A Primer in Jumu ah. Prepared by Joe Bradford

Transcription

1 A Primer in Jumu ah Prepared by This Primer covers the following questions: I. Who can lead Jumu ah? II. What must he do? III. When is Jumu ah performed? IV. Where is it performed? V. Why is Jumu ah performed? VI. How does one perform Jumu ah VII. How many?

2 I. Who can lead Jumu ah? a. Anyone who is eligible to lead the obligatory congregational prayer is eligible to lead the Jumu ah prayer. b. The following conditions must be fulfilled by the person giving the sermon (Khutbah): i. He must be a sane adult ii. He must be upright and trustworthy iii. He must have requisite knowledge of the religion allowing him to lead the congregational prayer iv. He should have basic knowledge of the Fiqh of Salat v. He should have basic knowledge of the Fiqh of Jumu ah

3 II. What must he do? a. There are several things that are requisite for the Jumu ah to be valid: i. There must be two sermons (Khutbah) before the prayer is performed. ii. Each sermon must include the following: 1. Praise of Allah 1 2. Salat on the Prophet 2 3. recitation of a verse of Quran 3 4. Admonition to fear God and a reminder 4 iii. The two sermons should be followed immediately by Prayer. iv. The Prayer should be out loud. b. Other things are recommended such as: i. The Khatib should be in a state of Taharah ii. he should stand on a minbar or an elevated area iii. That he give Salam to the people iv. That he sits on the minbar until the Adhan is finished v. He then stands to give the first Khutbah vi. He then sits shortly between the two Khutbahs. vii. He then stands to give the second Khutbah (which customarily is shorter than the first) viii. He should make Dua for the Muslims ix. He then orders for the Iqamah to be given, and descends the minbar to lead the prayer 1 - See the hadith of Jabir The Messenger would give his sermon, praise Allah and venerate him as he deserves 2 - Because every act of worship that is the remembrance of Allah is a condition for, the Salat upon his Messenger is as well, analogous to the Adhan. 3 - See the hadith of Jabir ibn Samurah in Muslim He would read verses [of the Quran] and remind the people. 4 - See the previous footnote

4 III. IV. When is Jumu ah performed? a. Jumu ah is to be performed at the time of Zuhr. 1 b. The Khutbah can be given when the time comes in for Zuhr with the prayer following it. c. The khatib should respect the timings set by the community he is giving the Khutbah to. Where is it performed? a. It is to be performed in any area in which there are two or more people b. It is recommended to be performed in a Masjid. V. Why is Jumu ah performed? a. Jumu ah was legislated first and foremost to remind the congregation weekly of their duty to their Lord, encouraging them to perform the best practices, admonishing them concerning the wrong they do, and in general to give guidance to the people about their religion. b. It was the practice of the Prophet in addition to this to tackle predominant social practices that were in opposition to Islamic guidelines. 1 - according to the stronger of the two opinions held by the scholars

5 VI. How does one perform Jumu ah a. Jumu ah consists of two things: i. The Sermon The Sermon is performed in the following manner: The Imam enters the masjid and goes directly to the Minbar to sit. After sitting he greets the congregation saying Al-Salam Alaikum 1. The Adhan is then called. After the adhan finishes he stands to deliver the first Khutbah. He begins with praising Allah, invoking Salat on the Messenger of Allah, and begins to deliver the sermon. At least one of the Quranic verses related to the topic should be mentioned in Arabic. The sermon is delivered in the language of the people to both encourage and admonish them. He then sits shortly. He should then stand after this for the second sermon, which is similar to the first but generally shorter. (The sermon in totality is recommended to be shorter than the prayer) At the end of the second sermon, it is customary to make Dua, asking Allah to shed his grace on his Messenger, the Messenger s family and companions, and then a general Dua for the Muslims. There are no specific methods of doing this, and as such one can make dua in a manner that agrees with the topic of the sermon. 2 In closing he should order the prayer to be established, saying Aqim al-salah 1 - He may add to this if he wishes 2 - For example, if the sermon is about the Mercy of Allah, one might make dua at this time for Allah s mercy.

6 ii. The Prayer 1. The prayer consists of two rak ahs, in which he reads out loud, various verses from the Quran. 2. The Messenger would read the following in the Jumu ah prayer: a. Surat al-jumu ah then al-munafiqun b. Surat al-jumu ah then al-ghashiyah c. Surat al- Alaa then al-ghashiyah d. These recitations are not obligatory, but were the custom of the Messenger of Allah. If one feels that there are verses related to the sermon that may be better to recite, it is permissible to recite them.

7 VII. How many? a. Khutbahs does one give? i. Two Khutbahs must be given for Jumu ah. b. Verses do you have to recite in the Khutbah? i. At least one verse should be quoted in Arabic during the Khutbah. ii. As a rule of thumb, a Khatib should not overload his Khutbah with too many verses and hadith as this will prevent him (due to time constraints) to explain the message of those verses and hadith. c. Hadith must I quote? i. There is no minimum requirement for hadith. ii. They do not have to be quoted in Arabic. iii. See (b.ii.) above d. Duas must I make? i. Dua is not a requisite part of the Khutbah, but a customary one. ii. The least that a person should do at the end of the Khutbah is send Salat upon the Messenger and seek forgiveness for himself and the general body of Muslims. Extra dua may be made if time remains. iii. Many Khatibs tie the meanings of the Dua they make into the message of the Khutbah, as a way of reiterating the message of the Khutbah. e. Rakats does one perform? i. Two Rakats must be performed for the prayer to be valid. ii. This should be done immediately after the Khutbah iii. The Prayer should be said outloud.