Friday Prayers - Virtues

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    The Fiqh of Friday PrayerAnswered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

    Question:

    The Fiqh of Friday Prayer

    Answer:

    Edited from: Heavenly Ornaments, by Imam Ashraf Ali al-Tahanawi

    Allah Most High does not like anything more than prayer.

    It is for this reason that we do not find such great emphasis for any other form of worship in the pure Shariah. It is for this reason thatAllah Most High has specified this worship five times daily as a form of gratitude for His endless bounties. These bounties whichcommence from birth right until death - in fact they continue after death and commence even before birth.

    Since Friday has been accorded the most amount of merits as opposed to other days, so much so that the father of all mankind HadratAdam (peace be upon him) was created on this day, a special prayer was therefore ordered for this day. We have already mentioned thebenefits and wisdom of congregation.

    It has also been made clear that the bigger the congregation the more those benefits will become apparent. This will only be possible if

    the people of all the different areas and the residents of that place get together and offer their prayer collectively. This would have beenextremely difficult if it were to be done five times daily. Because of all this, the Shariah has specified such a day in the week in which thepeople of all the different residential areas and villages can get together and fulfill this worship.

    Since Friday is the most virtuous and noble of days, this worship has been specified for this day. Allah Most High had also specified thisday as a day of worship for the previous nations. But because of their bad-luck, they disputed and differed with regards to it. The resultof this dispute was that they were deprived of this great bounty and this ummah has been favoured with this bounty. The Jews set asideSaturday on the basis that Allah Most High had completed creating the entire creation on this day. The Christians set aside Sundaythinking that this is the day when Allah Most High commenced with the creation. Because of this, both these groups make numerousarrangements on both these days - leaving all work on these days and spending it in worship. It is because of this that all the offices areclosed on Sundays in Christian countries.

    The Virtues of Friday

    1. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "Friday is the best of days. It was on this day that Hadrat Adam(peace be upon him) was created, it was on this day that he was granted entry into Paradise, it was on this day that he wasremoved from Paradise (which became the cause for man's existence in this universe, and which is a great blessing), and the day of

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    The Fiqh of Friday Prayer

    resurrection will also take place on this day." (Sahih Muslim)

    2. It is related from Imam Ahmad (Allah have mercy on him) that he said that in certain aspects the rank of the night of Friday is evenhigher than Laylatul Qadr. One of the reasons for this is that it was on this night that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him andgive him peace) appeared in the womb of his mother. The Messenger of Allah's (Allah bless him and give him peace) appearance inthis world was a cause of so much good and blessings both in this world and in the hereafter that they cannot be enumerated.(Ash'atul Lama'aat)

    3. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "There is such an hour on Friday that if any Muslim makes dua init, his dua will definitely be accepted." (Bukhari, Muslim)The ulama have differed in specifying that hour which has been mentioned in the Hadith. Shaykh Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlawi(Allah have mercy on him) has mentioned 40 different opinions in his book Sharh Sifrus Sa'adah. However, from among all theseopinions he has given preference to two opinions:

    1. That time is from the commencement of the khutbah till the end of the prayer,2. That time is towards the end of the day.3. A big group of ulama have given preference to this second opinion and there are many Hadiths which support this opinion.

    Shaykh Dehlawi (Allah have mercy on him) says that this narration is correct that Hadrat Fatimah (Allah be pleased with her)

    used to order her maid on Fridays to inform her when the day is about to end so that she could occupy herself in making zikrand duas. (Ash'atul Lama'aat)

    4. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "Of all the days, Friday is the most virtuous. It is on this day thatthe trumpet will be blown. Send abundant blessings upon me on Fridays because they are presented to me on that day." TheCompanions (Allah be pleased with them) asked: "O the Messenger of Allah! How will they be presented to you when even yourbones will not be present after your death?" The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) replied: "Allah Most Highhas made the earth forbidden upon the prophets forever." (Abu Dawud)

    5. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "The word witnesses refers to Friday. There is no day morevirtuous than Friday. There is such an hour in this day that no Muslim will make dua in it except that his dua will be accepted. And

    he does not seek protection from anything except that Allah Most High will grant him protection." (Tirmidhi) The word "shahid"appears in Surah Burooj. Allah Most High has taken an oath of that day. He says in the Quran:"By the sky in which there are constellations. By the promised day (of judgement). By the day that witnesses [Friday], and the daythat is witnessed [day of Arafah]."

