Dear Muslims!
It was another Friday like today. Our beloved Prophet (saw) finally made it to Madinah after a challenging travel during the Hijrah. The dhuhr time had already arrived when he (saw) arrived at the place called al-Ranuna. The Messenger of Allah (saw) delivered a khutbah to the believers who had gathered there to welcome him (saw), and led the first Friday prayer.
Upon this event, which took place during the Hijrah, the day of Friday was set out as a day of eid, when Muslims come together weekly. Every Friday since that day, we too have been experiencing immense happiness and excitement. It is because Friday is an exceptional day for our weekly revival. It is the name of standing before our Lord (swt) after distancing ourselves from all worldly concerns. It is the time to reaffirm our bond of devotion to Allah (swt) and to pray to Him, knowing that prayers are not rejected on this day.
Dear Believers!
Today, our most important responsibility is to perform the Friday prayer. Allah the Almighty (swt) states in the verse I have recited at the beginning of my khutbah, "O you who have believed! When [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew."[1]
The believers devoted to this verse of our Lord (swt) get ready for the Friday prayer by suspending all worldly busynesses. They follow the example of our Prophet (saw) and perform ghusl if possible. They perform wudu properly. They take extra care to ensure their clothes are clean. They wear pleasant fragrances. When they arrive at a mosque, they behave in accordance with the spirit of worship. They observe the orderliness of the rows. They avoid creating any noise or causing their brothers any discomfort.
They listen to the Friday khutbah with a sense of worship, in silence, and attentively. It is because the khutbah is a requirement for the Friday prayer. Talking with other people or being preoccupied with our phones or other things during the khutbah would cause us to miss the core of the khutbah and miss out on its merits. The Prophet's (saw) warning in this regard is quite clear: "If you (even) ask your companion to be quiet on Friday while the imam is delivering the sermon, you have in fact talked irrelevance."[2]
Dear Muslims!
It is a serious sin to skip Friday prayer when there is no valid religious reason to do so. The Messenger of Allah (saw) cautions us against this by saying: "Whoever does not establish Friday prayer three times because he does not care about it, Allah sets a seal on his heart."[3]
Therefore, let us take advantage of the merits and abundance of divine blessings of Friday, which is the best day on which the sun rises.[4] Let us make Friday a chance to remember Allah together, worship Him (swt), and to deepen our brotherly ties. Let us acquaint our children with Friday prayer and welcome our youth to the peacefulness of Friday. Let us run to mosques on Fridays with all members of our family just as it was in the 'Asr al-Sa'adah. I would like to conclude this Friday's khutbah with our beloved Prophet's (saw) following hadith: "He who performed ablution well, then came to Friday prayer, listened (to the khutbah), all (his sins) between that time and the next Friday would be forgiven."[5]
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[1] Jumu'ah, 62/9.
[2] Muslim, Jumu'ah, 11.
[3] Ibn Majah, Iqamat, 93.
[4] Muslim, Jumu'ah, 18.
[5] Muslim, Jumu'ah, 27.
General Directorate of Religious Services