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JUMA
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS
THEIR
IMPORTANCE
courtesy:Alihasan222, CA
In the Holy Quran, Allah [SWT] declares [in Sura-e-Jum'a, Verses 9, 10 and
11]:
"Yaa Aiyyohallaeeza Aamanoo, Izaa Noodiya Lis-Salaati Min Yawmil
Jum'ati
Fas-Aw Ilaa Zikrillaahi Wa Zarol Baiyy; Zaalikom Khairollakom In Konyom
Ta'alamoon;
"Fa-Izaa Qoziattis-Salaato Fan-Tashiroo Fil Ardi Wab-Taghoo Min
Fadlillaahi
Waz-Korollaah Kaseeral La'Allakom Toflihoon;
"Wa-Izaa Ra-aw Tijaaratan Aw Lahwanin Fad-doo Ilaiyha Wa Tarakooka
Qaa-imaa;
Qol Maa Indallaahi Khaiyram Minal Lah'vi Wa-Minat Tijaarah; Wallaaho
Khairor
Raaziqeen!".
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]!'."
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