    6. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "Friday is the best of all days and the most virtuous in the sightof Allah Most High. In the sight of Allah Most High it has more greatness than Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Ad'haa." (Ibn Majah)

    7. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "The Muslim who passes away on the night or during the day ofFriday, Allah Most High saves him from the punishment of the grave." (Tirmidhi)

    8. Once Hadrat Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) recited the following verse:"This day, I have completed your Deen for you." AJew was sitting near him. On hearing this verse being recited he remarked: "If this verse was revealed to us, we would havecelebrated that day as a day of eid." Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) replied: "This verse was revealed on two eids, i.e. on theday of Friday and the day of arafah." In other words, what is the need for us to make that day into a day of eid when it was alreadya day of two eids?

    9. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to say that the night of Friday is a lustrous night, and the day ofFriday is a lustrous day. (Mishkaat)

    10. After Resurrection, Allah Most High will send those who deserve paradise into paradise, and those who deserve hell into hell. Thedays that we have in this world will also be there. Although there will be no day and night, Allah Most High will show us the extentof days and nights and also the number of hours. So when Friday will come and that hour when the people used to go for Friday willapproach, a person will call out saying: "O dwellers of Paradise! Go into the jungles of abundance, the length and breadth of whichare not known to anyone besides Allah Most High. There will be mounds of musk which will be as high as the skies. The prophets(peace be upon them) will be made to sit on towers of light, and the believers on chairs of sapphires. Once everyone is seated intheir respective places, Allah Most High will send a breeze which will carry that musk. That breeze will carry the musk and apply it totheir clothing, faces and hair. That breeze will know how to apply that musk even better than that woman who is given all thedifferent perfumes of the world. Allah Most High will then order the carriers of His throne to go and place His throne among all thesepeople. He will then address them saying: "O my servants who have brought faith in the unseen despite not seeing Me, who haveattested My Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), and who have obeyed My laws! Ask Me whatever you wish for. Thisday is the day of giving abundantly." they will all exclaim in one voice: "O Allah! We are pleased with You, You also be pleased with

    us." Allah Most High will reply: "O dwellers of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you all, I would not have kept you in My Paradise.Ask for something because this is the day of giving in abundance." they will all say in one voice: "O Allah! Show us Your beauty, thatwe may be able to look at Your noble being with our very eyes." Allah Most High will lift the veil and will become apparent to thesepeople and His beauty will engulf them from all sides. If this order was not given from before hand that the people of paradise willnever get burnt, without doubt they would not have endured the heat of this light and they would all have got burnt. He will thenask them to go back to their respective places. Their beauty and attractiveness will double through the effects of that Real beauty.These people will then go to their wives. They will not be able to see their wives nor will their wives be able to see them. After alittle while, the nur which was concealing them will be removed and they will now be able to see each other. Their wives will tellthem that how is it that you do not have the same appearance which you had left with? That is your appearance is a thousand

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    The Fiqh of Friday Prayer

    11. Every afternoon, the heat of hell is increased. However, through the blessings of Friday, this will not be done on Fridays. (Ihya'`Ulum al-Din)

    12. On one Friday, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "O Muslims! Allah Most High has made this day aday of eid. So have a bath on this day, whoever has perfume should apply it, and use the miswaak." (Ibn Majah)

    The Adab of Friday

    1. Every Muslim should make preparations for Friday from Thursday. After the asr prayer of Thursday, he should make a lot ofistighfaar. He should clean his clothes and keep them ready. If he does not have any perfume in his house, then if it is possible heshould try and obtain some and keep it ready so that he will not get distracted with these things on Friday. The pious people of thepast have stated that the person to receive the most benefit on Friday will be that person who waits for it and who makespreparations for it from Thursday. The most unfortunate person will be he who does not even know as to when Friday will fall, somuch so that he will ask the people in the morning as to which day this is. Some pious people used to go and stay in thecongregational mosque from the night of Friday in order to make full preparations for the following day. (Ihya' `Ulum al-Din, vol. 1,page 161)

    2. On the day of Friday, ghusl should be made and the hair of the head and the rest of the body should be thoroughly washed. It isalso very virtuous to use the miswaak on this day.

    3. After making ghusl, a person should wear the best clothing that he possesses, and if possible he should also apply some perfume.He should also clip his nails.

