Jumu’ah Sunnah Prayer

Praise be to Allah.

Sunnah prayer before Jumu’ah

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to come out of his house on the day of Jumu’ah (Friday) and climb up on his minbar. Then the muadhdhin would give the Adhan, and when he finished, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would start his khutbah.

If there were any Sunnah prayer to be done before Jumu’ah , he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would have told them about it and directed them to do it after the Adhan, and he would have done it himself.

At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), there was nothing apart from the Adhan just before the khutbah.

Hence the majority of the imams agreed that there is no sunnah to be done at a specific time before Jumu’ah with a specific number of rak’ahs, because that would have been reported from the words or actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and nothing of that nature has been reported from him. This is the madhhab of Malik, al-Shaf’i and most of his companions, and is the well known view in the madhhab of Ahmad.

Al-Iraqi said:

“I have not seen anything to indicate that the three imams recommended praying Sunnah before it [Jumu’ah].”

Al-Albani commented:

“For that reason this so-called Sunnah is not mentioned in Kitab al-Umm by Imam al-Shafi’i, or in al-Masail by Imam Ahmad, or by any of the other early imams, as far as I know.

Hence I say:

Those who pray this Sunnah are not following the Messenger or imitating any of the imams; on the contrary, they are imitating the later scholars who are like them in that they are also imitators [of earlier scholars] rather than mujtahidin [scholars who investigate and form their own rulings]. I am amazed to see an imitator imitating another imitator.” (Al-Qawl al-Mubin, 60, 374)

Moreover, between the first call of Jumu’ah prayer and the second call, there should be sufficient time for people to get ready to pray, not just the time it takes to pray two rak’ahs or thereabouts, as is done in some countries and some mosques.

Du`a behind the imam after Jumu’ah prayer

With regard to making du’a together in one voice behind the imam after the prayer, Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin answered this question in al-Fatawa, p. 368, where he said:

“This is one of the bid’ahs which was not reported from the Prophet or from his Companions. What is prescribed in Islam is for people to remember Allah Alone after the prayer, in accordance with the teachings of the Messenger of Allah, and this should be done aloud, as reported in Sahih al-Bukhari from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: People used to raise their voices in Dhikr [remembrance of Allah] after finishing the prescribed prayer at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).”

Sunnah prayer after Jumu’ah

With regard to the prayer after Jumu’ah, Ibn al-Qayyim said in al-Zad (1/440):

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 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, Abul-’Abbas Ibn Taymiyah said: if he prayed in the mosque, he would pray four, and if he prayed at home, he would pray two. I say: this is what is indicated by many ahadith. Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan (1130) from Ibn ‘Umar that when he prayed in the mosque, he prayed four and when he prayed at home, he prayed two.

Wiping the face after du`a

With regard to wiping the face after making du’a , this is not reported in any sahih hadith; indeed, some of the scholars stated that it is bid’ah. (Mu’jam al-Bida’, p. 227)

Do not do that which is bid’ah and do not take part in it; advise and enjoin people to follow the Sunnah; remind them and tell them about the Islamic ruling. 

We ask Allah to guide us all to the Straight Path; may Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

And Allah knows best.