The importance of Friday Prayer is well known to the Muslim ummah. There are explicit verses in the Qur’an and Sunah that highlight this and also gives us guidelines on how to make the best out of this Salaah. In my humble attempt, I have tried to list out the benefits of the Jumu’ah Salaah and the ways we could resort to in order to reap them, in shaa’ Allah and in the process beautify your Jum’ah salaah. 
Friday is called Al-Jumu`ah because it is derived from Al-Jam`, literally meaning “gathering”. 1
The Prophet SAWSsaid: “Friday is the master of days, and the greatest of them before Allah. It is greater before Allah than the day of al-Adha and the day of al-Fitr. It has five characteristics: on this day Allah created Adam, on it He sent Adam down to the earth, on it Allah caused Adam to die, on it there is a time when a person does not ask Allah for anything but He gives it to him, so long as he does not ask for anything haraam, and on it the Hour will begin. There is no angel who is close to Allah, no heaven, no earth, no wind, no mountain and no sea that does not fear Friday.” 2
Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimullah) said: 


Jumu‘ah prayer is singled out from among all the other obligatory prayers for having particular characteristics that are not found in other prayers including the fact that it is offered in congregation, has a minimum number of worshipers required in order for it to be valid, the iqaamah is a condition of it being valid, one must not be traveling in order for it to be obligatory, and the recitation is done out loud.” [3 Zaad al-Ma‘aad, 1/384-385]


