When Should I Read Surat Al-Kahf During Friday? What Is the Etiquette to Follow on That Day?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question: Assalam aleykum,

When Should I Read Surat Al-Kahf During Friday?

What is the etiquette to follow during Fridays?

Answer: In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Walaikum assalam,

It is recommended to recite Surat al-Kahf completely the night before Friday, and it is also recommended to do so Friday itself, before Maghrib time. Ibn Abidin said, “And it is best to do so early on Friday, in order to rush to the good and to avoid forgetting.” [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Bab al-Jumu`ah]

The evidence for it being recommended includes the hadith related by Hakim and Bayhaqi, from Abu Sa`id (Allah be pleased with him), Whoever recites Surat al-Kahf on Friday, light shall shine forth for him between the two Fridays. [Ibn Hajar, Talkhis al-Habir]

It is mentioned in Heavenly Ornaments, by Imam al-Tahanawi:
The Virtues of Jumu’ah

1 . Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Friday is the best of days. It was on this day that Hadrat Aadam alayhis salaam was created, it was on this day that he was granted entry into jannah, it was on this day that he was removed from jannah (which became the cause for man’s existence in this universe, and which is a great blessing), and the day of resurrection will also take place on this day. ” (Sahih Muslim)

2 . It is related from Imam Ahmad rahmatullahialayh that he said that in certain aspects the rank of the night of jumu’ah is even higher than Laylatul Qadr One of the reasons for this is that it was on this night that Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) appeared in the womb of his mother Rasulullah’s (Allah bless him & give him peace) appearance in this world was a cause of so much good and blessings both in this world and in the hereafter that they cannot be enumerated. (Ash’atulLama’aat)

3 . Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “There is such an hour on Friday that if any Muslim makes dua in it, his dua will definitely be accepted. ” (Bukhari, Muslim) The ulama have differed in specifying that hour which has been mentioned in the Hadith . Shaykh Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlawi rahmatullahialayh has mentioned 40 different opinions in his book Sharh Sifrus Sa’aadah . However, from among all these opinions he has given preference to two opinions: (1) That time is from the commencement of the khutbah till the end of the salaat, (2) That time is towards the end of the day . A big group of ulama have given preference to this second opinion and there are many Ahadith which support this opinion . Shaykh Dehlawi rahmatullahialayh says that this narration is correct that Hadrat Fatimah radiallahuanha used to order her maid on Fridays to inform her when the day is about to end so that she could occupy herself in making zikr and duas. (Ash’atulLama’aat)

4 . Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Of all the days, Friday is the most virtuous. It is on this day that the trumpet will be blown. Send abundant durood upon me on Fridays because they are presented to me on that day. ” The Sahabah radiallahu anhum asked: “O Rasulullah! How will they be presented to you when even your bones will not be present after your death?” Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) replied: “Allah Ta’ala has made the earth haraam upon the prophets forever . ”(Abu Daud)

5 . Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “The word “shaahid” refers to Friday . There is no day more virtuous than Friday. There is such an hour in this day that no Muslim will make dua in it except that his dua will be accepted. And he does not seek protection from anything except that Allah Ta’ala will grant him protection . ” (Tirmidhi)

The word “shaahid” appears in Surah Burooj . Allah Ta’ala has taken an oath of that day. He says in the Quran:

“By the sky in which there are constellations .By the promised day (of judgement). By the day that witnesses (Friday), and the day that is witnessed (day of Arafah). ”

6 . Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Friday is the “mother” of all days and the most virtuous in the sight of Allah Ta’ala. In the sight of Allah Ta’ala it has more greatness than Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Ad’haa. ” (Ibn Majah)

7 . Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “The Muslim who passes away on the night or during the day of Friday, Allah Ta’ala saves him from the punishment of the grave . ” (Tirmidhi)

8 . Once Hadrat Ibne Abbas radiallahu anhu recited the following verse: “This day, I have completed your Deen for you. ” A Jew was sitting near him. On hearing this verse being recited he remarked: “If this verse was revealed to us, we would have celebrated that day as a day of eid . ” Ibne Abbas radiallahu anhu replied: “This verse was revealed on two eids, i. e . on the day of jumu’ah and the day of arafah. ” In other words, what is the need for us to make that day into a day of eid when it was already a day of two eids?

9 . Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) used to say that the night of jumu’ah is a lustrous night, and the day of jumu’ah is a lustrous day. (Mishkaat)

