الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي قسم الأوقات والأزمنة والآوان، وفضل يوم الجمعة على بقية الأيام، نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير،  ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدٌى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر. 

          Today, as you all very well know, is Jumu‘a, a day referred to by the Prophet as the best of days and the lord of days.

عن أبي لبابة رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : إن يوم الجمعة سيد الأيام وأعظمها عند الله وهو اعظم عند الله من يوم الفطر ويوم الأضحى

          Abu Lubaba narrated that the Prophet said, "The day of Jumu‘a is the lord of days  and the greatest of them in the sight of Allah for with Him it is greater than the day of the Eid al-Fitr and the day of the Eid al-Adha." Jumu‘a is also itself referred to in a hadith narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas as an Eid, so it is a day of celebration - a day when joy and happiness descend upon the hearts of the believers. There are many secrets and rewards that Allah has set aside for His slaves on this day, but in order to access them, they must observe certain courtesies.

          These courtesies are of two types, those that relate to the day of Jumu‘a as a whole and those that relate to the Jumu‘a prayer. We will start, inshallah, with those related to the Jumu‘a prayer, since it is the most important feature of this noble day.

          Firstly, before proceeding to the mosque, you should do ghusl, This Jumu‘a ghusl is more than a simple courtesy - it is an emphasised sunna and should be done immediately before setting out for the prayer. It is a simple act and it carries with it an immense reward.

عن أبي أمامة قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: « اغتسلوا يوم الجمعة فإن من اغتسل يوم الجمعة فله كفارة ما بين الجمعة إلى الجمعة وزيادة ثلاثة أيام

          Abu Umamah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, “Do ghusl on the day of Jumu‘a, for anyone who does ghusl on the day of Jumu‘a will have all the wrong actions he has committed from one Jumu‘a to the next forgiven, as well as those for three other days.”

          Secondly, you should clean your teeth, cut your nails, trim your moustache, shave your pubic hair and pluck your underarm hair. 

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : “خمسة من الفطرة: قص الشارب وتقليم الأظفار وحلق العانة  ونتف الإبط والسواك”

          Abu Hurayra narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, "There are five things which are from the Fitra: Trimming the moustache, cutting the nails, shaving your pubic hair, plucking your underarm hair and using the siwak."

          Thirdly, you should put on the finest clothes that you have and fourthly, you should put on the best perfume that is available to you.

عن  أبي سعيد الخدري  قال : إن من الحق على المسلم إذا كان يوم الجمعة السواك وأن يلبس من صالح ثيابه وأن يتطيب بطيب إن كان

          Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri is narrated as having said, “Part of the duties of the Muslim man on the day of Jumu‘a is to use the siwak, wear the finest of his clothes and put on perfume if he has any.”

          All of the courtesies above are for the purpose of preparing yourself for your trip to the House of Allah and for your meeting with your Lord. And they are confirmed sunnas of the Prophet. And what greater occasion than the Jumu‘a is there? For whom are you saving your best clothes and your expensive perfumes? For work!? Or for dinner parties?! Allah Himself says:

“يا بني آدم خذوا زينتكم عند كل مسجد”

          the translation of which is, “Children of Adam, wear fine clothing to every mosque.”

          The fifth courtesy of Jumu‘a is going early to the mosque, for the earlier you get there, the greater the reward:

عَن أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: مَن اغْتَسَلَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ غُسْلَ الْجَنَابَةِ ثُمَّ رَاحَ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَرَّبَ بَدَنَةً وَمَنْ رَاحَ فِي السَّاعَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَرَّبَ بَقَرَةً وَمَنْ رَاحَ فِي السَّاعَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَرَّبَ كَبْشًا أَقْرَنَ وَمَنْ رَاحَ فِي السَّاعَةِ الرَّابِعَةِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَرَّبَ دَجَاجَةً وَمَنْ رَاحَ فِي السَّاعَةِ الْخَامِسَةِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَرَّبَ بَيْضَةً فَإِذَا خَرَجَ الْإِمَامُ حَضَرَت الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الذِّكْرَ”

            Abu Hurayra narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, “Anyone who does ghusl on the day of Jumu‘a, the same as for janaba, and then goes in the first part of the time, it is as if he has sacrificed a camel. If he goes in the second part of the time, it is as if he has sacrificed a cow. If he goes in the third part of the time, it is as if he has sacrificed a horned ram. If he goes in the fourth part of the time, it is as if he has sacrificed a hen. If he goes in the fifth part of the time, it is as if he has offered an egg. When the Imam comes out, the angels settle down to listen to the reminder.”

          And the sixth is walking not riding or driving to the mosque. But, of course, this last courtesy applies only if you live within a reasonable distance.

