Etiquettes of Friday Prayer
llah SWT said in the Glorious Quran in Sura Al-Jummah, ayat 9:
O you who believe, When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the day of assembly), hasten earnestly to the rememberance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic) : That is the best for you if you but knew.
Dear brothers, we have been blessed with many mercies from Allah SWT and they really are too many in number to mention but as the topic of Jumma is this week’s khutba, it is important to relate the following hadith from Sahih Bukhari:
The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, “Whoever takes a bath on friday, purifies himself as much as he can, then uses his (hair) oil or perfumes himself with the scent of his house, then proceeds (for the Jumua prayer) and does not separate two persons sitting together (in the mosque), then prays as much as (Allah has) written for him and then remains silent while the Imam is delivering the Khutba, his sins in-between the present and the last friday would be forgiven.”
Dear brothers, here we have the Prophet SAWS informing us of how to wipe the slate clean from one friday to the next. How important it is then that we adhere to the manners associated with this blessed day?
The remainder of this khutba outlines the minimum that we should aim to achieve so that we can be of the people that are mentioned in the Hadith above.
Firstly, purify yourself. It is highly encouraged to have a bath on Fridays before coming to the mosque. This can be done first thing in the day and then ablution is performed if need be before the start of the Jumma prayer. Follow this up by applying a nice scent as this is the blessed day of the week.
Secondly, come early to the masjid in your best attire. There is great reward associated with listening to the complete khutba and since this day is marked as a blessed day for us muslims then it makes sense to come dressed well.
Thirdly, one should aim to pray two Rakas (units of prayer) upon entering the mosque on Friday. The majority of the scholars believe that this should be the case even if the Khutba has begun.
Fourthly, one should refrain from talking once the khutba has begun. This is such an important point that even telling others to be quiet is something that is considered impermissable. Complete silence and attention is the requirement here.
My brothers, Salat al-Jumuah is one of the most important acts of worship in Islam. The Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam) has described the wonderful blessings and benefits that Allah has vouchsafed upon Muslims through this magnificent act.
Knowing how important this prayer is in Allah’s SWT sight, Muslims must do their best to perform it in the best way possible. They should strive and sacrifice for the sake of this Prayer.
May Allah SWT enable us to recognize the importance of this blessed day. May Allah SWT give us the ability to carry out the manners associated with this blessed day. And May Allah SWT make us from amongst those who benefit the most from this blessed day.
Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.
