Friday/Al Juma'h:-
It was during his Madina period that Muhammad formulated the following:
Juma'h - meaning the gathering - on Friday, became the Muhammadan's day of prayers to be conducted in the mosque (Jami').
Muhammad chose Friday because it was in its evening that the Sabbath, according to the Torah starts.
Unlike the Sabbath of the Jews, the Quran does not stipulate that Friday is a day of rest because Muhammad did not understand the meaning of 'rest' as mentioned in the Torah.
He thought it meant that Allah became tired after his labours at creating in the first six days, instead of understanding it as a cessation of the process of creation.
The Friday congregational assembly was a copy of synagogue worship especially since the pagan Arabs had no such forum. Just like in the synagogue, men and women are separated so as to reduce frivolity and concentrate the minds of the congregation onto the worship of God.
Also, in imitation of the congregants in a synagogue who face Jerusalem, those of the mosques face the Ka'ba.
The manner of worship in the mosque is otherwise completely different from that of synagogue or church.
There are no seating arrangements in mosques; individuals stand in self arranged rows and follow the leadership of the Imam (leader in prayer, a lay person) with the utmost precision. At prayer, order, punctuality, postures and a common direction (Qiblah) are essential, so that the Imam and the whole congregation may face one way and offer their supplications to Allah.
For the individualistic and proud sons of the desert, this system was perfect since it made all the congregants equal in the sight of Allah irrespective of rank or state of birth. The sight of all those congregants behaving in unison is very impressive and a clear reminder that the mosque is the first and most important drill ground of militant Islam.
Invariably, Friday prayers are a harbinger of the mood of the congregation who can easily be moved to intense passions by the sermon (Khitbah) of the imam. This salutary discipline is invariably misused and abused by the authorities and or others for their own agendas to bring about a 'herd mentality', since the individual in the mosque is subsumed by the totality of the perceived 'brotherhood'.
62: 9 O ye who believe! when the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday [Juma'h] (the Day of Assembly) hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah and leave off business (and traffic): that is best for you if ye but knew!
# 5461 Friday, is primarily the Day of Assembly, the weekly meeting of the Congregation, when we show our unity by sharing in common public worship, preceded by a Khutba, in which the Imam (or Leader) reviews the week's fife of the Community and offers advice and exhortation on good living. Notice the gradations of social contact for Muslims if they followed the wise ordinances of their Faith. (1) Each individual remembers Allah for himself or herself five or more times every day in the home or place of business, or local mosque, or open air, as the case may be. (2) On Friday in every week there is a local meeting in the central mosque of each local centre,-it may be a village, or town, or ward of a big city. (3) At the two 'Ids every year, there is a large local area meeting in one centre. (4) Once at least in a lifetime, where possible, a Muslim shares in the vast international assemblage of the world, in the centre of Islam, at the Makkan Pilgrimage. A happy combination of decentralisation and centralisation, of individual liberty and collective meeting, and contact at various stages or grades. The mechanical part of this ordinance is easy to carry out. Are we carrying out the more difficult part?-the spirit of unity, brotherhood, mutual consultation, and collective understanding and action?
5462 The idea behind the Muslim weekly "Day of Assembly" is different from that behind the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) or the Christian Sunday. The Jewish Sabbath is primarily a commemoration of Allah's ending His work and resting on the seventh day (Gen. ii. 2; Exod. xx. 11): we are taught that Allah needs no rest, nor does He feel fatigue (ii. 255). The Jewish command forbids work on that day but says nothing about worship or prayer (Exod. xx. 10); our ordinance lays chief stress on the remembrance of Allah. Jewish formalism went so far as to kill the spirit of the sabbath, and call forth the protest of Jesus:
"the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath" (Mark. ii. 27). But the Christian Church, although it has changed the day from Saturday to Sunday, has inherited the Jewish spirit: witness the Scottish Sabbath; except in so far as it has been secularised. Our teaching says: 'When the time for Jumua Prayer comes, close your business and answer the summons loyally and earnestly, meet earnestly, pray, consult and learn by social contact; when the meeting is over, scatter and go about your business'. 5463 The immediate and temporal worldly gain may be the ultimate and spiritual loss, and vice versa#
*** This is the ONLY verse in the Quran that mentions Friday as a day of prayer.
Although the translator of the Quran is an extremely well read and astute person, he none the less either misunderstood or is trying to deliberately mislead the reader regarding the meaning of the Biblical word 'REST'.
