by Asma bint Shameem
1. BEFORE JUMU’AH
Many people think that there are Sunnah prayers to be read before Jumu’ah.
They compare Jumu’ah with Dhuhr and assume that since Dhuhr has four Sunnah prayers before the fardh, then Jumu’ah prayer would also have the same.
But that’s NOT CORRECT.
Jumu’ah is NOT Dhuhr.
And there’s no authentic hadeeth that proves ANY Sunnah is to be read BEFORE Jumu’ah.
If there was any such Sunnah, we would have seen the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam or his Sahaabah reading them.
But there’s no such thing reported authentically.
Rather, the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam would come out of his house on Friday and go up on his minbar.
Then the Adhaan would be callled, affer which the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam would start his khutbah.
That’s it.
He Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam did not stop and pray any Sunnah before the Khutbah.
And he did not tell the Sahaabah to do it either.
If he did, we would have ahaadeeth telling us about that.
But we don’t.
So if he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam didn’t read any Sunnah before Jumu’ah, and the Sahaabah didn’t do it, then why should we?
We shouldn’t be reading them either.
However, we’re allowed to pray any number of NAWAAFIL if there’s time, before the Khutbah starts.
🔹Shaikh al-Albaani said:
“There are no Sunnah [rak’ahs] for Jumu’ah [prayer], Yaa akhi. The Jumu’ah Sunnah prayers which are well-known today amongst many people have NO BASIS in the Sunnah... why?
I will relate a hadeeth from Saheeh Bukhaari to you, the most authentic book after the Book of Allaah, with an authentic chain of narration from as-Saa’ib ibn Yazeed who said the adhaan in the time of the Prophet ﷺ was the first adhaan only, when the Prophet ﷺ would ascend the minbar the mu’addhin would give the adhaan, when he finished the Prophet ﷺ would stand up and deliver the sermon.
There was no room for Sunnah prayers before Jumu’ah…
… the Sunnah on Jumu’ah that a Muslim must stick to is to go to the masjid early, the earlier the better.
[So when he does finally] enter the masjid, whether it is early or later, he prays two rak’ahs, four, six, eight, without a limit, because these are called optional prayers [naafilah].
These are NOT “Sunnah” prayers which the Prophet ﷺ specified, NO.
And that’s why he ﷺ said in an authentic hadeeth:
“Whoever takes a bath on Friday, and bathes completely, and goes early, arriving early, and then prays as much as he wants, then sits close to the Imaam, and listens to him … except that he is forgiven whatever was between that Jumu’ah and the one after it.”
So this person who enters the masjid on Friday can pray as much as he is able to and according to how much energy he has, and how much time.
But as for what happens nowadays then that has no basis in the Sunnah at all.” (Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 3)
Someone said:
“But today I prayed in a masjid in Al-Ashrafiyyah by my father’s house.
Everyone got up to pray except me.
I stayed sitting and everyone else got up to pray.
I had [already] prayed six rak’ahs … before Jumu’ah and then sat down, [but] when they gave the adhaan all of them stood up and prayed [what they incorrectly think are the two Sunnah rak’ahs that one does after the adhaan] except me, they found what I did strange …
Shaykh Al-Albaani said:
“Inshaa Allaah, you’ve been added to the strangers “al-ghurabaa)”
(Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 253)
🔹 Shaikh al-Albaani also said regarding this:
“Those who pray this Sunnah are not following the Messenger or imitating any of the imaams; on the contrary, they are imitating the later scholars who are like them in that they are also imitators [of earlier scholars] rather than mujtahideen [scholars who investigate and form their own rulings].
I am AMAZED to see an imitator imitating another imitator.”
(al-Qawl al-Mubeen, 60, 374).
🔹Shaikh Abu Shaamah said:
“People usually pray between the two adhaans on Friday, offering naafil prayers of two or four rak‘ahs, and so on, until the Imaam comes out.
That is permissible and it is not a problem from the point of view of it being prayer.
Rather the problem is what the common folk and most of those who think of themselves as knowledgeable believe, that it is a “Sunnah prayer” before Jumu‘ah, as they pray Sunnah before Dhuhr, and they declare their intention that it is the “Sunnah of Jumu‘ah”, and offer their own reasoning for this view...
NONE of that is based on a proper examination of the issue.
There is NO SUNNAH BEFORE Jumu‘ah.
It is a prayer that is like no other, with its own merits.”
(al-Baa‘ith ‘ala Inkaar al-Bida‘ wa’l-Hawaadith, p. 96)
2. SUNNAH AFTER JUMU’AH
It’s proven from the Sharee’ah that there are rak’aat of Sunnah to be prayed AFTER Jumu’ah.
🔹Ibn Umar radhi Allaahu anhu said:
“The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam used to pray TWO rak‘ahs after Jumu‘ah.” (al-Bukhaari and Muslim)
🔹The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam also said:
“Whoever among you wants to pray after Jumu‘ah, let him pray FOUR (rak‘ahs).” (Muslim)
The ulama reconcile the two ahaadeeth by the following:
🔹“Ibn Umar radhi Allaahu anhu said that when he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam prayed in the masjid, he prayed FOUR and when he prayed at home, he prayed TWO.” (Abu Dawood)
🔹Ibn al-Qayyim said:
“When the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam had prayed Jumu’ah, he would enter his house and pray two Rak’ahs of Sunnah, and he commanded those who had prayed it to pray four rak’ahs afterwards.
Our shaykh, Abu’l-‘Abbaas Ibn Taymiyah said:
If he prayed in the masjid, he would pray four, and if he prayed at home, he would pray two.
I say: this is what is indicated by many ahaadeeth.” -[al-Zaad (1/440)]
🍃 This is also the view of Shaikh al-Fawzaan.
He said:
“Another way of reconciling the two ahaadeeth is that the minimum regular Sunnah following the Friday prayer is two rak’ahs and the maximum is four, whether they are performed in the house or in the masjid.”
(AI-Mulakhkhas AI-Fiqhi’)
And Allaah knows best.
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