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The Special Hour of Friday (Hadith No. 755)
Assalamu`alaykum,
Bismillah.
Volume 2, Book 13, Number 755:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Apostle (p.b.u.h) talked about Friday and said, “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.” And he (the Prophet) pointed out the shortness of that time with his hands.
This ‘hour’ can be either of these two:
- when the Imaam sits on the pulpit until the end of the (Jumu`ah) prayer.
- after the `Asr prayer until the Maghrib prayer (most correct of the two opinions).
Read on for details, or simply watch this video. Caution: this will be very informative and beneficial inshaAllah. :)
Don't forget to share it with others!
Firstly:
The saheeh Sunnah indicates that there is a time on Friday when du’aa’s may be answered, and no Muslim happens to ask Allaah for good at that time but He will give it to him, as it says in the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (5295) and Muslim (852) from Abu Hurayrah who said: Abu’l-Qaasim (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “On Friday there is an hour when, if a Muslims happens to pray at that time and ask Allaah for something good, He will give it to him.”
There are many views on when this time is. The most correct are two views:
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The most correct of these views are two which are mentioned in proven ahaadeeth, and one of them is more likely than the other.
- The first is that it is from the time when the imam sits on the minbar until the end of the prayer. The evidence for this opinion is the report which was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (853) from Abu Burdah ibn Abi Moosa al-Ash’ari who said: ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar said to me: Did you hear your father narrating from the Messenger of Allaah (S) concerning the (special) hour on Friday? I said: Yes, I heard him say: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (S) say: “It is between the time when the imam sits down, until the prayer is over.”
Al-Tirmidhi (490) and Ibn Maajah (1138) narrated from Katheer ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf al-Muzani from his father from his grandfather that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “On Friday there is an hour of the day during which no person asks Allaah for something but He will give it to him.” It was said, When is that time? He said, “When the iqaamah for prayer is given, until the prayer ends.” [Shaykh al-Albaani said: It is da’eef jiddan (very weak)].
- The second view is that it is after ‘Asr, and this is the more correct of the two views. This is the view of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Salaam, Abu Hurayrah, Imam Ahmad and others.
The evidence for this view is the report narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad (7631) from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri and Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “On Friday there is an hour when no Muslim happens to ask Allaah for good at that time but He will give it to him, and it is after ‘Asr.” [In Tahqeeq al-Musnad its says: The hadeeth is saheeh because of corroborating evidence, but this isnaad is da’eef (weak)].
Abu Dawood (1048) and al-Nasaa’i (1389) narrated from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Friday is twelve hours in which there is no Muslim who asks Allaah for something but He will give it to him, so seek the last hour after ‘Asr.” [Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani].
Sa’eed ibn Mansoor narrated in his Sunan from Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan that some of the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gathered and spoke of the (special) hour on Friday, then they parted and did not disagree that it is the last hour on Friday. [al-Haafiz classed its isnaad as saheeh in al-Fath, 2/489].
In Sunan Ibn Maajah (1139) it is narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Salaam said: I said, when the Messenger of Allaah (S) was sitting, We find in the Book of Allaah that on Friday there is an hour when no believing slave happens to pray and ask Allaah for anything at that time, but Allaah will meet his need.
‘Abd-Allaah said: The Messenger of Allaah (S) pointed to me, saying, “Or some part of an hour.” I said, You are right, or some part of an hour. I said, What time is that? He said, “It is the last hours of the day.” I said, It is not the time of the prayer? He said, “Indeed, when a believing slave prays and then sits with nothing but the prayer keeping him, he is still in a state of prayer.”
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.In Sunan Abi Dawood (1046), al-Tirmidhi (491) and al-Nasaa’i (1430) it is narrated from Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best day on which the sun rises is Friday. On it Adam was created, on it he was sent down (to earth), on it his repentance was accepted, on it he died and on it the Hour will begin. There is no living being but it is in a state of apprehension on Friday from dawn until sunrise fearing the onset of the Hour, except jinn and mankind. On it there is an hour when no Muslim happens to pray and ask Allaah for what he needs, but He will give it to him. Ka’b said: Is that one day in every year? I said: No, it is every week. He said: Ka’b read the Tawraat (Torah) and said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) spoke the truth. Abu Hurayrah said: Then I met ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Salaam and told him of my meeting with Ka’b, and ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Salaam said: I know which time it is. Abu Hurayrah said: I said to him: Tell me about it. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Salaam said: It is the last hour of Friday. I said: How can it be the last hour of Friday when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No Muslim happens to pray at that time,” but there is no prayer at that time. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Salaam said: Didn’t the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever sits waiting for the prayer is in a state of prayer until he prays”? I said: Then this is it.
