One aspect of Islamic worship is Friday prayer. This is different from all prayers in the fact that it must be offered in congregation, and it is preceded by a khutbah, or sermon. Therefore, it is normally offered in mosques, but it is equally valid when a group of Muslims are together in any place where they could hold their own Friday prayer. Thus in countries where Friday is a working day, a group of Muslims may offer Friday prayer at their workplace, with one of them giving the sermon and leading the prayer. It is important, therefore, to learn how the Prophet (peace be upon him) conducted Friday prayer, and what he said in his sermons.
Friday prayer replaces Dhuhr on that day. Its time falls due when Dhuhr normally becomes due, i.e. at midday, when the sun begins to move down. Anas ibn Malik reports: “The Prophet used to offer Friday prayer when the sun began to come down.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawood and Al-Tirmidhi.) This confirms what we have just said about Dhuhr being replaced by this prayer on Friday.
Three Hadiths tell us about the overall manner in which the Prophet gave his sermon and conducted his prayer on Friday. Jabir ibn Abdullah reports: “The Prophet used to give two speeches on Friday, standing up, and he separated them by sitting down.” (Related by Muslim and Al-Shafie.) Jabir ibn Samurah reports: “The Prophet used to give two speeches, sitting down briefly in between. He would read from the Qur’an and remind people.” (Related by Muslim.) Jabir ibn Samurah says: “I used to pray with the Prophet. His prayer and his khutbah were clearly aimed.” (Related by Muslim and Al-Tirmidhi.)
The fact that the Friday sermon is divided in two parts with a brief sitting separating them is well known, and followed in all mosques throughout the Muslim world. The third Hadith tells us that the Prophet concentrated in his sermons on reading from the Qur’an and reminding people of what they needed to do or refrain from doing. He reminded them of the hereafter when they will meet their Lord and stand accountable to Him for everything they do in this life. This is the important part of Friday sermon: It is the reminder of what is certain to come, but most people tend to forget and neglect. We will all be raised to life again and we will face the reckoning of our deeds, which is followed by either reward or punishment. Nothing is a better reminder of these facts than the Qur’an. Hence, the Prophet always read long passages of the Qur’an in his sermon.
Mostly he read Surah 50, Qaf, in his Friday sermons. This is a surah of medium length that can be read with deliberation in ten minutes or less. This is what the third Hadith points out. The Prophet’s sermons and prayers were neither too short nor too long. Unfortunately, some imams give a very long sermon, lasting around an hour or even more. This is too long and causes many people to forget parts of what they hear. It is often the case that they forget the best part. From what we gather of different Hadiths concerning the Prophet’s sermons, we realize that he rarely spoke for more than 15 minutes. Similarly, the Prophet’s sermon was not too short so as not to be clearly understood. It was kept middle way. The same applied to his Friday prayer. He preferred to keep it of middle length.
Unfortunately, in large parts of the Muslim world, the Friday prayer and its sermon acquired a set form that has caused it to lose most of its benefit. It is often too short, read out of books written in a flowery Arabic style. While it includes something of all that scholars say should be included, it is often read by an imam who does not speak Arabic to an audience who largely do not understand the language. Thus, the reminder aspect is totally lost, while the form is retained. This is completely wrong. Prayer is not concerned with form, but with the important aspect of maintaining a close link with God. If we were to listen to a sermon we do not understand, the whole point is lost. It is important, therefore, that the sermon be given in the language that the congregation understands.
The reminder aspect is very important, as clearly appears when we read the following Hadith: “When the Prophet gave a sermon, his eyes became red and his voice loud. He would sound angry as though he was addressing an army. He would then say: ‘The Last Hour is about to overtake you, next morning or next evening.’ He would also say: ‘I have been sent with my message as close to the Last Hour as these two fingers, (pointing with two of his fingers). The best guidance is Muhammad’s, and the worst matters are those introduced without basis, and every deviation is erroneous.” (Related by Muslim, Ibn Majah and others.) We note the importance the Prophet attached to the reminding aspect of his speech. He talked about the Last Hour that signified the beginning of the Day of Judgment, reminding his audience that it is so close to them. In fact it is as close to every one of us as death is, because after death we cannot do anything for ourselves or others. He warned against introducing into Islamic practices anything that is deviant.
We briefly mentioned that the Prophet’s prayer on Friday was of middle length, as indeed most of his congregational prayers were. It is useful to know what he read of the Qur’an in his Friday prayer. Ubaydillah ibn Abi Rafi’, who belonged to the generation that followed the Prophet’s companions, reports: “Marwan (an Umayyad caliph) appointed Abu Hurayrah to deputize for him in Madinah. He led the prayer on Friday, reading Surah 62, Al-Jum’ah, in the first rak’ah and Surah 63, Al-Munafiqoon, in the second. I said to him: ‘You read two surahs which I heard Ali ibn Abi Talib reading (in Friday prayer).’ Abu Hurayrah said: ‘I heard God’s Messenger reading them.’”
This Hadith reports that the Prophet read these two surahs on Friday, and it was well known that two of his companions, Ali and Abu Hurayrah, followed his example. There are other Hadiths that mention that the Prophet read in the first rak’ah Surah 62, while he read Surah 88, Al-Ghashiyah, in the second, or read Surah 87, Al-A’la, in the first and 88 in the second. It does not follow that these are obligatory to read. In fact, the Hadiths tell us that the Prophet used to vary his reading, but he always chose surahs that emphasized the inevitable reckoning on the Day of Judgment. To follow his example is strongly recommended.
We should add perhaps that people mention a variety of conditions which they claim need to be met for Friday prayer to be conducted properly. The fact is that the Friday prayer is obligatory on every Muslim male who has attained the age of puberty. Some scholars say that it requires a large congregation, numbering forty or more people, and others speak of the place where it is offered. None of these conditions has any validity. Thus, it may be offered by any congregation with a minimum of three people. Indeed, Ibn Hazm says that two are sufficient. No restriction is made on place or who may lead the prayer.
