Friday Prayer at the Mosque

The Friday prayer at the mosque or salatul Jumu’ah is an essential part of the practice of Salat and the life of a Muslim believer and holds special significance for both the individual and Islamic community and is considered one of the blessings with which the Muslim nation has been endowed as “the best day…(as) on it, Allah created Aadam” (Ahmad and At-AT Tirmithi). In the holy Quran and the Hadiths, it is mentioned that Friday is one of the most important days of the week because of this. The Jumu’ah is an obligation upon every free adult(male) Muslim who has the ability to attend and is seen as a pivotal part of the Islamic faith.

The procedure of the Jumu’ah differs from other prayers due to its significance and congregation. The first step in the procedure is to purify your intentions, affirming that you plan to attend the Friday prayers for gods sake alone. Then move to purify your body through taking a shower or bath(ghusl), as the prophet Muhammad advised his followers to keep clean. This is again to show your intentions towards Allah. It is also recommended to dress in clean, modest clothes. As the individual enters the Mosque or prayer area, he is to remove his shoes, to avoid dirtying the prayer rug as the ground being prayed upon must be clean of such substances, otherwise the prayers will be forfeit (Sunnat). The individual will then enter with his right foot first as it represents a beginning and is Sunnah. The individual is then to offer two cycles of voluntary prayer known as tahyatul masjid salah(a prayer to greet the Mosque). The next step is to sit next to the other congregants on the floor, choosing the space cloest to the front and then proceed to listen to the Adhan (call to prayer) – The service of now underway and talking is to cease. The Imam will then offer a Khutbah, which is followed by an offer of silent prayers, from which the Imam will then finish the final section of the sermon. The Iquaamah will then be announced were the