Salaat-ul-Jumma or Friday Prayer is offered in congregation. It is offered in place of Zhuhr Prayer. Each week on Friday, Muslims are required to take a bath, dress in their best clean clothes, wear perfume and assemble in the mosque for Friday Prayer. The Holy Quran and the Sunnah speak highly of the blessings of Jumm'a Prayer. If a Muslim spends Friday in the remembrance of God Almighty, supplicating before his Lord, he is abundantly rewarded by Allah.
Friday Prayer is an occasion for the assembly of the Muslims of a whole city or a town. In a large city, Friday Prayer can be offered in more than one place for the convenience of the Muslim community. It gives them an opportunity to meet together to discuss and solve their individual as well as community problems. Getting together once a week develops unity, co-operation and cohesiveness among Muslims. Friday Prayer is also a demonstration of Islamic equality.
It gives the Imam a chance to advise all Muslims at the same time on urgent matters that face them. The Imam's sermon gives them guidance in Islamic teachings. Friday Prayer is an obligatory Prayer for every adult male Muslim. However, those who are sick, blind or disabled, those on a journey, and women, are exempt from the obligation of attending the Prayer at the mosque. They can join in the Prayer if they so wish, but if they cannot attend the Friday Prayer, they have to offer Dhuhr (noon) prayer instead, as the Friday Prayer is offered in place of Dhuhr (noon) prayer.
There are two Adhans for Friday Prayer. The first Athan is recited when the sun begins to decline and the second is recited just before the Imam stands up before the congregation to deliver his sermon.
The sermon consists of two parts. In the first part the Imam, after the recitation of Att'-awwuz and Sura Fatiha, advises the gathering to act upon the commandments of Allah and also about the duties they have to perform to become good Muslims. The sermon can also deal with any other matter of importance. This part of the sermon can be delivered in any language.
After delivering the first part of the sermon, the Imam sits down for a short while, then stands up again and starts with the second part which is in Arabic and which reads as follows:
All praise is due to Allah. We laud Him, we beseech help from Him and ask His protection; we confide in Him, we trust Him alone and we seek protection against the evils and mischief of our souls and from the bad results of our deeds. Whomsoever He guides on the right path, none can misguide him; and whosoever He declares misled, none can guide him onto the right path. And we bear witness that none deserves to be worshipped except Allah. He is alone and has no partner. We bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O servants of Allah! May Allah be merciful to you. Verily, Allah commands you to act with justice, to confer benefits upon each other and to do good to others as one does to one 's kindred and forbids evil which pertain to your own selves and evils which affect others and prohibits revolts against a lawful authority.
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