al-Jumua li al-Nasai
- Author died
- 303 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Turāth al-Islāmī
Kitab al-Jumua (The Book of Friday) is a specialized hadith collection on the rulings, merits, and rituals of Friday and the Friday prayer, compiled by Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Nasai (215–303 AH / 830–915 CE) within his broader canonical Sunan compilations .
Subject and Contents
The work brings together prophetic traditions regarding the Friday prayer (salat al-jumua) and the distinct devotional practices associated with the day of Friday . Al-Nasai arranges the material under specific thematic chapters (abwab), addressing topics such as:
- The obligation of the Friday prayer and severe warnings against neglecting it (al-tashdid fi al-takhalluf an al-jumua) .
- Ritual purification, including the virtue of performing the major bath (ghusl) and the dispensation regarding omitting it (al-rukhsah fi tark al-ghusl yawm al-jumua) .
- Etiquette of heading to the mosque, such as the merit of walking to the prayer (fadl al-mashy ila al-jumua) .
- The delivery and structure of the Friday sermon (khutbah), including the requirement to deliver it standing and separating the two sermons with a brief sitting (al-fasl bayna al-khutbatayn bi-al-julus) .
- Devotional acts recommended on Friday, such as invoking abundant blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ (ikthar al-salah ala al-Nabi) and seeking the special hour of divine response (saat al-ijabah) .
Method and Transmission
Al-Nasai applies his rigorous methodology of hadith criticism in the collection, combining legal deduction through detailed chapter headings with critical evaluation of narrators and transmission chains (asānīd) . He frequently brings multiple chains for a single text to illustrate variations among narrators, identify hidden defects (ilal), and distinguish fully sound narrations from preserved or unpreserved variants .
The text is preserved both in al-Nasai's extensive compendium, al-Sunan al-Kubra, and in his condensed version, al-Mujtaba (commonly known as al-Sunan al-Sughra), transmitted principally by his students, notably Ibn al-Sunni .
Answer updated