    4. He should try and go very early to the congregational mosque. The earlier a person goes, the more reward he will receive. TheMessenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "On the day of Friday, the angels stand at the entrance of thatmosque in which Friday prayer is to be offered. They write down the name of the person who enters the mosque first, andthereafter the name of the person who follows, and they continue doing this. The person who entered first will receive the reward ofsacrificing a camel in the path of Allah, the one who followed him will get the reward of sacrificing a cow, thereafter a chicken,thereafter the reward of giving an egg as charity in the path of Allah. Once the khutbah commences, the angels close the registerand begin listening to the khutbah." (Bukhari and Muslim)

    In olden times, the roads and alleys used to be extremely busy in the mornings and at fajr time. All the people used to go so earlyto the congregational mosque and there used to be such a large crowd that it used to look like the days of eid. Later, when thishabit was given up, people began saying that this is the first innovation in Islam. After writing this, Imam Ghazali (Allah have mercyon him) says: "Aren't the Muslims ashamed of themselves that the Jews and Christians go so early in the morning to theirsynagogues and churches on Saturdays and Sundays. Those who are businessmen go so early to the bazaars in order to do theirbuying and selling. Why don't the Muslims do the same?" the reality of the situation is that the Muslims have totally reduced thevalue of this blessed day. They do not even know what day this is, and what a high status it has. How sad it is that the day whichwas more valuable than eid in the eyes of Muslims of the past, which the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace)was proud of and the day which was not granted to the previous nations has become so dishonoured at the hands of Muslims todayand it is such a great ingratitude to the favour of Allah Most High that the consequence of all this can be seen with our very eyes."

    5. By going walking for the Friday prayer, one gets the reward of fasting for one year for every step that he takes. (Tirmidhi)

    6. On Fridays, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to recite Surah Alif Laam Meem Prostration and SurahHal Ataa, in the fajr prayer. These Surahs should therefore be occasionally recited in the fajr prayer on Fridays. Occasionally, theyshould be left out so that people do not regard their recitation as necessary.

    7. For the Friday prayer, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to recite the following Surahs: al-Friday andal-Munaafiqun, or al -A'la and al-Ghaashiyah.

    8. There is a lot of reward in reciting Surah Kahf either before the Friday prayer or after it. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him andgive him peace) said: "the person who recites Surah Kahf on Fridays, a nur will appear for him from below the arsh as high as theskies. This light will help him in the darkness of the day of resurrection. And all the sins which he may have committed from the lastFriday till this Friday will be forgiven." (Sharh Sifrus-Sa'aadah) the ulama have written that this Hadith refers to minor sins because

    major sins are not forgiven without making taubah.9. There is more reward in reciting blessings on Fridays than on other days. It has been mentioned in the Hadith that blessings should

    be recited abundantly on Fridays.

    The Virtues and Importance of Friday PrayerFriday prayer is personally obligatory. It has been established from the Quran, Hadith and the consensus of the ummah. It is one of themost salient features of Islam. The person who rejects Friday prayer is a kaafir. The one who misses it without any valid excuse is afaasiq.

    1. Allah Most High says in the Quran:"O you who believe! When the call for Friday prayer is made, hasten towards the remembrance of Allah Most High and leave alltransactions. This is best for you if only you know."In this verse, "remembrance" refers to the Friday prayer and khutbah. "Hasten" means that one should go with great concern andcare.

    2. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "the person who has a bath on Friday, purifies himself as far aspossible, applies oil to his hair, applies perfume, leaves for the mosque, when he arrives at the mosque he does not sit down byremoving anyone from his place, offers as many nafl prayers as possible, when the imam delivers the khutbah he remains silent -then his sins from the previous Friday till now will be forgiven " (Bukhari)

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    The Fiqh of Friday Prayer

    reward of one year's worship, one year's fasting, and one year's prayer; for every step that he takes." (Tirmidhi)

    4. Hadrat Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayrah (Allah be pleased with them) a narrate that they heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless himand give him peace) saying: "People should abstain from leaving out Friday prayer. If not, Allah Most High will put a seal over theirhearts whereby they will fall into severe negligence." (Muslim)

    5. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "the person who misses out three Friday's without any validreason, Allah Most High puts a seal over his heart." (Tirmidhi) In another narration it is mentioned that Allah Most High becomesdispleased with him.

