Once a week, the ordinary midday prayer gives way to something larger. On Friday, Muslims gather in the mosque for Jumu'ah — a sermon followed by a congregational prayer — and the Quran tells them to drop what they are doing for it:

"O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew."

— Quran 62:9 (Saheeh International)1

Friday itself is honoured: "The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday; on it Adam was created …"3

Who it is for

Jumu'ah is obligatory, and the Prophet ﷺ named those it does not bind:

"The Friday prayer in congregation is a necessary duty for every Muslim, with four exceptions; a slave, a woman, a boy, and a sick person."

— Sunan Abi Dawud 1067 (graded Sahih by Al-Albani)4

In the scholars' summary, it is obligatory on adult, sane, free men who are resident and able to attend. It is not obligatory on women, children, travellers or the sick — but anyone who does attend and pray it has prayed a valid Jumu'ah, and it replaces their Dhuhr.222324

Neglecting it is serious. "People must cease to neglect the Friday prayer or Allah will seal their hearts and then they will be among the negligent."5 Another narration warns that whoever leaves it for three Fridays out of slackness will have a seal set on their heart.6

How it unfolds

Jumu'ah takes the place of Dhuhr, in Dhuhr's time.222324

  1. The imam sits on the pulpit and the adhan is called — the order kept in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr and 'Umar. (Under 'Uthman, as Madinah grew, an earlier call was added in the market.)7
  2. The khutbah (sermon) is given in two parts, with the imam sitting briefly between them — "The Prophet ﷺ used to deliver two Khutbas and sit in between them."9 He delivered them standing.8
  3. The iqama is called and everyone stands for two rak'ahs, led by the imam and recited aloud. The Prophet ﷺ often recited Al-A'la and Al-Ghashiyah in them,11 and sometimes Al-Jumu'ah and Al-Munafiqun.10

Those two rak'ahs are the prayer — there is no separate four-rak'ah Dhuhr for those who prayed Jumu'ah.

What to do, step by step

  1. 1

    Wash and dress for it

    "Anyone of you attending the Friday (prayers) should take a bath."12 Use a little oil or perfume if you have it.13

  2. 2

    Go early

    The reward is greatest for the earliest: going in the first hour is like offering a camel, then a cow, a ram, a hen, and an egg — and when the imam comes out, the angels present themselves to listen to the khutbah.14 Don't step over people or squeeze between two people already sitting together.13

  3. 3

    Pray before you sit

    Pray whatever voluntary prayer you can before the imam begins.13 If you arrive while the khutbah has already started:

  4. 4

    Listen in silence

    The khutbah is part of Jumu'ah, not a preamble to it. Even hushing your neighbour breaks it: "When the Imam is delivering the Khutba, and you ask your companion to keep quiet and listen, then no doubt you have done an evil act."16

  5. 5

    Pray the two rak'ahs

    Stand for the iqama, straighten the rows, and follow the imam through two rak'ahs.

  6. 6

    Afterwards

    "When any one of you observes the Jumu'a prayer, he should observe four (rak'ahs) afterwards"18 — or two at home, as the Prophet ﷺ himself did.19 Then go back to your day: "And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah often that you may succeed."2

Whoever does all this — bathes, comes, prays what is written for them, listens in silence, and prays with the imam — has their sins forgiven from that Friday to the next, "and even of three days more."17

Whether there is a fixed sunnah prayer before Jumu'ah is a point of difference: Hanafi and Shafi'i scholars hold that there is, like the sunnah before Dhuhr; Maliki and Hanbali scholars hold that there is no fixed one, though voluntary prayer before it is encouraged.222324

The rest of Friday

Friday holds an hour when prayers are answered: "There is an hour (opportune time) on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while praying and asks something from Allah, then Allah will definitely meet his demand."20 Many Muslims spend part of Friday in extra du'a for this reason.

If you miss it, or Eid falls on a Friday

  • Missed Jumu'ah? It cannot be made up as Jumu'ah. Pray Dhuhr — the normal four rak'ahs — instead.222324
  • Not obliged to attend? The Prophet ﷺ named a woman, a boy and a sick person as exceptions,4 and the scholars add the traveller. If that is you and you don't attend, pray Dhuhr as usual; if you do attend and pray Jumu'ah, it takes the place of Dhuhr.222324
  • Eid on a Friday? The Prophet ﷺ gave a concession: "If anyone does not want to offer the Friday prayer, the 'Id prayer is sufficient for him. But we shall offer the Friday prayer."21 (See How to Pray the Eid Prayer.)

In short

Jumu'ah is the Friday congregational prayer: a two-part sermon, then two rak'ahs in place of Dhuhr. It is obligatory on adult men who are resident and able, and open to everyone else. Wash, go early, pray, listen in silence, pray with the imam, and then return to your day remembering God. For the other prayers around it, see Beyond the Five.