Al-Tirmidhi said: A saheeh hasan hadeeth. Some of it is mentioned in al-Saheehayn. [It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.] End quote from Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/376).
Secondly:
According to the view that it is from the time when the imam sits down until the end of the prayer, that does not mean that the one who is praying behind the imam should distract himself with du’aa’ and not listen to the khutbah, rather he should listen to the khutbah and say ameen to the du’aa’ of the imam, and supplicate during his prayer, when prostrating and before the salaam.
By doing so, he will have offered du’aa’ during this special time, and if he also says du’aa’ in the last hour after ‘Asr, that is even better.
And Allaah knows best.
[Taken from a very well-written article: http://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?245439-Defining-the-hour-when-du%92aa%92-is-answered-on-Friday]
Tomorrow’s Friday. Don’t miss this special hour. Make the best of it! And do remind others about it, so you can get double the reward. ;)
Wassalam.
Praying for Rain (Ahadith 752 – 753)
Assalamu`alaykum,
Bismillah.
Volume 2, Book 13, Number 752:
Narrated Anas:
While the Prophet was delivering the Khutba on a Friday, a man stood up and said, “O, Allah’s Apostle! The livestock and the sheep are dying, so pray to Allah for rain.” So he (the Prophet) raised both his hands and invoked Allah (for it).
Imagine what would happen if someone interrupted a khutbah today. *shivers at the thought*
In all fairness, Prophet (SAW) did not rebuke/scold him because he was a Bedouin – an illiterate person who was ignorant of the fact that one must not interrupt the khutbah. So instead, Prophet (SAW) just did as he said – he made du`a for rain.
A lesson for the Imaams right there. ^
Volume 2, Book 13, Number 753:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Once in the lifetime of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) the people were afflicted with drought (famine). While the Prophet was delivering the Khutba on a Friday, a Bedouin stood up and said, “O, Allah’s Apostle! Our possessions are being destroyed and the children are hungry; Please invoke Allah (for rain)”. So the Prophet raised his hands. At that time there was not a trace of cloud in the sky. By Him in Whose Hands my soul is as soon as he lowered his hands, clouds gathered like mountains, and before he got down from the pulpit, I saw the rain falling on the beard of the Prophet. It rained that day, the next day, the third day, the fourth day till the next Friday. The same Bedouin or another man stood up and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! The houses have collapsed, our possessions and livestock have been drowned; Please invoke Allah (to protect us)”. So the Prophet raised both his hands and said, “O Allah! Round about us and not on us”. So, in whatever direction he pointed with his hands, the clouds dispersed and cleared away, and Medina’s (sky) became clear as a hole in between the clouds. The valley of Qanat remained flooded, for one month, none came from outside but talked about the abundant rain.
Two words: ‘LOL’ and SubhanAllah! This was the barakah and sincerity in du`a of the Prophet (SAW). <3
Alright, so praying for rain is called ‘istisqaa‘ (seeking rain from Allah). As for the proper method of this prayer, wait for Book 17 of Sahih al-Bukhari. It’ll be covered in detail inshaAllah. (Right now, we’re on Book 13, so not too far away..)
Here’s a brief version:
During the 6th year of the Prophet’s migration to Madinah, people complained to him about lack of rain, so he gave orders for a pulpit to be prepared.
He then appointed a day for the people to gather. He came out when the sun had just appeared and sat down on the pulpit. He extolled Allah’s greatness and praised Him. Then he said: ‘You have complained of drought in your areas and of delay in receiving rain at the beginning of its season, but you have been ordered by Allah to supplicate Him and He has promised that He would answer your prayers.’
After this, he turned his back to the people and started praying to Allah, keeping his hands raised, saying, “Oh Allah, let us be covered with thick clouds that have abundant and beneficial rain, frequently making a light rain upon us and sprinkling upon us with lightning. Oh Allah, You are full of majesty, bounty and honour.”
Finally, he faced the people, descended from the pulpit, and prayed twice in rak’at (prostration).
