TRANSLATION:
"O You
who believe, when the call for prayer is made on
the Day of Congregation [Salaat-e-Juma literally
means congregational prayer!] [Friday], hasten
[rush] to the remembrance of Allah, and leave
off all business [This includes all work,
whether job, business or any other]. . That is
better for you, if you know!
"And when the prayer is completed then disperse
in the land and seek the grace of Allah, and
remember Allah MUCH, so that you may be
successful.
"And when they see merchandise or sport, they
break away to it, and leave you standing. Say [O
Mohammad]: 'What is with Allah is better than
sport and merchandise, and Allah is the best of
sustainers."
Brothers and sisters, please carefully consider
the above and contemplate on it. Please consider
the importance Allah [SWT] gives to this
prayer-----since He [SWT] sent down this special
revealed Sura. I will record here a couple of
traditions which explain when and where the
congregational prayer was first held and
established.
NOTES: The command in the verse is categorical
"leave off all business"----it eliminates MOST
excuses for non-attendance. True Job situations
are at times such that it becomes IMPOSSIBLE but
in most cases it is merely a matter of Prior
Arrangement with the management re time-off for
prayers [and in USA this is always accepted by
managements or most managements, there is
understanding of this "right" of an individual]
or other similar PRE-ARRANGEMENT. The question
is WHETHER ONE GIVES THE PRAYER SUBSTANTIAL OR
SUFFICIENT IMPORTANCE!
"seek Grace with Allah" once the prayer is
completed implies that Allah BLESSES with great
success and profit whatever work one does
immediately AFTER OBEYING HIS COMMAND AND
OFFERING JUMA PRAYERS. It is reported that the
Holy Prophet [SWW] along with his companions
used to go into the market after Juma prayers.
The third verse refers to a particular event
[but has a lesson and guidance for us
nevertheless]. "In a certain year, the people of
Medina suffered the effects of draught and
shortage of foodstuff and high resulting prices
of what was available. While they were at the
Juma congregation and the Holy Prophet was
delivering the sermon, a trade caravan from
Syria arrived and [as was the custom] drum rolls
and music announced its arrival. People
abandoned the congregation and ran away to the
caravan-----leaving only one woman and 12 of the
companions there. It was at this time that the
third verse above was revealed. The
Holy Prophet [SWW] is reported to have said at
this time: "If these remaining 13 had also gone
after the caravan and left the prayer, Allah
would have caused stones to rain from the skies
and would have destroyed all of them."
Consider the fact that the "importance" and
"mandatory" nature of this prayer is stressed in
the verse. "Destruction" is the fate of the
community that "ignores" this prayer or gives
"material interests---even if in an emergency"
more importance than the Juma congregation!
[Please note that all explanation and traditions
have been reproduced for "Tafseer-e-Namoona,
Majma-ol Bayaan, Durre Manshoor, Wasaa-il-e-Shia,
etc and the
explanation by Agha Poya.]
The FIRST JUMA PRAYERS
It is recorded in certain traditions that the
Believers of Medina got together BEFORE the
migration of the Holy Prophet to their city, and
decided to emulate the Christians and the Jews
[who held congregational prayers and set aside
for worship of God Sunday and Saturday
respectively] and offer congregational prayers
[in Jama'at] on Fridays. It was an elder of the
community, As'ad Bin Zararah, who led the Jamaat
and delivered the KHUTBA [or sermon]. On advice
from As'ad a sheep was also sacrificed on the
day and all present partook of a meal after the
prayer. This was when this day was named "Juma"
[day of congregation]. Prior to this, in those
days this day [what we know as Friday now] was
called Yawmol Aroobah. {Durre Manshoor Volume 2]
But the first ever Juma congregational [Jamaat]
prayers offered by believers in the Imamat of
the Holy Prophet [SWW] was offered when, on his
way FROM MECCA the Holy Prophet [SWW] and those
that accompanied him arrived in Medina on Friday
in the "Bani Salem" area of Medina and led the
believers in a congregational Juma prayer [on
arrival from "Qubaa"---then some distance from
Medina but now an inner part or the
city----where he had arrived on the Monday and
spent 4 days there laying the foundation of the
Qubaa Mosque] . This was the first Juma prayer
led by the Holy Prophet of Islam, in which he
delivered two sermons before the 2 Rakat prayer.
It is also reported that since the two KHUTBAS
or sermons actually replace the two Rakats of
Zuh's [the other two of the four being the Juma
prayer], the SERMONS ARE PART OF JUMA PRAYERS
AND ARE COMPULSORY TO ATTEND----without which
Juma prayer is NOT complete! [Majma-ol Bayaan
Volume 10, Page 286]
SOME TRADITIONS ON THE
IMPORTANCE OF JUMA PRAYERS:
[1] There is a sermon of the Holy Prophet which
traditionalists and historians of all schools of
thought have copied and reported, in which the
Holy Prophet [SWW] declared:
"Allah [SWT] has made Friday Prayers mandatory [Waajib]
for you. If any person rejects or denies or
gives up this prayer during my life or after me,
Allah will punish him with severe [worldly]
problems, and all his words and deeds will be
without Allah's blessings. Know [and remember]
that his prayers will not be accepted, and his
Zakaat will not be accepted [by Allah]; and
[know that] his good deeds will not count [will
avail him naught] UNTILL SUCH TIME AS HE DOES
NOT REPENT AND REFORM IN THIS MATTER [untill he
seeks Allah's forgiveness for rejecting and
denying and not offering Juma prayers and does
not reform and start offering the prayer!]" [
Wasaail Ash Shia V5 P7, Tradition #28]
[2] In another tradition, Imam Mohammad Baqar
[AS] has been quoted as declaring:
"Namaz-eJuma is a DUTY of every believer [to
offer].; and IF a person misses 3 consecutive
Fridays without VALID cause [NO EXCUSES---REAL
REASONS AND CAUSES!], then he has in affect
ignored three duties [mandatory ones]; and none
ignores or gives up THREE DUTIES but the
Hypocrite!" [Wasaail Ash-Shia V5 P4 Tradition #8
[3] In another Tradition, the Holy Prophet [SWW]
is quoted as having declared:
"The person who joins a Juma Congregation for
the Pleasure of Allah and having true faith in
it being a mandatory DUTY, ALL his sins will be
forgiven, and he will commence his deeds anew
thereafter." [Wasaail Ash-Shia V5 Tradition #10]
[4] We will end with one more Tradition [there
being numerous others which we will not quote
here in the interest of keeping this already too
long a message short!], which is as below:
"A person once came to the Holy Prophet and said
to him: 'O Messenger of Allah! I have wished to
and have prepared myself for Hajj many a time,
but have not been able to perform it due to lack
of means!' The Holy Prophet [SWW] said to him:
'You should offer Juma prayers, for the Juma
prayer is the Hajj of the deprived [of means to
perform Hajj]!'." |