    6. Taariq bin Shihaab (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "theFriday prayer with congregation is a duty which is necessary for every Muslim with the exception of the following four persons: (i) aslave, that is the one who is owned by someone according to the rules laid down by the Shariah, (ii) a woman, (iii) an immatureboy, (iv) a sick person." (Abu Dawud)

    7. Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said the followingin regard to those who leave out Friday: "It is my earnest desire that I appoint someone as imam in my place while I go and burnthe homes of those who do not attend the Friday prayer." (Muslim) A similar Hadith has also been related with regard to leaving out

    congregation. We have mentioned this Hadith previously.8. Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "the person

    who leaves out Friday prayer without a valid reason is written down as a hypocrite in a book that is absolutely protected from anychanges and modifications." (Mishkaat) In other words, he will be labeled as a hypocrite forever. However, if he repents or Allahforgives him solely out of His mercy, then this is another matter.

    9. Hadrat Jaabir (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "Fridayprayer becomes obligatory on the person who believes in Allah Most High and the last day, except for the sick, musafir, woman,child, and a slave. If a person occupies himself in something unnecessary, or in some transaction, Allah Most High also turns awayfrom him and does not worry about him and Allah is worthy of all praise." (Mishkaat) In other words, He is not affected by anyone's

    worship nor does He benefit in any way. His essence and being will remain the same irrespective of whether anyone praises Him andworships Him or not.

    10. Hadrat Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) says that the person who leaves out several Friday prayers consecutively has in factturned away from Islam. (Ash'atul Lama'aat)

    11. A person asked Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) regarding a person who passed away and who should not join the Friday andcongregation prayers: "What do you have to say regarding such a person?" He replied: "That person is in hell." This personcontinued asking him this question for a full month and he gave him the same reply. (Ihya' `Ulum al-Din)

    Even by merely glancing at these Hadiths, one can come to the conclusion that the Shariah has laid great stress on Friday prayer and that

    severe warnings have been given to the one who leaves out Friday. Can a person who claims to be a Muslim still have the audacity ofleaving out this fard duty?

    The Method of Offering Friday Prayer

    After the first adhan of Friday and before the second adhan, four rakats of sunnah prayer should be offered. This sunnah is confirmedsunnah (sunna mu'akkada). After the khutbah, two rakats fard Friday prayer should be offered with the imam. Thereafter, four rakatssunnah should be offered. These are also a confirmed sunnah (sunna mu'akkada). Thereafter, another two rakats should be offered.According to some ulama these two rakats are also confirmed sunnah (sunna mu'akkada).

    Prerequisites which make Friday Prayer Necessary

    1. To be a muqeem. Friday prayer is not necessary for a musafir.

    2. To be sound and healthy. Friday is not necessary for a person who is sick. That sickness which prevents a person from going to thecongregational mosque on foot will be considered. If a person is very weak due to old-age, is unable to go to the mosque or isblind, then all these people will fall under the category of the sick and Friday prayer will not be necessary for them.

    3. To be a free person. Friday prayer is not necessary for a slave.

    4. To be a male. Friday prayer is not necessary for a female.

    5. To be free from those excuses which allow one from leaving out the congregation. These have been mentioned previously. If any ofthese excuses are found, Friday prayer will not be necessary. Examples: (i) It is raining very heavily. (ii) One is taking care of a sickperson. (iii) By going to the mosque there is a fear of a certain enemy. (iv) the prerequisites which we mentioned in order for prayerto be necessary are also considered here. That is, to be sane, mature, and to be a Muslim.

    All these prerequisites which have been mentioned make Friday prayer necessary. If any of these prerequisites are not found in a personand he still offers Friday prayer, then his prayer will be valid. That is, the duty of offering Zuhr prayer will fall off. For example, a certainmusafir or woman offers Friday prayer.

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    The Fiqh of Friday Prayer

    1. The place has to be a city or town. Friday prayer is not valid in a village or jungle. However, Friday will be valid in a village if itspopulation is equal to that of a town. For example, if there is a population of three to four thousand, Friday prayer will be valid.

    2. It has to be at the time of Zuhr. Friday prayer is not valid before Zuhr time or after the expiry of Zuhr. So much so, that if the Zuhrtime expires while Friday prayer is being offered, then that prayer will become invalid even if the last sitting equal to the tashahhudhas been completed. It is for this reason that qada is not made for Friday prayer.

