Salat-ul-Jumu’ah
A weekly festival or Friday
Prayers
Lesson objectives
• To be able to explain why Muslims
attend the mosque on Fridays
• To identify how meeting regularly
strengthens the Muslim community
• To explain what the khutbah is and
why it is important
So why Friday?
• O ye who believe! When
the call is proclaimed to
prayer on Friday (the
Day of Assembly),
hasten earnestly to the
Remembrance of Allah,
and leave off business
(and traffic): that is
best for you if ye but
knew! (Surah 62:9-10)
• Because the Qur’an says
so and it is the word of
Allah.
So what happens?
• It is not a day of rest. Business may
continue as usual on Friday, as there
is no religious reason against this.
• In Muslim countries, the weekend is
Thursday and Friday, or Friday and
Saturday.
• All Muslim males should attend
prayers at the mosque.
• The prayers are led by the Imam
(leader) who knows the Qur’an and is
well respected.
How do Muslims observe Friday
prayers?
• At the start there is
time for personal
prayers (du’a)
• Then follows the
khutbah (sermon) which
is read in the language
of the community
• The Imam then leads
two rak’ah fard
(compulsory prayers).
• At the end Muslims can
make du’a if they wish.
An Imam
Ask the Imam: Imagine you are advising people in your community
at the Friday prayers. A man comes to you with the following
problem:
• Yusuf Dergoub works on the London Underground - he's
one of the electricians who keeps the entire network going
- or at least tries to keep it going. A young man, he's got a
small Islamic-style beard and sometimes dresses in fairly
traditional Moroccan/Arabic clothes.
• He's angry because he feels some people now look on him
as a terrorist suspect. Unsurprisingly, while he wants to
talk, he is reluctant to be photographed. The media have
damaged the position of Muslims in British society, he
feels.
• Since the bombings journalists have come and gone from
outside Al-Manaar and many of the congregation feel
depressed with the way they have been treated. Many
other mosques around Britain feel the same way.
• "The media sometimes says the things it wants to say but
blacks out the things that it does not want to talk about,"
says Yusuf.
• "I'm British and was born in the East End within sound of
the Bow Bells. But the way the media portray me I'm made
out to be something different. All I am trying to do is
follow something that I believe to be true."
Tasks
• List 3 ways in which this
Muslims life has been
affected by extremists from
their faith.
• Imagine you are an editor of
a magazine and you have
received this letter write a
response to try to encourage
this young man and suggest
ways of dealing with the
problem.
• Complete the ask the imam
tasks.
Why might Friday prayers be
good for a Muslim?
• How do you feel when you get together
with friends or family?
• It creates a sense of unity and
community (ummah). All Muslims are
striving for one thing paradise with Allah.
• What things do you do when you meet up
with people?
• Muslims can offer each other support and
discuss everyday problems and get
advice. As they stand side by side in
prayer they see each other as equals.
Exam preparation
• Explain the importance of Salat-uljumu’ah prayers on Friday (25
marks).
• It is important to show the examiner that you
understand this is the weekly gathering of male
Muslims at the mosque for prayers.
• Not a day of rest.
• A sermon is delivered by the imam.
• After the prayers have been said there is a
discussion of topical issues.
• Keywords to include: khutbah, ummah, unity,
Qur’an, Day of Assembly.