VIRTUES OF THE FRIDAY PRAYER
  1. Abu Hurayrah RAu narrated that the Messenger of Allah SAWS said: “The five daily prayers, and from one Jumu’ah to the next are an expiation for whatever sins come in between, so long as one does not commit any major sin.” 3
  2. It was narrated by Al-Ja’d ad-Damri RAu that the Prophet SAWS said, “He who leaves the Friday prayer (continuously) for three Friday on account of slackness, Allah will print a stamp on his heart.” 4
  3. It was narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As RAu that the Prophet SAWSsaid, “Three types of people attend Friday prayer; One is present in a frivolous way and that is all he gets from it; another comes with a supplication, Allah may grant or refuse his request as He wishes; another is present silently and quietly with-out stepping over a Muslim or annoying anyone, and that is an atonement for his sins till the next Friday and three days more, the reason being that Allah, the Exalted, says: “He who does a good deed will have ten times as much.” 5
SUNNAH OF FRIDAY PRAYER
Before the Friday prayer:
  1. Close your business before Salaah:
“[Are] men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of zakah. …That Allah may reward them [according to] the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty. ….” (Surah An-Nur, 24:37-38)
Allah SWT praises those individuals who close their business fearing Allah SWT and rush towards Salaah. They seek and hope for His bounties and fear His punishment!
  1. Performing Ghusl:
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah RAu that the ProphetSAWS said, “Whoever does ghusl then comes to Jumu’ah, and prays as much as Allah decrees for him, then listens attentively until the khutbah is over, then prays with him (the imam), will be forgiven for (his sins) between that and the next Jumu’ah and three more days.” 6
Al-Nawawi said: “The scholars said that what is meant by his being forgiven between the two Jumu’ahs and three more days is that a good deed is worth ten like it, so he will be rewarded with ten hasanahs for each of the good deeds that he did on Friday.” 7
  1. Reaching Early for Jum’ah Prayer:  
The Messenger of AllahSAWSsaid, “Whoever does ghusl on Friday like ghusl for janaabah, then goes to the prayer (in the first hour, i.e., early), it is as if he sacrificed a camel. Whoever goes in the second hour, it is as if he sacrificed a cow; whoever goes in the third hour, it is as if he sacrificed a horned ram; whoever goes in the fourth hour, it is as if he sacrificed a hen; and whoever goes in the fifth hour it is as if he offered an egg. When the imam comes out, the angels come to listen to the khutbah.” 8
  1. Walking to Jumu’ah Prayer:
The Messenger of Allah SAWSsaid, “Whoever does ghusl on Friday ….., and sets out early, ….for every step he takes, he will have the reward of fasting and praying qiyaam for one year.” 9
  1. Wearing fresh/new clothes for Jumu’ah:
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Salam RAu that he heard the Messenger of Allah SAWSsaying on the pulpit one Friday, “There is nothing wrong with anyone of you buying two garments for Friday (prayer), other than his daily work clothes.” 10
Friday is the Eid day for Muslims. Therefore, they should dress themselves with the finest clothes when going for the Friday Prayer.
6.  Applying hair oil and Perfume and the use of Siwaak:
The Messenger of AllahSAWSstressed on the application of hair oil, use of siwaak 11 and perfume (for men only) on Friday. The main idea behind this recommendation is that the person feels fresh and others can also benefit from the good smell.
It was narrated by Salman-Al-Farsi RAu that the ProphetSAWSsaid, “Whoever takes a bath on Friday, purifies himself as much as he can, then uses his (hair) oil or perfumes himself with the scent of his house, then proceeds (for the Jumua prayer) …… his sins in between the present and the last Friday would be forgiven.” 12
Whilst Attending The Prayer:
  1. Splitting 2 people sitting together:
It was narrated by Salman-Al-Farsi RAu that the Prophet SAWSsaid, “……. then proceeds (for the Jumua prayer) and does not separate two persons sitting together (in the mosque) …… his sins in-between the present and the last Friday would be forgiven.” 13
  1. Making place for others:
Jabir RAu reported Allah’s Apostle SAWSas saying, “None amongst you should make his brother stand on Friday (during the congregational prayer) and then occupy his-place. but he should only say to him (Accommodate me).” 14
  1. Stepping over others Shoulder:
It was narrated from Abu Az-Zahiriyah about ‘Abdullah bin Busr, he said: “I was sitting beside him on Friday and he said: ‘A man came, stepping over people’s necks, and the Messenger of Allah  said: ‘Sit down, you are disturbing people.” 15
  1. Speaking during the Khutbah:
It was narrated from Abu HurairahRAuthat the Messenger of AllahSAWSsaid: “If you say to your companion: ‘Be quiet and listen’ when the imam is delivering the Khutbah, you have engaged in idle speech.” 16
  1. Sitting close to the Imaam:
It was narrated by Samurah ibn Jundub RAu that the ProphetSAWSsaid, “Attend the sermon (on Friday) and sit near the imam, for a man keeps himself away until he will be left behind at the time of entering Paradise though he enters it.” 17
  1. Ihtiba’:
Mu’adh bin Anas Al-Juhani RAusaid that, “The Prophet  forbade (us) from sitting with our legs drawn up to our belly (Ihtiba’) during the Friday Khutbah (religious talk before the prayer).” 18
The original Arabic word is hubtaah or ihtibaa. The ProphetSAWShas prohibited sitting in this manner since a man may easily become drowsy and his ablution may also break in this position. There are various opinions regarding this issue. 19
  1. Feeling drowsy during the Khutbah:
Ibn UmarRAunarrated that the ProphetSAWSsaid, “When one of you becomes sleepy during the Friday prayer, then let him move from where he is sitting.” 20
After the Friday prayer:
  1. Praying 4 Rak’ah Sunnah:
Abu HurairahRAureported that the Messenger of AllahSAWSsaid, “If anyone of you performs the Friday prayer, he should perform four Rak’ah (Sunnah) after it.” 21]
  1. Changing Place after Jumu’ah Prayers:
Al- Sa’ib informed ‘Umar bin Ata about what he had seen in the prayer of Mu’awiya that, “Yes, I observed the Jumu’a prayer along with him in Maqsura and when the Imam pronounced salutation, I stood up at my place and observed (Sunan rak’ahs). As he entered (the apartment), he sent for me and said: Do not repeat what you have done. Whenever you have observed the Jumu’a prayer, do not observe (Sunan prayer) till you have talked or got out, for the Messenger of Allah had ordered us to do this and not to combine two (types of) prayers without talking or going out.” 22
3. Buying and Selling After The Friday Prayer:
“And when the Prayer is finished, then you may disperse through the land, and seek of the Bounty of Allah. And remember Allah much that you may prosper or be successful.” (Surah Al-Jumu’ah, 62:10)  
Jumu’ah is a gift from Allah SWT to us just like the 2 Eids. AllahSWThas given us the opportunity every week to bask under the shade of His blessings. We would truly succeed in this if we follow it with pure and sincere intentions. The punishment for skipping prayers is severe as AllahSWTdescribes in the verse:
 ‘But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet Destruction and Hell..” (Surah Maryam, 19: 59)
May Allah SWT protect us from falling into this category and guide us onto the straight path!
Surah al Kahf is the 18th Surah of Qur’an and it tells the story of the believers in ancient time who when received the message of Truth accepted it. However, they were to face retaliation from the society they lived in and hence the flee from the city and found protection in a cave where Allah Almighty gave them sleep that lasted for centuries and till then their whole city had converted into believers. This Surah gives the message that those who believe in Allah and ask for protection from Him, He gives them the best protection the likes of which the world has never seen.





