A note from the Shaykh on how to pray the Sunnah after Jumu'ah and a general rule regarding voluntary prayers.

The Shaykh : The camera is believed to be forbidden; there is no difference between it and manual photography, and video is likewise forbidden, indeed video is more strictly forbidden because it is a closer imitation of Allah's creation.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, the adhan we just heard.

The Shaykh: How.

The questioner : Is the adhan for Jumu'ah prescribed in this manner?

The Shaykh : There is no melodic composition in it.

The questioner : ... He said, "Killing a disbeliever is a sin that is not forgiven, and killing a Muslim is a matter that requires consideration!"

The Shaykh : Leave that which you asked about; this represents the reality of the disbelievers. I want, before starting the questions, to clarify a matter about which one of them asked me while I was leaving the mosque, so I gave him a brief, concise answer. The question was whether the prayer after Jumu'ah is two rak'ahs or four rak'ahs, and if one prays the two rak'ahs, does he pray them in the mosque or at home, and the four in the mosque? My brief answer was that this distinction or this detail has no basis. I now want to explain. The rule for all Sunnahs and voluntary prayers, except for what is excluded from them, is that they are prayed at home as a recommendation, not as an obligation, due to his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying in the hadith about standing in prayer in Ramadan, which is well known and famous: . If this is the original rule, then we should return to it in every voluntary prayer or Sunnah whose legitimacy is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) by word or deed. The Sunnah after Jumu'ah is of two types regarding its connection to his (peace and blessings be upon him) word or deed. As for the word, it is what came in *Sahih Muslim* from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: . As for his (peace and blessings be upon him) deed, it is what came in *the two Sahihs* from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): . So you see that the first hadith, the verbal one, is absolute: , and the other hadith, the practical one, is explicit that he (peace and blessings be upon him) . The first hadith, which is in *Sahih Muslim*, contains from one of its narrators, and I do not remember his name now, that if he prays in the mosque he prays four, and if he prays at home he prays two. This detail spread and settled in some books as if it were part of the hadith, but that is not the case; it is merely the opinion of one of the narrators of this hadith. Since the matter is so, we should return to the rule regarding the narration of the four rak'ahs of this Sunnah . We then say that there is no difference between the two rak'ahs that the one praying for Jumu'ah prays or the four, in that the best of these two rak'ahs or four is to pray them at home. Also, there is no difference in that it is permissible to pray the two rak'ahs that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray at home in the mosque, but the best is that all these details be performed at home. The home is the best for the Sunnahs, except for what is excluded. I mentioned this exception to draw attention to the fact that some Sunnahs are the exact opposite of this rule. You know, for example, that the prayer for rain is prayed in the mosque, and the Tarawih standing, for which the previous hadith came... on that occasion, the Sunnah in it is that it is prayed in the mosques with the congregation of Muslims. As for what is excluded from his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying , it follows this rule, and what is excluded has its own ruling. This is what I wanted to clarify regarding the Sunnah after Jumu'ah.