Since the Jews are the descendants of the Israelites who were the first upon Earth to conceive of and believe in a God Who is Invisible, all Powerful, Eternal and all Knowing, then it beggars logic and veracity to attribute to them the belief that the Almighty 'got tired after His creation process'.
The Hebrew word Shabbath means that the Almighty RESTED/CEASED from the PROCESS of CREATING because in SIX days, the whole of the Universe including MAN were created and there was nothing more to be done.
Hence, Shabbath only means CESSATION of CREATION and has absolutely nothing to do with TIREDNESS or FATIGUE.
Neither the Israelites, nor the Jews - or any other relatively intelligent being - could possibly think or believe that the creator of the Universe can possibly get TIRED, excepting of course in Muhammad's Quran and by his followers.
That is why the followers of Muhammad had and in most 'Muslim' states have no day of REST wherein they stop all types of work to enjoy God's creation especially since Allah is NOT the God of Israel, otherwise he would not have CONTRADICTED his earlier REVELATIONS to Moses ***
Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.125 The virtues of Jumu'ah, Friday prayer
Friday (Jumu'ah) is the best day of the week.
Abu Hurairah reports that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alehi wasallam said: "The best day on which the sun rises is Friday. [On Friday] Adam was created and on that day he entered paradise and on that day he was expelled from paradise. And the Hour will come to pass on Friday." This is related by Muslim, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, and at-Tirmidhi who calls it sahih.
Abu Lubanah al-Badri relates that the Prophet said: "The most prominent of the days [lit. the leader of the days] is the day of Jumu'ah and the most honored in Allah's sight, and it is more honored in Allah's sight than the day of breaking the fast or the day of sacrifice. It has five significant merits: Allah created Adam on this day; on this day Allah sent Adam down to the earth; on this day, Allah caused Adam to die; on this day, there is a time during which if anyone asks anything of Allah it will be granted to him unless he asks for something which is forbidden; and on this day, the Hour will be established. There are no angels close to Allah or sky or earth or wind or mountain or sea who are not worried concerning the day of Jumu'ah." This is related by Ahmad and Ibn Majah. Al-Iraqi says its chain is hasan.
*** Any one who has read the Bible would know that Muhammad's version of events of the Creation Story are TOTALLY WRONG:
1. God BLESSED and SANCTIFIED the Shabbath (seventh day) and NOT
Friday (sixth day).
Genesis 2. 3 " God BLESSED the SEVENTH day and SANCTIFIED it because on it He ABSTAINED from all His work which God created to make"
2. The Bible does not mention that Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of Knowledge on the sixth day. This was Muhmmad's own ASSUMPTION to suit his personal agenda especially since neither the Quran nor the Hadiths assert that Gabriel ever revealed this to Muhammad.
3. Muhammad and of course his Quran misunderstood completely the meaning of the FALL of ADAM believing that the Garden of Eden was in HEAVENS and NOT on EARTH.
It was way beyond Muhammad's comprehension that Adam actually FELL from Grace and NOT from Heaven; that this was a SPIRITUAL and MORAL failure and NOT a PHYSICAL one.
Adam and Eve were actually thrown OUT of the Garden of Eden on Earth and NOT thrown DOWN from Heaven to Earth.