    3. The khutbah has to be delivered. That is, to face the people and remind them of Allah Most High even if it means merely sayingSub'haanallah or Alhamdo lillah. However, it is makruh to suffice with this alone because it is contrary to the sunnah.

    4. The khutbah has to be before the prayer. If the khutbah is delivered after the prayer, the prayer will not be valid.5. The khutbah has to be delivered within the time of Zuhr. If the khutbah is delivered before the time of Zuhr, the prayer will not be

    valid.

    6. Congregation. That is, there has to be at least three persons apart from the imam who are present from the beginning of thekhutbah till the prostration of the first rakaat. This is irrespective of whether those who were present for the khutbah are differentfrom those who are present for the prayer. But this is on the condition that these three persons are such that they are eligible forimamate. Therefore, if there are only women or immature children, the prayer will not be valid.

    7. If the people go away before the prostration and less than three persons remain or no one remains, the prayer will become invalid.However, if they go after the prostration, the prayer will not be invalid.

    8. To offer Friday prayer openly and with full permission. It will not be permissible to offer Friday prayer in any private and secludedplace. If Friday prayer is offered at such a place where the general public is not allowed to come or the doors of the mosque areclosed at the time of Friday, the prayer will not be valid.If a person offers Friday prayer despite any of the above-mentioned prerequisites not being met, his prayer will not be valid. He willhave to offer Zuhr prayer. Since this prayer of his will become a nafl prayer, and since nafl prayer is not offered with suchpreparations, in such a case it will be prohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman) to offer Friday prayer.

    Rules for the Friday Khutbah

    1. Once all the people have gathered together, the imam should sit on the minbar and the mu'azzin should call out the adhaan in frontof him. Immediately after the adhan, the imam should stand up and deliver the khutbah.

    2. Twelve things are sunnah in the khutbah:

    a. the person delivering the khutbah should be standing,b. Two khutbahs should be delivered,c. He must sit in between both the khutbahs to such an extent that Sub'haanallah could be recited three times,d. He must be pure from major ritual impurity (hadath akbar) and minor ritual impurity (hadath asghar),

    e. While delivering the khutbah, he must face the people,f. He must recite A'udhu billahi minash shaytaanir rajeem in his heart before commencing with the khutbah,g. He must deliver the khutbah in such a way that all the people can hear his voice,h. the subject matter of the khutbah must comprise of the following eight things:

    i. gratitude to Allah Most High,ii. praise to Allah Most High,iii. testifying the Oneness of Allah Most High and the prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him

    peace),iv. salutations to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace),v. admonition and advice,

    vi. recitation of verses or a Surah from the Quran,vii. to repeat all these things in the second khutbah as well,viii. to make dua for the Muslims instead of giving advice and admonition in the second khutbah. This was a list of the

    subject matter.

    We will now go back to those factors which are sunnah for the khutbah itself.

    i. the khutbah should not be too lengthy. Instead, it should be shorter than the prayer.j. To deliver the khutbah from the minbar. If there is no minbar, one should stand up by taking support from a staff or rod. To

    take support from a staff or rod or to place one hand over the other while one is on the minbar, which is the habit of somepeople; has not been reported.

    k. Both the khutbahs have to be in Arabic. To deliver the khutbah in any other language or to add any poetry or idioms ofanother language as is prevalent today at some places is contrary to confirmed sunnah (sunna mu'akkada) and is in factprohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman).

    l. Those listening to the khutbah should face the qiblah.In the second khutbah it is recommended (mustahabb) to make dua for the Messenger of Allah's (Allah bless him and give himpeace) family, companions, wives, and specifically for the khulafaa-e-raashidin and Hadrat Hamzah and Abbas (Allah bepleased with them). It is also permissible to make dua for the leader of the Islamic state. But it is prohibitively disliked (makruhtahriman) to praise him for things which are not true

    Th Fi h f F id P

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    The Fiqh of Friday Prayer

    4. Once the khutbah commences, it is necessary for all those present to listen to the khutbah. This is irrespective of whether they are

    sitting near the imam or far away from him. It is also prohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman) to do such a thing which will distractone from listening. Just as eating, drinking, talking, walking, making salaam, answering to a salaam, reading some tasbeeh, showingsomeone a masa'ala of the Shariah is prohibited while one is in prayer, it is also prohibited while the khutbah is being delivered.However, it is permissible for the one who is delivering the khutbah to show a issue of the Shariah while he is delivering hiskhutbah.

