Muslims pray five times a day every day, but the most important prayer of the week is “jumah,” or the day of gathering, on Friday.
Many ahaadeeth have been narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which explain the virtues of Jumu’ah prayer. For example:
Muslim (233) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 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.”
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 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.” Narrated by Muslim,
We know the importance of Salat (prayers) in Islam, but the friday prayer stands out more than others in virtue and importance and. The Friday prayer is full of blessings and rewards and Muslims should make sure they maximize the huge potential of this day.
- According to a saying of Prophet (SAW), it is obligatory on the Muslims to take bath, use miswaak and apply fragrance on their clothes before advancing to the mosque for Jummah prayer.
- Muslims are addressed by Allah Almighty in the Holy Quran to discard all kinds of transactions while the call for Jummah prayer is being made. They have been asked to quickly advance to the mosque to offer prayer.
- It is said that a person advancing to the mosque to offer Jummah prayer is awarded the virtues of one year’s fasting on taking each step.
- It is also recommended to recite Suratal-Kahf completely the night before Friday, and it is also recommended to do so on Friday itself, before Maghrib time. Ibn Abidin said, And it is best to do so early on Friday, in order to rush to the good and to avoid forgetting. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Bab al-Jumu`ah]
In a nutshell, Friday is a special day for Muslim ummah. The congregational prayer performed on Friday holds special significance in the life of a Muslim. They are advised to offer Friday Prayer regularly so that they can earn all its blessings and rewards!
Sources:
MuslimInc.com
IslamQA.com
QuranReading.com
Muslimvillage.com