The Virtues Of Reciting Surah Kahf On Jumu’ah in the Light of Hadith



The Surah also comes with a variety of virtues as described in the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
“Whoever reads Surah al Kahf on the day of Jummah will have a light that will shine from him from one Friday to the next.” (al-Jaami)
 “One who memorized the first ten verses of Surah al Kahf will be secure against the Dajjal (Anti-Christ).” (Muslim) 
‘Whoever reads Soorat al-Kahf on the day of Jumu’ah (Friday), a light will shine for him from beneath his feet to the clouds of the sky, which will shine for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will be forgiven (his sins) between the two Fridays.’” [Al-Mundhiri رحمة اللہ علیه said, this was narrated by Abu Bakr ibn Mardawayh رحمة اللہ علیه in his Tafseer, with an isnaad with which there was nothing wrong]
Al-Mannaawi also said: “It is recommended to read it during the day or night of Jumu’ah, as al-Shaafa’i (rahmatullahi alaih) stated.” (Fayd al-Qadeer, 6/198)






Dhikar is the most important act of a Momin. This word “Dhikar” is used to remember Allah Almighty.
In Quran it is said that:-

“Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest” (13:38)



Dhikar is that act through which one can obtain Allah’s pleasure. It is a weapon to satisfy the heart from all the difficulties and troubles. There are a lot of rewards of Dhikar. Dhikar polishes the heart. It makes pure the soul.
Allah says: “Remember me I will Remember you” (2:152)



It is said by Holy Prophet (PBUH) that Allah Almighty says:-
“I am with my servant when he remembers me and his lips move making mention of Me.” (Bukhari)
Our Prophet (saw) also said: “A man does nothing more calculated to rescue him from Allah’s punishment than making mention of Allah.” (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)
Dhikar gives refreshment to the heart of a momin. It gives strength to the heart. That person becomes special in the eye of the Allah who does Dhikar a lot.
Allah Almighty says in Sura E AL- Ahzab that:-
“O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembering. And glorify Him morning and evening”.
Hadith: “There is a polish for everything that takes away rust, and the polish for the heart is the remembrance of Allah”
(Bukahri)

The actual meaning of Dhikar is to remember Allah with tongue and heart. When a true momin does Dikhar his heart starts trembling. It’s the inner action of the heart which is shown on tongue. We have become too much busy in our daily routine that we have forgotten this holy act. But it is not the matter that we remain busy that is why we cannot do Dhikar. We can do Dhikar while we are walking, travelling, cooking etc.
There are too many ways to do Dhikar. It is not said that sit in a corner and do Dhikar. 
Hazrat Mohammad (PBUH) has told too many ways of Dhikar.



Quran says:
“O beloved! Recite the Book that has been revealed to you, and establish prayer. Undoubtedly, the prayer forbids one from indecency and evil thing. And no doubt, the remembrance of Allah is the greatest. And Allah knows what you do”
It is mentioned in Hadith that the best Dikar is La ilaha illallah.


Dhikar gives the refreshment to the heart, soul and Emaan. Our hearts has become darker because we have forgotten the importance of Dhikar. Satan has gotten chance to indulge us in Evil affairs. It is the time to polish the heart with the Dhikar of Allah Almighty. When a person does Dhikar regularly he communicates with Allah Almighty. He finds satisfaction. Whenever a person who remember Allah all the time when calls him he is being answered by Allah Almight. If we want that Allah listen to us and if we want to build a strong relationship with Allah Almighty then we must do Dhikar all the time. We have to develop this habit. May Allah help us to develop this habit 
(Ameen)


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