10 . After qiyaamah, Allah Ta’ala will send those who deserve paradise into paradise, and those who deserve hell into hell . The days that we have in this world will also be there. Although there will be no day and night, Allah Ta’ala will show us the extent of days and nights and also the number of hours. So when Friday will come and that hour when the people used to go for jumu’ah will approach, a person will call out saying: “O dwellers of jannah! Go into the jungles of abundance, the length and breadth of which are not known to anyone besides Allah Ta’ala. There will be mounds of musk which will be as high as the skies. The prophets alayhimus salaam will be made to sit on towers of light, and the believers on chairs of sapphires. Once everyone is seated in their respective places, Allah Ta’ala will send a breeze which will carry that musk. That breeze will carry the musk and apply it to their clothing, faces and hair . That breeze will know how to apply that musk even better than that woman who is given all the different perfumes of the world. Allah Ta’ala will then order the carriers of His throne to go and place His throne among all these people. He will then address them saying: “O my servants who have brought faith in the unseen despite not seeing Me, who have attested My Rasul (Allah bless him & give him peace), and who have obeyed My laws! Ask Me whatever you wish for . This day is the day of giving abundantly . ” They will all exclaim in one voice: “O Allah! We are pleased with You, You also be pleased with us. ” Allah Ta’ala will reply: “O dwellers of jannah! If I were not pleased with you all, I would not have kept you in My jannah . Ask for something because this is the day of giving in abundance. ” They will all say in one voice: “O Allah! Show us Your beauty, that we may be able to look at Your noble being with our very eyes . ” Allah Ta’ala will lift the veil and will become apparent to these people and His beauty will engulf them from all sides . If this order was not given from before hand that the jannatis will never get burnt, without doubt they would not have endured the heat of this light and they would all have got burnt. He will then ask them to go back to their respective places . Their beauty and attractiveness will double through the effects of that Real beauty. These people will then go to their wives. They will not be able to see their wives nor will their wives be able to see them. After a little while, the nur which was concealing them will be removed and they will now be able to see each other. Their wives will tell them that how is it that you do not have the same appearance which you had left with? That is, your appearance is a thousand times better now. They will reply that the reason for this is that the noble being of Allah Ta’ala was made apparent to us and we saw His beauty with our very eyes . (Sharh Sifrus-Sa’aadah) See what a great bounty they received on the day of jumu’ah.

11 . Every afternoon, the heat of jahannam is increased. However, through the blessings of jumu’ah, this will not be done on Fridays . (Ihyaa ul-Uloom)

12 . On one Friday, Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “O Muslims! Allah Ta’ala has made this day a day of eid . So have a bath on this day, whoever has perfume should apply it, and use the miswaak. ” (Ibn Majah)

The Aadaab of Jumu’ah

1 . Every Muslim should make preparations for jumu’ah from Thursday. After the asr salaat of Thursday, he should make a lot of istighfaar. He should clean his clothes and keep them ready. If he does not have any perfume in his house, then if it is possible he should try and obtain some and keep it ready so that he will not get distracted with these things on jumu’ah. The pious people of the past have stated that the person to receive the most benefit on Friday will be that person who waits for it and who makes preparations for it from Thursday. The most unfortunate person will be he who does not even know as to when Friday will fall, so much so that he will ask the people in the morning as to which day this is. Some pious people used to go and stay in the jaame musjid from the night of jumu’ah in order to make full preparations for the following day. (Ihya aul-Uloom, vol. 1, page 161)

2 . On the day of jumu’ah, ghusl should be made and the hair of the head and the rest of the body should be thoroughly washed. It is also very virtuous to use the miswaak on this day.

3 . After making ghusl, a person should wear the best clothing that he possesses, and if possible he should also apply some perfume. He should also clip his nails.

4 . He should try and go very early to the jaame musjid. The earlier a person goes, the more reward he will receive. Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “On the day of jumu’ah, the angels stand at the entrance of that musjid in which jumu’ah salaat is to be offered. They write down the name of the person who enters the musjid first, and thereafter the name of the person who follows, and they continue doing this . The person who entered first will receive the reward of sacrificing a camel in the path of Allah, the one who followed him will get the reward of sacrificing a cow, thereafter a chicken, thereafter the reward of giving an egg as charity in the path of Allah. Once the khutbah commences, the angels close the register and begin listening to the khutbah. ” (Bukhari and Muslim)

In olden times, the roads and alleys used to be extremely busy in the mornings and at fajr time . All the people used to go so early to the jaame musjid and there used to be such a large crowd that it used to look like the days of eid . Later, when this habit was given up, people began saying that this is the first innovation in Islam . After writing this, Imam Ghazali rahmatullahialayh says: “Aren’t the Muslims ashamed of themselves that the Jews and Christians go so early in the morning to their synagogues and churches on Saturdays and Sundays. Those who are businessmen go so early to the bazaars in order to do their buying and selling . Why don’t the Muslims do the same?” The reality of the situation is that the Muslims have totally reduced the value of this blessed day. They do not even know what day this is, and what a high status it has. How sad it is that the day which was more valuable than eid in the eyes of Muslims of the past, which Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) was proud of and the day which was not granted to the previous nations has become so dishonoured at the hands of Muslims today and it is such a great ingratitude to the favour of Allah Ta’ala that the consequence of all this can be seen with our very eyes. ”

5 . By going walking for the jumu’ah salaat, one gets the reward of fasting for one year for every step that he takes. (Tirmidhi)

6 . On Fridays, Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) used to recite Surah Alif Laam Meem Sajdah and Surah Hal Ataa, in the fajr salaat . These Surahs should therefore be occasionally recited in the fajr salaat on Fridays . Occasionally they should be left out so that people do not regard their recitation as wajib.

