Salat al-Jumua
- Author died
- 1440 AH
- Editions
- Safeer Press
Salat al-Jumua: Mafhum, wa-Shurut, wa-Fada'il, wa-Khasa'is, wa-Adab, wa-Ahkam fi Daw' al-Kitab wa-al-Sunnah (Arabic: صلاة الجمعة: مفهوم، وشروط، وفضائل، وخصائص، وآداب، وأحكام في ضوء الكتاب والسنة, lit. 'The Friday Prayer: Concept, Conditions, Virtues, Characteristics, Etiquettes, and Rulings in Light of the Quran and Sunnah') is a treatise on the jurisprudence of the Friday prayer by Saeed bin Ali bin Wahf al-Qahtani (d. 1440 AH / 2018 CE) .
Composition and Methodology
The work was completed on the forenoon of Saturday, 17 Rabi' al-Awwal 1422 AH, as part of the author's published monograph series (numbered as treatise 36) . In compiling the legal rulings and preferences in the book, al-Qahtani drew extensively upon the teachings, verifications, and preferences (taqrirat wa-tarjihat) of his teacher Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz .
The author frames the treatise around evidentiary jurisprudence, deriving rulings primarily from verses of the Quran, prophetic hadiths with commentary on their authenticity, and the consensus (ijma') of Muslim jurists .
Contents
The treatise provides a systematic overview of the rules governing the Friday congregational prayer:
- Definition and Foundation: The author discusses the linguistic and technical meanings of Jumu'ah and describes Friday prayer as an independent act of worship differing from the noon prayer (Zuhr) in recitation volume, number of units (rak'ahs), sermon requirements, and specific conditions, while sharing its appointed time . He presents the textual proofs establishing its obligatory status from the Quran, the Sunnah, and consensus, noting the earliest historical instances of the prayer being held .
- Obligation and Conditions: The book outlines the eight criteria under which Friday prayer becomes an individual obligation (fard 'ayn): Islam, puberty, sanity, maleness, freedom, permanent residence (istitan), proximity to hear the call if outside city bounds, and the absence of valid legal excuses . It also discusses the validity of attendance by those exempt, their ability to lead the prayer, and the specific exception regarding women delivering the sermon or leading .
- Virtues, Warnings, and Etiquettes: The work details the spiritual merits of Friday and the congregational prayer, stern warnings and punishments for neglecting it without an excuse, and both the obligatory and recommended etiquettes (adab) for attendees .
- The Sermon and Prayer Performance: The final sections address the conditions of validity for the prayer, the essential elements of the Friday sermon (khutbah)—such as praising God, delivering the testimony of faith, reciting Quranic passages, and admonishing attendees to maintain piety—as well as its recommended practices (sunan), which include delivering it from a pulpit, standing, sitting briefly between two sermons, leaning on a staff or bow, keeping the address concise while lengthening the prayer, and supplicating for the Muslim community .
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