4. Once again does Muhammad play foot-loose with the Biblical events since there is no mention anywhere in the Bible regarding the name of the day upon which any of the Hebrew prophets died ***
Sunan of Abu-DawoodHadith 1046 Narrated byAli ibn AbuTalib
Ali said on the pulpit in the mosque of Kufah: When Friday comes, the devils go to the markets with their flags, and involve people in their needs and prevent them from the Friday prayer. The angels come early in the morning, sit at the door of the mosque, and record that so-and-so came at the first hour, and so-and-so came at the second hour until the imam comes out (for preaching). When a man sits in a place where he can listen (to the sermon) and look (at the imam), where he remains silent and does not interrupt, he will receive a double reward. If he stays away, sits in a place where he cannot listen (to the sermon), silent, and does not interrupt, he will receive the reward only once. If he sits in a place where he can listen (to the sermon) and look (at the imam), and he does not remain silent, he will have the burden of it. If anyone says to his companion sitting besides him to be silent (while the imam is preaching), he is guilty of idle talk. Anyone who interrupts (during the sermon) will receive nothing (no reward) on that Friday . Then he (the narrator) says in the end of this tradition: I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) say so.
Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 2.1 Narrated byAbu Huraira
I heard Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) saying, "We (Muslims) are the last (to come) but (will be) the foremost on the Day of Resurrection though the former nations were given the Holy Scriptures before us. And this was their day (Friday ) the celebration of which was made compulsory for them but they differed about it. So Allah gave us the guidance for it (Friday ) and all the other people are behind us in this respect: the Jews' (holy day is) tomorrow (i.e. Saturday) and the Christians' (is) the day after tomorrow (i.e. Sunday)."
Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 2.33 Narrated bySalman Al Farsi
Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) said, "Anyone who takes a bath on Friday and cleans himself as much as he can and puts oil (on his hair) or scents himself; and then proceeds for the prayer and does not force his way between two persons (assembled in the mosque for the Friday prayer), and prays as much as is written for him and remains quiet when the Imam delivers the Khutba, all his sins in between the present and the last Friday will be forgiven." Sahih Muslim
HadithHadith 1862 Narrated byAbuHurayrah and Hudhayfa
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: It was Friday from which Allah diverted those who were before us. For the Jews (the day set aside for prayer) was Sabt (Saturday), and for the Christians it was Sunday. And Allah turned towards us and guided us to Friday (as the day of prayer) for us. In fact, He (Allah) made Friday Saturday and Sunday (as days of prayer). In this order would they (Jews and Christians) come after us on the Day of Resurrection. We are the last of (the Ummah) among the people in this world and the first among the created to be judged on the Day of Resurrection. In one narration it is: "to be judged among them".
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 1363 Narrated byAbuLubabah ibn AbdulMundhir
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Friday is the lord of days and the chief of them in Allah's sight, being greater in Allah's sight than the day of sacrifice and the day of breaking the fast. It has five distinguishing characteristics: on it Allah created Adam, on it Allah sent Adam to the Earth, on it Allah took Adam in death, it contains a time at which no one will ask for anything without Allah giving it, so long as he does not ask for anything unlawful, and on it the last hour will come. There is no angel near Allah's presence, nor sky, nor earth, nor winds, nor mountains, nor sea which do not fear Friday ."
Ibn Majah transmitted. Ahmad transmitted from Sa'd ibn Mu'adh
*** If Allah is the God of Israel - as the Quran and its followers allege - then of course , all the above totally CONTRADICT the Bible making it impossible to believe that the All Knowing Almighty gave two conflicting and contradictory versions of the same event.
This would constitute blatant BLASPHEMY since the Shabbath was very explicitly SANCTIFIED by God in no uncertain and unforgiving terms in the Torah.
Fortunately, all the above contradictions and conundrums are instantly resolved when it is realised that Allah is NOT the God of Israel but the name of the supreme ROCK GOD of the Quraysh that resides - in the beliefs of the pagan Arabs - in the BLACK STONE embedded in the wall of the Ka'ba.
Stones, black or otherwise are neither divine nor godly.
For Muhammad to state otherwise, should not be surprising since he had been deliberately altering, contorting, changing and perverting the ordinances, stories and precepts of the Bible to fit his own agenda regarding the 'Scripture' he was giving the pagan Arabs, in his Quran ***