7 . For the jumu’ah salaat, Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) used to recite the following Surahs: al-Jumu’ah and al-Munaafiqun, or al-A’la and al-Ghaashiyah .

8 . There is a lot of reward in reciting Surah Kahf either before the jumu’ah salaat or after it. Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “The person who recites Surah Kahf on Fridays, a nur will appear for him from below the arsh as high as the skies. This light will help him in the darkness of the day of resurrection . And all the sins which he may have committed from the last Friday till this Friday will be forgiven . ” (Sharh Sifrus-Sa’aadah) The ulama have written that this Hadith refers to minor sins because major sins are not forgiven without making taubah.

9 . There is more reward in reciting durood on Fridays than on other days . It has been mentioned in the Hadith that durood should be recited abundantly on Fridays .

The Virtues and Importance of Jumu’ah Salaat

Jumu’ah salaat is fard-e-ayn . It has been established from the Quran, Hadith and the consensus of the ummah. It is one of the most salient features of Islam. The person who rejects jumu’ah salaat is a kaafir. The one who misses it without any valid excuse is a faasiq.

1 . Allah Ta’ala says in the Quran:

Translation : “O you who believe! When the call for jumu’ah salaat is made, hasten towards the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala and leave all transactions. This is best for you if only you know . ”

In this verse, “remembrance” refers to the jumu’ah salaat and khutbah. “Hasten” means that one should go with great concern and care.

2 . Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “The person who has a bath on Friday, purifies himself as far as possible, applies oil to his hair, applies perfume, leaves for the musjid, when he arrives at the musjid he does not sit down by removing anyone from his place, offers as many nafl salaats as possible, when the imam delivers the khutbah he remains silent – then his sins from the previous jumu’ah till now will be forgiven. ” (Bukhari)

3 . Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “The person who has a bath on Friday and goes early to the musjid on foot, and not by a vehicle, listens to the khutbahand does not do any foolish act while it is being delivered, will get the reward of one year’s ibaadah, one year’s fasting, and one year’s salaat; for every step that he takes. ” (Tirmidhi)

4 . Hadrat Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayrah radiallahu anhuma narrate that they heard Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) saying: “People should abstain from leaving out jumu’ah salaat If not, Allah Ta’ala will put a seal over their hearts whereby they will fall into severe negligence. ” (Muslim)

5 . Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “The person who misses out three jumu’ah’s without any valid reason, Allah Ta’ala puts a seal over his heart. ” (Tirmidhi) In another narration it is mentioned that Allah Ta’ala becomes displeased with him.

6 . Taariq bin Shihaab radiallahu anhu narrates that Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “The jumu’ah salaat with jama’at is a duty which is wajib on every Muslim with the exception of the following four persons: (i) a slave, that is the one who is owned by someone according to the rules laid down by the Shariah, (ii) a woman, (iii) an immature boy, (iv) a sick person. ” (Abu Daud)

7 . Ibn Umar radiallahuanhu narrates that Rasulullah (Allah blesshim & give him peace) said the following in regard to those who leave out jumu’ah: “It is my earnest desire that I appoint someone as imam in my place while I go and burn the homes of those who do not attend the jumu’ah salaat. ” (Muslim) A similar Hadith has also been related with regard to leaving out jama’at. We have mentioned this Hadith previously.

8 . Ibn Abbas radiallahuanhu narrates that Rasulullah (Allah blesshim & give him peace) said: “The person who leaves out jumu’ah salaat without a valid reason is written down as a hypocrite in a book that is absolutely protected from any changes and modifications. ” (Mishkaat) In other words, he will be labelled as a hypocrite forever. However, if he repents or Allah forgives him solely out of His mercy, then this is another matter.

9 . Hadrat Jaabir radiallahuanhu narrates that Rasulullah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Jumu’ah salaat becomes obligatory on the person who believes in Allah Ta’ala and the last day, except for the sick, musafir, woman, child, and a slave. If a person occupies himself in something unnecessary, or in some transaction, Allah Ta’ala also turns away from him and does not worry about him and Allah is worthy of all praise. ” (Mishkaat) In other words, He is not affected by anyone’s ibaadah nor does He benefit in any way. His essence and being will remain the same irrespective of whether anyone praises Him and worships Him or not.

10 . Hadrat Ibn Abbas radiallahuanhu says that the person who leaves out several jumu’ah salaats consecutively has in fact turned away from Islam. (Ash’atulLama’aat)

11 . A person asked Ibn Abbas radiallahuanhu regarding a person who passed away and who should not join the jumu’ah and jama’at salaats: “What do you have to say regarding such a person?” He replied: “That person is in jahannam . ” This person continued asking him this question for a full month and he gave him the same reply. (Ihyaa ul-Uloom)

Even by merely glancing at these Ahadith, one can come to the conclusion that the Shariah has laid great stress on jumu’ah salaat and that severe warnings have been given to the one who leaves out jumu’ah . Can a person who claims to be a Muslim still have the audacity of leaving out this fard duty?

[end of section quoted from Heavenly Ornaments]

Wassalam ,
Faraz Rabbani .