The weekly convention of Friday Congregation is the most important
service and is compulsory upon every Muslim
who is required to observe the other prayers and
has no reasonable excuses to abstain. It falls on Friday of every week
and is especially important because:
1. It is the occasion earmarked by Allah
for the Muslim to express their collective
devotion.
2. It is an appointment to review our spiritual accounts of the week
gone by and get ready for the following week just as people do in any other
business.
3. It is a convention for the Muslims
to reassure themselves and confirm their religious bonds and social solidarity
on moral and spiritual foundations.
4. It shows how the Muslims give preference
to the call of God over and above any other concern.
This prayer of Friday is marked by these features :
1. Its time falls in the same times as that of the noon
prayer (Salatu-z-Zuhr), and it replaces the very same prayer.
2. It must be said in a congregation led by an Imam.
No single person can offer it by himself.
3. If any person misses it, he cannot make up for it. Instead, he has
to offer the noon prayer, the original prayer
which this service normally replaces.
4. All kinds of normal work are allowed on Friday as on any other week
day. For Muslims there is no Sabbath. They
can carry on with their usual duties and activities provided they come
to the congregational service in time. After
the service is over, they may resume their mundane activities.
5. This Friday Prayer must be performed in a mosque,
if there is one available. Otherwise, it may be said at any gathering place,
e.g. homes, farms, parks, etc.
6. When the time for prayer comes, the
Adhan (Ezan) is said. Then, four units of prayer
are offered as Sunnah (Sunnet), individually, in a low voice as in the
noon prayer. When this part is completed, the
Imam stands up facing the audience and delivers
his sermon (khutbah - hutbe) which is an essential part of the service.
While the Imam is taking nobody should talk
or pray; everyone present should take a sitting position and listen to
the sermon quietly to the end.
7. The sermon (khutbah - hutbe) consists of two parts each beginning
with words of praise of Allah and
prayers of blessing for Prophet Muhammad. In
the first part some Qur'anic passage must be recited
and explained for the purpose of exhortation and admonition. At the end
of the first part the Imam takes a short
rest in the sitting posture, then stands up to deliver the second part
of his sermon. General affairs of the Muslims
may be discussed in either or both parts of the sermon. In the second part,
especially, the Imam prays for the general
welfare of all Muslims.
8. After that the Iqamah is made and the two obligatory units are offered
under the leadership of the Imam who recites
the Fatihah and the other Qur'anic passage in an
audible voice. When this is done, the prayer is
completed. After that two other Sunnah (Sunnet) units are offered individually
in a low voice.
The earlier four and the late two Sunnah (Sunnet) units may be offered at home. Also they may be replaced with one has to make up.
Any participant in the weekly congregation or the 'Ed Prayers should
do his best to be neat and tidy. Though there is no compulsory reason for
a complete ablution, a bath is strongly recommended
as it makes one fresher and more pleasant.
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