The Rakat of Friday Prayer: Insights on Sunnah, Voluntary Prayers, and Common Misunderstandings
The Rakat of Friday Prayer and Some Related Issues
In Islam, the Friday prayer holds great importance, with numerous virtues and abundant blessings associated with this day. Given its significance and virtues, special instructions have been given for its preparation, and various etiquettes and rulings related to this prayer have been explained. The fortunate one is the one who makes excellent preparations for Friday, arrives at the mosque before time, performs as many voluntary prayers as possible, listens attentively to the sermon, and performs the obligatory and Sunnah prayers, along with other prescribed acts for this day, such as taking a bath, using perfume, using a miswak, reciting Surah Al-Kahf, sending abundant blessings upon the Prophet, and taking advantage of the hour of acceptance.
Here, the intention is to explain the number of rakats for the Friday prayer as mentioned in authentic hadiths, so that people are aware of the actual rakats of this prayer and to dispel any misconceptions related to the Friday prayer. I will explain the rakats of the Friday prayer in three scenarios.
First Scenario: In this scenario, I find it useful to mention three points:
1. Knowing that there is no specific Sunnah prayer before the Friday prayer, one can still perform as many voluntary prayers as they wish before the sermon. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever performs ghusl, then comes to the Friday prayer, then prays as much as he is able to, then listens attentively until the sermon is finished, then prays with the imam, will have his sins forgiven between that Friday and the next, plus three more days.” (Sahih Muslim: 857)
So these prayers will be counted as voluntary prayers, and there is no limit to how many rakats one can pray. Whether it is two, four, six, eight, or twelve rakats, there is no issue. It is narrated from the companions that they used to pray multiple rakats before the Friday prayer. For example, Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed four rakats, and Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed twelve rakats. However, we do not derive from this that these are confirmed Sunnah prayers before the Friday prayer; rather, they fall under the category of voluntary prayers. Therefore, Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote in Fath al-Bari that there is no confirmed Sunnah prayer before the Friday prayer.
2. If someone does not want to perform voluntary prayers before the sermon, there is no issue, but they should at least perform two rakats of Tahiyyat al-Masjid (greeting the mosque) as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“When one of you enters the mosque, he should not sit down until he prays two rakats.” (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1167)
(3) Sometimes it is possible for one of us to arrive at the mosque on Friday when the Imam has already ascended the pulpit or is delivering the sermon. Remember, deliberately arriving late on Friday is a significant loss. When the Imam is on the pulpit or delivering the sermon, the person entering the mosque should perform two light rakats of Tahiyyat al-Masjid (greeting the mosque) before sitting down. The evidence for this is the hadith narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that once a companion, Sulaik Ghatafani (may Allah be pleased with him), came on Friday while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was delivering the sermon, and he sat down. The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed him briefly to perform two rakats and said:
“When one of you comes on Friday while the Imam is delivering the sermon, he should pray two rakats and make them brief.” (Sahih Muslim: 875)
From this evidence, we also learn that those who prevent someone from performing two rakats during the sermon are actually opposing the Sunnah.
Second Scenario: In this scenario, it is intended to mention that the Friday prayer consists of only two obligatory rakats. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever catches one rakat of the Friday prayer should add another to it.” (Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah by Al-Albani: 1851)
In another narration, it is mentioned:
“Whoever catches one rakat of the Friday prayer or any other prayer has completed his prayer.” (Sahih al-Nasa’i: 556)
From the first hadith, it is proven that the Friday prayer consists of two obligatory rakats. This is because if someone arrives late for the Friday prayer and catches one rakat with the Imam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed him to perform only one more rakat to complete the prayer, making a total of two rakats. The second hadith proves that whoever catches one rakat of the Friday prayer has caught the Friday prayer, but whoever does not catch even one rakat has missed the Friday prayer and must perform four rakats of Dhuhr prayer instead. For example, if someone finds the Imam in the second rakat’s prostration or Tashahhud, he has missed the Friday prayer and must perform the Dhuhr prayer.
Clarification: It is narrated from Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that whoever misses the Friday sermon should perform four rakats of prayer.
Third Scenario: Here, the narrations related to the prayers after the Friday prayer are mentioned, which include three types of practices:
1. The first type is to pray two rakats after the Friday prayer. It is narrated from Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said about the Prophet (peace be upon him):
“وكان لا يُصلِّي بعدَ الجمُعةِ حتى يَنصَرِفَ، فيُصلِّي ركعتَينِ.” (Sahih al-Bukhari: 937)
Translation: “He did not pray after the Friday prayer until he returned home, and then he would pray two rakats.”
2. The second type mentions praying four rakats. It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
“إذا صلَّى أحدُكم الجمعةَ فليصلِّ بعدها أربعًا.” (Sahih Muslim: 881)
Translation: “When one of you has prayed the Friday prayer, let him pray four rakats afterward.”
3. The third type mentions praying six rakats. It is narrated from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that Ata said:
“عنِ ابنِ عمرَ قالَ : كانَ إذا كانَ بمَكةَ فصلَّى الجمعةَ تقدَّمَ فصلَّى رَكعتَينِ ثمَّ تقدَّمَ فصلَّى أربعًا وإذا كانَ بالمدينةِ صلَّى الجمعةَ ثمَّ رجعَ إلى بيتِه فصلَّى رَكعتَينِ ولم يصلِّ في المسجدِ فقيلَ لَه فقالَ كانَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ يفعلُ ذلِك.” (Sahih Abi Dawood: 1130)
Translation: “Ata said about Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that when he was in Makkah and prayed the Friday prayer, he would move forward and pray two rakats, then move forward and pray four rakats. When he was in Madinah and prayed the Friday prayer, he would return home and pray two rakats and not pray in the mosque. When asked about this, he said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to do that.”
Considering all these narrations, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) and some other scholars have said that if one performs the Sunnah prayers after the Friday prayer in the mosque, they should pray four rakats, and if they perform them at home, they should pray only two rakats. It is also permissible to pray six rakats in the mosque, as proven from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), but when praying at home, it should be two rakats.
Summary: There is no specific Sunnah prayer before the Friday prayer except for the two rakats of Tahiyyat al-Masjid. However, one can pray as many voluntary prayers as they wish, with no limit. After the Friday prayer, it is established to pray two, four, or six rakats of Sunnah prayers. Therefore, one can pray two, four, or six rakats, and all these methods are correct.
Some Warnings and Corrections:
First Point: According to the Hanafi school, it is stated that there are four confirmed Sunnah prayers before the Friday prayer and four or six confirmed Sunnah prayers after it. However, it should be known that there is no established Sunnah prayer before the Friday prayer. The reports from the companions that are used as a basis to declare these as confirmed Sunnah prayers are actually voluntary prayers, not Sunnah.
Second Point: The Friday prayer should not be compared to the Dhuhr prayer, nor should it be performed in the same manner. The Friday prayer is a distinct prayer, and its rulings and rakats have been independently specified.
Third Point: Those who perform four rakats of Dhuhr prayer as a precaution after the Friday prayer in villages and rural areas are directly opposing the Sunnah, as there is no evidence for this practice in the Sunnah.
Maqbool Ahmed Salafi
Islamic Dawah Center, Northern Taif (Masrah)