We request clarification of what is prescribed regarding entering the mosque on Friday until leaving it, and whether there is a pre-prayer recommended practice (sunnah) for it?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He asks about what is called the pre-Friday sunnah. We request that you clarify for us what is prescribed on Friday, from entering the mosque until leaving it. I hope for your guidance in this matter?
The Shaykh : Friday does not have a pre-prayer sunnah. What some people do, which is to pray when the first mu'adhdhin calls to prayer, has no basis. Rather, Friday has a sunnah after it.
What the Sunnah brought is that one should pray two rak'ahs in his house, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray two rak'ahs in his house after Friday. Or four rak'ahs, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 881a So, the four rak'ahs are established by the statement of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the two rak'ahs are established by his action. If he prays four, he has done well, and if he prays two, he has done well.
However, if a person comes early to the mosque on Friday, he should pray until the imam arrives, because prayer is among the best of acts of worship. For this reason, when Rabi'ah ibn Malik al-Aslami said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), "I ask you to be my companion in Paradise," the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:Sahih Muslim 489.
The sunnah for one who comes to Friday is to take a ghusl (full ritual bath) in his house before coming to the mosque. The ghusl for Friday is obligatory according to the stronger opinion, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 1152 meaning every adult. The statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that it is obligatory, and the linking of the obligation to a description that implies accountability and compulsion, is evidence that the intended meaning of "obligatory" here is obligatory compulsion, not obligatory emphasis, as some have claimed. So, the correct view is that the ghusl for Friday is obligatory for everyone who comes to Friday.
And he should wear his best clothes, apply perfume, and come to the mosque and pray as much as he wishes. The earlier a person is to the mosque on Friday, the better it is, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:.
And I urge my Muslim brothers to seize this opportunity by going early to the Friday prayer after taking a ghusl, and not to waste this noble time with distraction, loitering, and sleeping, for they will miss much good.
And when the imam arrives and begins the khutbah, it is obligatory to listen to him, and it is not permissible to speak. Whoever speaks while the imam is delivering the khutbah has wasted his time. Indeed, whoever speaks while the imam is delivering the khutbah is like a donkey carrying books,Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq 4:271 meaning that he is deprived of the reward of Friday.
It is not permissible for a person, while the imam is delivering the khutbah on Friday, to greet anyone next to him, nor to return a greeting, nor to congratulate a sneezer, nor to silence a speaker with words, because that is a cause for him to be deprived of the reward of the Friday prayer. Even though the Friday prayer is valid and the obligation is discharged by it, he is deprived of its reward.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Friday does not have a pre-prayer sunnah. What some people do, which is to pray when the first mu'adhdhin calls to prayer, has no basis. Rather, Friday has a sunnah after it.
What the Sunnah brought is that one should pray two rak'ahs in his house, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray two rak'ahs in his house after Friday. Or four rak'ahs, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
When any one of you observes the Jumu'a prayer (two obligatory rak'ahs in congregation), he should observe four (rak'ahs) afterwards.
إذا صلى أحدكم الجمعة فليصل بعدها أربعاًHowever, if a person comes early to the mosque on Friday, he should pray until the imam arrives, because prayer is among the best of acts of worship. For this reason, when Rabi'ah ibn Malik al-Aslami said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), "I ask you to be my companion in Paradise," the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:
help me to achieve this for you by devoting yourself often to prostration
أعني على نفسك بكثرة السجودThe sunnah for one who comes to Friday is to take a ghusl (full ritual bath) in his house before coming to the mosque. The ghusl for Friday is obligatory according to the stronger opinion, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Taking a bath (before coming to Friday prayers) is obligatory on every adult.
غسل الجمعة واجب على كل محتلمAnd he should wear his best clothes, apply perfume, and come to the mosque and pray as much as he wishes. The earlier a person is to the mosque on Friday, the better it is, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever takes a ghusl on Friday and then goes in the first hour, it is as if he offered a camel in sacrifice. Whoever goes in the second hour, it is as if he offered a cow in sacrifice. Whoever goes in the third hour, it is as if he offered a horned ram in sacrifice. Whoever goes in the fourth hour, it is as if he offered a chicken in sacrifice. Whoever goes in the fifth hour, it is as if he offered an egg in sacrifice. When the imam arrives, the angels arrive to listen to the dhikr, and they roll up their scrolls. Before the arrival of the imam, they were at the doors of the mosques, writing down the first, then the first.
من اغتسل يوم الجمعة ثم راح في الساعة الأولى فكأنما قرب بدنة ، ومن راح في الثانية فكأنما قرب بقرة ، ومن راح في الثالثة فكأنما قرب كبشاً أقرن ، ومن راح في الرابعة فكأنما قرب دجاجة ، ومن راح في الخامسة فكأنما قرب بيضة ، فإذا حضر الإمام حضرت الملائكة يستمعون الذكر، وطووا الصحف ، وكانوا قبل مجيء الإمام على أبواب المساجد يكتبون الأول فالأولAnd I urge my Muslim brothers to seize this opportunity by going early to the Friday prayer after taking a ghusl, and not to waste this noble time with distraction, loitering, and sleeping, for they will miss much good.
And when the imam arrives and begins the khutbah, it is obligatory to listen to him, and it is not permissible to speak. Whoever speaks while the imam is delivering the khutbah has wasted his time. Indeed, whoever speaks while the imam is delivering the khutbah is like a donkey carrying books,
And whoever says to his companion: "Be quiet," he has wasted his time, and whoever wastes his time has no Friday prayer.
ومن قال لصاحبه : أنصت فقد لغا ومن لغا فلا جمعة لهIt is not permissible for a person, while the imam is delivering the khutbah on Friday, to greet anyone next to him, nor to return a greeting, nor to congratulate a sneezer, nor to silence a speaker with words, because that is a cause for him to be deprived of the reward of the Friday prayer. Even though the Friday prayer is valid and the obligation is discharged by it, he is deprived of its reward.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.