Is the Friday bath for the day of Friday or for the Friday prayer?

The questioner : The Friday bath: is it for the day of Friday or for the Friday prayer? This is due to the arrival of different evidence.

The Shaykh : It is for the Friday prayer.

The questioner : Because evidence has arrived: , or .

The Shaykh : There is no disagreement regarding . So if a person did not bathe for the Friday prayer, who does he bathe for afterwards?

The questioner : Because evidence has arrived from which it is understood that it is, or some people understood that the bath is for the day of Friday in general, meaning before the prayer or after the prayer.

The Shaykh : The ruling on this differs in answer depending on the understanding of its purpose. Does the command in it mean it is an act of pure worship (ta'abbudi) or does it have a rational meaning? So whoever says it is an act of pure worship without a rational meaning may say that even if he did not bathe before Friday, he should bathe after it because it is for the day. And whoever says it has a rational meaning, like I do, says no, it is obligatory that he bathe for the Friday prayer. Why? Because the one who bathes after the Friday prayer, first of all, has not realized his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . So this person came to Friday and did not bathe, whereas the one who bathed for Friday may have bathed for the day of Friday. Is that clear?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This is first. And secondly, I mentioned distinguishing between whoever says it is an act of pure worship and whoever says it has a rational meaning. I say it has a rational meaning. Why? Because the reason for his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): , as the lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Ansar were people of work, and they used to wear wool. And in the days of summer, when they entered the mosque, their odors could be smelled like the odors of sheep. So he said to them (peace and blessings be upon him): . If they had not been present, he would not have commanded them, and then afterwards he commanded them. So it has a rational meaning. It is for removing the bad odor that is realized from two factors: the first factor is that they are people of work, and the second factor is that they attend a large gathering on the day of Friday. So he commanded them to bathe after their presence. So the intended meaning is bathing for Friday, not for the day of Friday.