    5. If the khutbah commences while one is offering one's prayer, it is better to complete it if it is confirmed sunnah (sunna mu'akkada).If it is a nafl prayer, one should make salaam after two rakaats.

    6. It is prohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman) for the muqtadis as well as the imam to raise their hands and make dua in-between thetwo khutbahs when the imam is sitting. However, it is permissible to make dua in one's heart without raising one's hands as long asone does not say anything with one's tongue - neither silently nor loudly.Nothing has been related from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) and his companions with regard todelivering khutbahs on the last Friday of Ramadan which contain matters related to the departure of Ramadan. Nor is there anymention of this in the books of Islamic jurisprudence. In doing so, there is the danger of the masses thinking that this is necessary.It is therefore a bid'ah. Note: these days undue attention is given to this sort of khutbahs. If anyone does not deliver such khutbahs,

    he is accused and mocked at. Special preparations are made in listening to such khutbahs.7. It is permissible to deliver a khutbah while looking into a book.

    8. If the Messenger of Allah's (Allah bless him and give him peace) name is mentioned in the khutbah, it is permissible for themuqtadis to send blessings to him in their hearts.

    The Friday Khutbah of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace)

    By quoting the Friday khutbah of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) it is not intended that people should startrestricting themselves to this khutbah. This khutbah should be delivered occasionally as a source of barakah and with the intention offollowing the sunnah. It was the habit of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) that once all the people had

    gathered, he used to enter the mosque and make salaam to all those present. Hadrat Bilal (Allah be pleased with him) used to call out theadhaan. On the completion of the adhaan, he used to immediately stand up and deliver his khutbah. Until the minbar was notconstructed, he used to take support from a staff. Occasionally, he used to place the staff against a pillar which was near the prayer niche(mihrab) from where he used to deliver his khutbah, and then lean against it. After the construction of the minbar, there is no evidencethat he used to take support from a staff.He used to deliver two khutbahs and sit down for a little while in-between the two khutbahs. When sitting down, he did not engage inany conversation nor should he make any dua. On completing the second khutbah, Hadrat Bilal (Allah be pleased with him) used to callout the iqaamah and the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to commence the prayer.While delivering the khutbah, the Messenger of Allah's (Allah bless him and give him peace) voice used to get loud and his blessed eyesused to get red. It is mentioned in Sahih Muslim that when the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to deliverthe khutbah his condition used to be as if he is warning the people of an invasion of an enemy that is very nearby. In most of the

    khutbahs he used to say: "Resurrection and I have been sent just as these two fingers are!" And he used to join his middle and forefingertogether. ....A Sahabi says that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to recite Surah Qaaf very regularly in his khutbahsso much so that I learnt Surah Qaaf merely by listening to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) reciting it on theminbar. At times he used to recite Surah al-Asr, ...

    Rules Related to Friday Prayer

    1. It is preferable that the person who delivers the khutbah also performs the prayer. However, it is permissible for someone else toperform the prayer.

    2. It is sunnah to call out the iqaamah and commence with the prayer immediately after the completion of the khutbah. It isprohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman) to engage in any worldly activity between the khutbah and the prayer. If there is a verylengthy gap between the khutbah and the prayer, it will be necessary to repeat the khutbah. However, if the delay is causedbecause of a Deeni reason, e.g. To show someone a issue, or the wudu of the imam broke and he went to make wudu, or afterdelivering the khutbah he realized that he had to have a bath, so he went to have a bath - in all these cases it will not be makruhnor will it be necessary to repeat the khutbah.

    3. Friday prayer should be offered with the following intention: "I intend offering two rakaats fard of Friday prayer."

    4. It is preferable for all the people to get together and offer Friday prayer in one mosque. However, it is permissible for the people ofone place to offer their Friday prayer in several mosques.

    5. If a person joins the prayer in the last sitting at the time of reciting the at-tahiyyaat or after prostration-e-sahw, his joining thecongregation will be correct and he will have to complete his Friday prayer. He will not have to offer Zuhr prayer.

    6. Some people offer Zuhr prayer after the Friday prayer as a precaution. Since the belief of the masses has become corrupted in thisregard, they should be strictly stopped from this. However, if a knowledgeable person wishes to offer the Zuhr prayer due to somedoubt, he should do so without letting anyone come to know of it.