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;
﴿وَذَرُواْ الْبَيْعَ﴾
(and leave off business.) means, hastening to the remembrance of Allah and abandoning business, when the call to the Friday prayer is made. Therefore, the scholars of Islam agree, it is prohibited for Muslims to engage in business transactions after the second Adhan. Allah’s statement,
﴿ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ﴾
(That is better for you if you did but know!) means, `your abandoning buying and selling, and instead, corcentrating your attention to Allah’s remembrance and the prayer are better for you in this life and the Hereafter, if you but knew.’ Allah’s statement,
﴿فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَوةُ﴾
(Then when the Salah is complete,) means, when the Friday prayer is finished,
﴿فَانتَشِرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَابْتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ﴾
(you may disperse through the land, and seek the bounty of Allah,) After Allah forbade Muslims from working after hearing the Adhan and ordered them to gather for the Friday prayer, He allowed them to spread throughout the earth and seek bounty after the prayer is finished. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that when the Friday prayer finished, `Irak bin Malik would stand by the gate of the Masjid and invoke Allah, saying, “O Allah! I have accepted and complied with Your Call, performed the prayer You ordered and dispersed as You ordered me. Therefore, grant me of Your favor and You are the best of those who grant provisions.” Allah’s statement,
﴿وَاذْكُرُواْ اللَّهَ كَثِيراً لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾
(and remember Allah much, that you may be successful.) means, while you are buying and selling, giving and taking, remember Allah much and do not let this life busy you from what benefits you in the Hereafter. There is a Hadith that states,
«مَنْ دَخَلَ سُوقًا مِنَ الْأَسْوَاقِ فَقَالَ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، كَتَبَ اللهُ لَهُ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ حَسَنَةٍ وَمَحَا عَنْهُ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ سَيِّئَةٍ»
(Whoever enters a marketplace and says, “La ilaha illallah, He is alone without partners, His is the sovreignty and His is the praise, and He is Able to do all things.” Then Allah will record a thousand-thousand (a million) good deeds for him and will erase a thousand-thousand evil deeds.) Mujahid said, “A servant (of Allah) will not be among those who remember Allah often, until he does so while standing, sitting and lying down.”
Credit: Tafsir Ibn Katir
