What Are the Key Etiquettes and Sunnas of Friday?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul Sami‘ al-Yakti
Question
What are the etiquettes and sunnas of Friday?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon the Master of the Messengers, his Family, and all his Companions.
Short Answer
Allah (Most High) and His Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) have established specific sunnas and rulings for us on the day of Friday. These include performing the ritual bath (ghusl), adorning oneself, wearing the best clothes, using fragrance, using the miswak (tooth-stick), removing nails and hair, and the like. It is also recommended to increase supplication during its day and night, to engage more in remembrance (dhikr) and sending salawat upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), during its day and night, and to recite Surat al-Kahf. Additionally, important legislation for this day is the Friday sermon and prayer, arriving early for it, listening attentively during the sermon, prohibiting buying and selling during the sermon, and avoiding all that distracts from attending it, among other sunnas, etiquettes, and rulings. And Allah knows best.
Detailed Answer
Islam has distinguished Friday with unique characteristics due to its virtue and being a weekly festival for Muslims. Specific sunnas and rulings for Friday and its sermon have been legislated, and great reward and immense merit are tied to these practices.
Allah (Most High) says:
“O believers! When the call to prayer is made on Friday, then proceed (diligently) to the remembrance of Allah and leave off (your) business. That is best for you, if only you knew.” [Quran, 62:9]
Narrated by Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“The best day the sun rises over is Friday; on this day, Adam was created, he was made to enter Paradise, and he was expelled from it. And the last hour will not be established except on Friday.” [Muslim]
Also narrated by Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“Whoever performs ablution and does so excellently, and then goes to Jumu‘a prayer and listens (to the Imam) attentively, will be forgiven for what is between that Friday and the next, plus an additional three days. And whoever plays with pebbles has engaged in an idle action.” In another narration, he said: “Whoever takes a bath, then goes to Jumu‘a prayer, and prays whatever is decreed for him, then remains silent until the Imam finishes the sermon, and then prays with him, will be forgiven for what is between that and the next Friday, plus an additional three days.” [Ibid.]
Imam Nawawi, in his book “Riyad al-Salihin,” dedicated a separate chapter to the etiquettes and sunnas of Friday. He said: “The chapter on the virtue of Friday and its obligation, bathing for it, using perfume, going early to it, supplicating on Friday, sending blessings upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and it includes the explanation of the hour of response and the recommendation to increase the remembrance of Allah (Most High) after Friday.”
Etiquettes and Sunnas for Friday
After this important introduction, we return to the question and mention the most important etiquettes and Sunnas for Friday:
- Ghusl (Bathing): Due to the previous hadiths, and the hadith of Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) where the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “He who takes a bath on Friday, the bath which is obligatory after the sexual discharge and then goes (to the mosque), he is like one who offers a she-camel as a sacrifice,…” [Bukhari; Msulim]
- Adorning with the Best Clothes, Especially White: As narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with both of them), the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Wear your white garments, for they are your best garments, and shroud your dead in them.” [Abu Dawud; Tirmidhi]
- Using Perfume, Trimming Nails and Hair: As narrated by Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him), “The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would cut his nails and trim his mustache on Friday before going out to the prayer.” [Haythami, Majma‘ al-Zawa’id; Tabarani, al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat]
- Increasing Supplication on Its Day and Night: Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) mentioned Friday and said, “There is an hour (opportune time) on Friday, and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat and asks something from Allah, then Allah will definitely meet his demand.”And he pointed out the shortness of that time with his hands. [Bukhari; Muslim]
- Increasing Salutations on the Prophet on Its Day and Night: Narrated by Anas ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: ”Increase your prayers on me during the day and night of Friday. Whoever blesses me once, Allah will bless him ten times.” [Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra]
- Reading Surat al-Kahf on Its Day and Night: Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Whoever reads Surat al-Kahf on Friday, the light will shine brightly for him between the two Fridays.” [Ibid.]
He also narrates, “Whoever reads Surat al-Kahf on Friday night, the light will shine for him between him and the Ancient House (Ka‘ba).” [Darimi]
Summary
Friday is a blessed and magnificent day, and it is the festival of Muslims. Therefore, you should be keen to practice the sunnas and etiquettes we mentioned on this day. You should show joy and happiness and make the most of every hour and moment with supplication, remembrance, and sending blessings upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Be diligent in performing the Friday prayer with its etiquettes and sunnas. By doing so, you will, God willing, achieve the great virtue and reward mentioned in the noble hadiths.
Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Abdul Sami‘ al-Yakti
Shaykh Abdul Sami‘ al-Yaqti is a Syrian scholar born in Aleppo in 1977. He obtained his degree in Shari‘a from the Shari‘a Faculty of Damascus University, a Diploma in Educational Qualification from the Faculty of Education at Aleppo University, and a Diploma in Shari‘a and a Master’s in Shari‘a from the Faculty of Shari‘a, and Law at Omdurman University in Sudan. He is currently writing his doctoral thesis.
He studied under esteemed scholars such as Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri, Shaykh Mustafa al-Turkmani, and Shaykh Dr. Nur al-Din Itr, among others. Shaykh al-Yakti has worked in teaching and cultural guidance in orphanages and high schools in Aleppo. He served as an Imam, Khatib, and reciter at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and as a certified trainer for Khatibs in Abu Dhabi’s Khatib Qualification Program.
He is involved in developing and teaching a youth education program at Seekers Arabic for Islamic Sciences.
Among Shaykh al-Yaqti’s significant works are “Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni: Bayna Ilm al-Kalam Wa Usul al-Fiqh” and the program “The Messenger of Allah Among Us (Allah bless him and give him peace).”
