What is the virtue of arriving early on Friday?
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The questioner : Tell us, may Allah preserve you, about the virtue of arriving early for the Friday prayer?
The Shaykh : Arriving early for the Friday prayer was explained by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):Muwatta Malik 5:1 Thus the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) explained it.
And I urge my Muslim brothers to arrive early for Friday so that they may attain this reward and benefit from their early arrival through prayer, recitation of the Qur'an, and remembrance of Allah. A person should perform the full ritual bath for this prayer, and the full ritual bath is obligatory for it, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):Riyad as-Salihin 1152.
And a person should perfume himself with the best fragrance he can find, and wear his best clothes, because this prayer is a festival prayer. Indeed, Friday is the festival of the week, and it is something by which Allah has favored us over the Jews and the Christians. So we have Friday, and the Jews and Christians follow us. The Jews have Saturday, and the Christians have Sunday.
We ask Allah the Exalted, who has favored us over these nations, to make us guides and guided, righteous and reformers, and to make us among those who strive in His path so that the word of Allah is the supreme one, until we rise above these disbelieving, oppressive, and misguided people.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.
The Shaykh : Arriving early for the Friday prayer was explained by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
If someone does ghusl for major ritual impurity on the day of jumua and then goes in the first part of the time, it is as if he had offered up a camel. If he goes in the second part of the time, it is as if he had offered up a cow. If he goes in the third part of the time, it is as if he had offered up a horned ram. If he goes in the fourth part of the time, it is as if he had offered up a hen. If he goes in the fifth part of the time, it is as if he had offered up an egg
بأن من اغتسل في بيته ثم راح في الساعة الأولى فكأنما قرب بدنة ، ومن راح في الساعة الثانية فكأنما قرب بقرة ، ومن راح في الساعة الثالثة فكأنما قرب كبشاً أقرن ، ومن راح في الساعة الرابعة فكأنما قرب دجاجة ، ومن راح في الساعة الخامسة فكأنما قرب بيضةAnd I urge my Muslim brothers to arrive early for Friday so that they may attain this reward and benefit from their early arrival through prayer, recitation of the Qur'an, and remembrance of Allah. A person should perform the full ritual bath for this prayer, and the full ritual bath is obligatory for it, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
Taking a bath (before coming to Friday prayers) is obligatory on every adult.
غسل الجمعة واجب على كل محتلمAnd a person should perfume himself with the best fragrance he can find, and wear his best clothes, because this prayer is a festival prayer. Indeed, Friday is the festival of the week, and it is something by which Allah has favored us over the Jews and the Christians. So we have Friday, and the Jews and Christians follow us. The Jews have Saturday, and the Christians have Sunday.
We ask Allah the Exalted, who has favored us over these nations, to make us guides and guided, righteous and reformers, and to make us among those who strive in His path so that the word of Allah is the supreme one, until we rise above these disbelieving, oppressive, and misguided people.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.