عن أوس بن أوس الثقفي أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال «من غسل واغتسل يوم الجمعة وبكر وابتكر ومشى ولم يركب ودنا من الإمام واستمع ولم يلغ كان له بكل خطوة عمل سنة أجر صيامها وقيامها

          Aws ibn Aws ath-Thaqafi narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, “Whoever does ghusl on the day of Jumu‘a and goes to the mosque early, walking and not riding, then sits close to the Imam and listens without engaging in worthless chatter will be given the reward of a year's worth of fasting and prayer for every step that he takes.”

          Once you have entered the mosque, move as close to the front as you possibly can without disturbing those who are already inside or stepping over their necks, for that is a reprehensible act that is totally forbidden once the Jumu‘a has started.

          Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, one of the great men of knowledge of Madina in the time of the Tabi‘in said: “I would prefer to drink a goblet of fire than to drink a glass of wine; I would prefer to drink a glass of wine than to miss the Jumu‘a; and I would prefer to miss the Jumu‘a than to step over the necks of people in the mosque.”

          When you find space, pray two rak‘ats for greeting the mosque if the imam has not yet come out, and then sit down. But be sure to sit in a respectful manner, not leaning against a wall or pillar nor stretching your legs out towards the qibla. That is the height of disrespect towards the Mosque and towards its Master, our Creator.

          This time when you are sitting down in the mosque before the  emergence of the imam is a special time, for Allah has placed Angels at the gates of the mosque, recording the actions of everyone inside, until the Imam comes out. Then the books are shut. So make use of that time to draw closer to your Lord, by reciting Qur'an, doing dhikr and reflecting upon His signs. 

            Then, when the imam comes out, you must cease all speech. You should not even return a greeting, even by a gesture. And when the imam begins the khutba, you should turn to face him, give him your full attention and listen carefully. This is not just a courtesy but is an obligation upon every Muslim, man or woman, for the entire duration of the khutba, as our Mu’adhin reminds us every week in the hadith he recites so beautifully before calling the adhan:

عَنْ مَالِك عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنْ الْأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِذَا قُلْتَ لِصَاحِبِكَ أَنْصِتْ وَالْإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَدْ لَغَوْتَ

            From Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from al-A'raj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah said, “Even saying, 'Be quiet!' to your companion while the Imam is speaking on the Day of Jumu‘a constitutes idle chatter.”

و في حديث آخر قال: و من لغى فلا جمعة له

            And in another hadith: “Whoever chatters (during the khutba), will have no Jumu‘a”. Meaning, his Jumu‘a will not be valid.

          If you arrive late to find the Imam already upon the mimbar, sit down and do not pray any sunna rak‘ats. Do you not know that the khutba contains ayats of the the Book of Allah and that Allah has commanded us to listen to His Book when it is recited?

قال الله عز وجل في كتابه العزيز "وإذا قرئ القرآن فاستمعوا له وأنصتوا لعلكم ترحمون"

          Allah says in His Noble Book, the translation of which is, “When the Qur'an is recited, listen to it and be quiet so that hopefully you will gain mercy.”

How can one both listen and concentrate on one's prayer at the same time?

          Do you not know that the khutba is said to replace two rak‘ats of the Dhuhr prayer? If you enter the mosque and find the imam in the Dhuhr prayer, would you pray two sunna rak‘ats or join straight in with the imam?

          The obligatory always takes precedence, for the Prophet has said there is no nafila (i.e. no voluntary rak‘ats) when the obligatory prayer has been embarked upon. The same is true with respect to the Jumu‘a - as soon as the khutba begins, all supererogatory actions stop. That is the position of the people of Madinah where 10,000 companions remained praying the Jumu‘a prayer in the Mosque of the Prophet. That is the position of the Umm al-Madhahib.

          After the prayer has finished you should not hang about in the mosque, but you should say your greetings and leave. Allah Himself instructs us to do that when He says:

"فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَانْتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ"

 the translation of which is: “Then when the salat is finished spread through the earth”

          And the Prophet used to leave the mosque and go to his home to pray the two sunna rak‘ats. If however you insist upon praying two rak‘ats after the Jumu‘a prayer, then please do not pray at the back or near the doors of the mosque where you block people who want to exit the mosque from leaving. Instead pray as near to the front as possible or next to the far wall opposite the entrance, out of respect for others who are using the mosque.

          As we mentioned earlier, the day of Jumu‘a is an Eid, a day to strengthen bonds and bring happiness to hearts, so use the opportunity after the prayer to spend time with your fellow muslims and invite them to your homes. It is by feeding others that you bring life and light to the places in which you live.

          May Allah grant us the success to observe these courtesies. May He make them second nature for us and make them a means towards coming closer to Him and strengthening the bond between the Muslims of our community.

أقول قولي هذا و أستغفر الله العظيم لي و لكم و لسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو التوّابُ الرَّحيم