What is the ruling on taking a bath on Friday, and are there any hadiths regarding it?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on taking a bath on Friday? And are there any hadiths regarding it?
The Shaykh : Taking a bath on Friday is obligatory for every adult of sound mind, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Riyad as-Salihin 1152, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly stated that it is obligatory.
It is well known that the Messenger of Allah is the most knowledgeable of creation regarding the Shari'ah of Allah, it is well known that the Messenger of Allah is the most sincere of creation toward the servants of Allah, it is well known that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most knowledgeable of people about what he says, and it is well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most eloquent of the Arabs. So if these four things are combined and he said:Riyad as-Salihin 1152, how can we say it is not obligatory?
If this phrase were to appear in the text of one of the books authored by a scholar, and he said in it: "Chapter: The Friday bath is obligatory," no one who reads this book would doubt that the author considers it obligatory. This is the case even though he is a human being subject to error and correctness. So how much more so when the one saying this is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?!
Moreover, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) qualified this obligation with what implies compulsion, where he said:, meaning an adult, and this indicates that the bath is binding.
As for what is narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the Friday bath:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 497Hasan (Darussalam), there is concern regarding this from the perspective of its chain of narration and its text. Furthermore, it cannot be used to contradict the hadith of Abu Sa'id, which is established in the two Sahihs and others, which is explicit and clear, namely his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Riyad as-Salihin 1152.
But when does this obligation begin?
The closest thing that can be said is that it begins when the sun rises, because the time between the dawn and the rising of the sun is the time for Fajr. The most cautious approach is for one to take the bath after the sun rises, and the best is to do so when intending to go to the mosque.
If we say it is obligatory, is the Friday prayer valid without it? That is, if one intentionally leaves it out and prays, is it valid?
The answer is: Yes, it is valid, because this bath is not for major ritual impurity, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it obligatory to distinguish the special status of this day from other days.
And what indicates this is that it is established from the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), that he was delivering the sermon when 'Uthman entered while he was delivering it, so it seemed as if he was addressing him—meaning he was addressing 'Uthman regarding his delay in coming to the sermon. So 'Uthman said: "By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I did nothing more than perform wudu and then came." He said: "And wudu as well? And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 340Sahih (Al-Albani)." And 'Uthman prayed without taking a bath.
And in this report from 'Umar, there is clear evidence that the Friday bath is obligatory, otherwise how would 'Umar rebuke 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) in front of the people for leaving it out?
The Shaykh : Taking a bath on Friday is obligatory for every adult of sound mind, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Taking a bath (before coming to Friday prayers) is obligatory on every adult.
غسل الجمعة واجب على كل محتلمIt is well known that the Messenger of Allah is the most knowledgeable of creation regarding the Shari'ah of Allah, it is well known that the Messenger of Allah is the most sincere of creation toward the servants of Allah, it is well known that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most knowledgeable of people about what he says, and it is well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most eloquent of the Arabs. So if these four things are combined and he said:
Taking a bath (before coming to Friday prayers) is obligatory on every adult.
غسل الجمعة واجب على كل محتلمIf this phrase were to appear in the text of one of the books authored by a scholar, and he said in it: "Chapter: The Friday bath is obligatory," no one who reads this book would doubt that the author considers it obligatory. This is the case even though he is a human being subject to error and correctness. So how much more so when the one saying this is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?!
Moreover, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) qualified this obligation with what implies compulsion, where he said:
for every adult
على كل محتلمAs for what is narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the Friday bath:
Whoever performs Wudu on Friday, then he will receive the blessing, and whoever performs Ghusl then Ghusl is more virtuous.
من توضأ يوم الجمعة فبها ونعمت ، ومن اغتسل فالغسل أفضلTaking a bath (before coming to Friday prayers) is obligatory on every adult.
غسل الجمعة واجب على كل محتلمBut when does this obligation begin?
The closest thing that can be said is that it begins when the sun rises, because the time between the dawn and the rising of the sun is the time for Fajr. The most cautious approach is for one to take the bath after the sun rises, and the best is to do so when intending to go to the mosque.
If we say it is obligatory, is the Friday prayer valid without it? That is, if one intentionally leaves it out and prays, is it valid?
The answer is: Yes, it is valid, because this bath is not for major ritual impurity, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it obligatory to distinguish the special status of this day from other days.
And what indicates this is that it is established from the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), that he was delivering the sermon when 'Uthman entered while he was delivering it, so it seemed as if he was addressing him—meaning he was addressing 'Uthman regarding his delay in coming to the sermon. So 'Uthman said: "By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I did nothing more than perform wudu and then came." He said: "And wudu as well? And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
When any one of you comes for Friday (prayer) he should take a bath.
إذا أتى أحدكم الجمعة فليغتسلAnd in this report from 'Umar, there is clear evidence that the Friday bath is obligatory, otherwise how would 'Umar rebuke 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) in front of the people for leaving it out?