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;
﴿يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ إِذَا نُودِىَ لِلصَّلَوةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْاْ إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُواْ الْبَيْعَ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ – فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَوةُ فَانتَشِرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَابْتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَاذْكُرُواْ اللَّهَ كَثِيراً لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴾
(9. O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed for the Salah on Al-Jumu`ah (Friday), then hasten (Fas`aw) to the remembrance of Allah and leave off business. That is better for you if you did but know!) (10. Then when the Salah is complete, you may disperse through the land, and seek the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah much, that you may be successful.)
Friday is called Al-Jumu`ah because it is derived from Al-Jam`, literally, gathering. The people of Islam gather weekly, on every Friday in the major places of worship. It was during Friday when Allah finished the creation, the sixth day, during which Allah created the heavens and earth. During Friday, Allah created Adam, and he was placed in Paradise, and ironically, it was a Friday when he was taken out of Paradise. It will be on a Friday when the Last Hour will commence. There is an hour during Friday, wherein no faithful servant asks Allah for something good, but Allah will give him what he asked for. All of this is based upon Hadiths in the authenic collections. In the ancient language Friday was called, `Arubah. It is a fact that previous nations were informed about Friday, but they were led astray from it. The Jews chose Saturday for their holy day, but Adam was not created on Saturday. The Christians chose Sunday, which is the day the creation was initiated. Allah chose Friday for this Ummah, because it is the day the creation was finished.Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«نَحْنُ الْاخِرُونَ السَّابِقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، بَيْدَ أَنَّهُمْ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا، ثُمَّ إِنَّ هَذَا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي فَرَضَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَاخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ فَهَدَانَا اللهُ لَهُ، فَالنَّاسُ لَنَا فِيهِ تَبَعٌ، الْيَهُودُ غَدًا وَالنَّصَارَى بَعْدَ غَدٍ»
(We are the last (to come) but the first on the Day of Resurrection, though the former nations were given the 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 guidance to it, and all other people are coming after us: the Jews tomorrow and the Christians the day after tomorrow.” This is the wording of Al-Bukhari in another narration of Muslim;
«أَضَلَّ اللهُ عَنِ الْجُمُعَةِ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَنَا، فَكَانَ لِلْيَهُودِ يَوْمُ السَّبْتِ، وَكَانَ لِلنَّصَارَى يَوْمُ الْأَحَدِ، فَجَاءَ اللهُ بِنَا فَهَدَانَا اللهُ لِيَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ، فَجَعَلَ الْجُمُعَةَ وَالسَّبْتَ وَالْأَحَدَ، وَكَذَلِكَ هُمْ تَبَعٌ لَنَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ نَحْنُ الْاخِرُونَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا، وَالْأَوَّلُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الْمَقْضِيُّ بَيْنَهُمْ قَبْلَ الْخَلَائِقِ»
(Allah diverted those who were before us from Friday. For the Jews there was Saturday, and for the Christians there was Sunday. Allah then brought us and guided us to Friday. He made them; Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and it is in this order they will come after us on the Day of Resurrection. We are the last of among the people of this world and the first among the created to be judged on the Day of Resurrection.)
Credit: Tafsir Ibn Kathir
