What is the ruling on the ghusl (full ritual bath) for Friday?

Question : The questioner asks: Do I commit a sin if I leave off the ghusl for Friday, or not?

Answer : If we say that the ghusl for Friday is obligatory, then the one who leaves it off commits a sin. If we say that it is a recommended practice (sunnah) and not obligatory, then the one who leaves it off does not commit a sin. The correct view is that the ghusl for Friday is obligatory for every adult who attends the Friday prayer. This is based on the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, which al-Bukhari and others narrated; in fact, all the Imams who compile hadiths, namely the seven, have transmitted it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If we were to find this phrase in a book of jurisprudence and the scholars used it, we would have no doubt that this phrase indicates obligation, which entails necessity and sin for leaving it off. How much more so when the one who spoke it was the most eloquent of the Arabs, the most knowledgeable of the Arabs in what he said, and the most sincere of the Arabs in what he guided to?
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most knowledgeable of the Arabs in what he says, the most knowledgeable of speakers in what he says, the most eloquent of speakers in what he speaks, and the most sincere of the messengers who guide. How could he say to his Ummah, "The ghusl for Friday is obligatory for every one who has reached puberty"? Then we say that the meaning of "obligatory" is "emphasized." So the ghusl for Friday is obligatory for every one who has reached puberty, meaning every adult. The meaning is not "for the one who has a wet dream," because for the one who has a wet dream, ghusl is obligatory because of the wet dream.