This prayer is taken recourse to when seeking rain from Allah during times of drought. It may be performed in one of the following manners:
- the imam prays, with the followers, two rak’at
- maybe performed during any time except those times in which it is not desirable to pray
- in the first rak’ah, the imam recites al-A’la after al-Fatihah
- in the second rak’ah, he reads al-Ghashiyah after al-Fatihah
- and he delivers a khutbah before or after the salah
- as soon as he finishes the khutbah, the people present should turn their outer garments around, each placing its left side on his right side and its right side on his left, face the qiblah (Ka’ba), supplicate Allah and raise their hands while doing so.
About turning the rida’ (cloak/upper garment) inside out, this here should be helpful.
Wassalam.
Tahiyyat-ul-Masjid: An Insight (Ahadith 750 – 751)
Assalamu`alaykum,
Bismillah.
There has been a post on this topic before, but this will be more detailed and insightful inshaAllah.
Volume 2, Book 13, Number 750:
Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah:
A person entered the mosque while the Prophet was delivering the Khutba on a Friday. The Prophet said to him, “Have you prayed?” The man replied in the negative. The Prophet said, “Get up and pray two Rakat.”
Volume 2, Book 13, Number 751:
Narrated Jabir:
A man entered the Mosque while the Prophet was delivering the Khutba. The Prophet said to him, “Have you prayed?” The man replied in the negative. The Prophet said, “Pray two Rakat.”
One of the etiquettes of visiting the Masjid, is the offering of two rak`aat glorifying Allaah upon arrival. These two rak`aat show honor and respect for the places of worship. These two rak`aat are known as “Tahiyyaht-ul-Masjid”, and display salutation for the masjid. The person entering the masjid performs them greeting the masjid; similar to the way a person greets somebody.
There is proof found in the hadeeth of Abu Qaatadah that this prayer is legislated. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
إِذَا دَخَلَ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَسْجِدَ فَلاَ يَجْلِسْ حَتَّى يُصَلِّىَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ
“Whenever one of you enter the masjid he MUST not sit down until he prays two Rak’ah.” (Bukhari 433)
فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَجْلِسَ
“Then he MUST pray two Rak’ah before he sits down”(Muslim 714)
Entering the Best of Masajid.. <3
In the Ahadith mentioned above (top), an instance is mentioned where Prophet (SAW) interrupts his khutba to ask a man if he had prayed tahiyyat-ul-masjid upon entering the masjid. And then he ordered him to get up and pray the two rak`aat. This is where the confusion starts. Is the Jumu`ah khutba more important or the tahiyyat-ul-masjid? Well, read point 4 here.
Is it mandatory, recommended, or just a voluntary deed? Does a person HAVE to perform these two rak`aat upon entering a masjid, or does he/she have an option? Well, there’s difference of opinion among scholars. Go through this link for details. In short, it is recommended and a “stressed Sunnah”.
So if it’s a stressed Sunnah, can we perform the two rak`aat even in the times when prayer is forbidden (example: after Fajr, after Asr)? Get your answer here.
Happy knowing + amal-ing. :D
Wassalam.
Camel > Cow > Ram > Chicken > Egg (Hadith No. 749)
Assalamu`alaykum,
Bismillah.
Today’s Hadith will explain the title of this post inshaAllah. :P
Volume 2, Book 13, Number 749:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, “When it is a Friday, the angels stand at the gate of the mosque and keep on writing the names of the persons coming to the mosque in succession according to their arrivals. The example of the one who enters the mosque in the earliest hour is that of one offering a camel (in sacrifice). The one coming next is like one offering a cow and then a ram and then a chicken and then an egg respectively. When the Imam comes out (for Jumua prayer) they (i.e. angels) fold their papers and listen to the Khutba.”
The bigger you want your reward to be, the more you gotta work for it. Eggs don’t weigh much, you know. :|
And what do you think about those who reach the masjid after the Imaam comes out? Even angels leave their jobs at that time to listen to the khutbah!
Share ahead!
Wassalam.
The Khutbah ‘Scene’ II (Hadith No. 748)
Assalamu`alaykum,
Bismillah.
Volume 2, Book 13, Number 748:
Narrated ‘Abdullah Ibn Umar:
The Prophet used to deliver two Khutbas and sit in between them.
This is about the Friday Khutbah..
See the Imaam, he's standing at a raised position (minbar) to deliver the khutbah. This is Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). One of the reasons may be to help maximum people listen to the khateeb and second, the khateeb can keep an eye on the listeners.
A little more on the Khutbah Scene here and here.
Wassalam.
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