Samurah said, “(During Jumu`ah,) the Prophet gave two speeches, and he used to sit between them. The Prophet would recite the Qur’an and remind the people (of Allah).” Allah’s statement,
﴿قُلْ مَا عِندَ اللَّهِ﴾
(Say: “That which Allah has…”) means the reward that is with Allah in the Hereafter,
﴿خَيْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهْوِ وَمِنَ التِّجَـرَةِ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الرَزِقِينَ﴾
(is better than any amusement or merchandise! And Allah is the best of providers.) means, for those who trust in Him and seek His provisions when they are allowed to do so. This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Jumu`ah. All praise and thanks are due to Allah and from Him comes the success and immunity from error.
Credit: Tafsir Ibn Kathir
