In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Blessings of Performing the Friday Congregational Prayers (Salaat-ul-Jumua’h) “O’ you who believe, when the call is made for prayer on Friday, then hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trading; that is better for you, if you know.” (S. 62 v. 9) The above verse of Surah al-Jumua’h clearly emphasizes the importance of performing the Friday congregational prayer. Some Important aspects of Friday Congregational Prayer. Friday is the blessed day of the week. Many important events of the past and future are attributed to this day of the week. Taking a bath and wearing clean clothes is highly recommended. The sermon of the Friday prayer is a source of knowledge, guidance, and piety. It is an integral part of the prayer and commands due attention and respect. Local community affairs and global community news are generally included in the sermon. An important aspect of this congregation is that the members of the community get together, meet and inquire about each other. The strength of the community grows and blessings of Allah (s.w.t.) increase. The rich and the poor stand shoulder to shoulder, emphasizing equality in Islam. Hadiths from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hf) & Sayings of the Imams (a.s.) The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) said: “If two persons (Imam & mamun) offer congregational prayer, then every Raka’t gets the reward of 150 prayers. The rewards increase such that if there are ten people in the congregation, then every Raka’t gets reward of greater than 76,000 prayers. If there are more than ten people then the rewards are such that only Allah has knowledge of them.” Another version of the above Hadith from Prophet (pbuh&hf): “If two people form a Jama’at, the reward for one Rak’at will be equal to one hundred and fifty prayers. If there are three people, the reward for one Rak’at will be equal to six hundred prayers. If there are four people, the reward for one Rak’at will be equal to one thousand two hundred prayers.  If there are five people, the reward for one Rak’at will be equal to two thousand four hundred prayers. If there are more than ten people in the Jama’at, then if all the skies were paper, all the seas were ink, all the trees were pens, and all the men, Jinn, and Angels got together as scribes to record the rewards of one Rak’at, they would not be able to do it.” The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) said: “Verily, when one of the servants of Allah establishes salaat in congregation and asks Him for something, which Allah does not grant him, then Allah will be ashamed until He fulfils it.” Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (a.s.) said, “The excellence of congregational prayer compared to a solitary prayer is like one Raka’t compared to two thousand Raka’t. “ Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) said, “The person who abandons the congregational salaat without a valid excuse, and only to avoid attending the gathering of Muslims, then it is as if he did not offer salaat (i.e., his salaat will not be accepted).” In the same narration, it is mentioned that the Takbir (Allahu Akbar) that the believers say after the leader of the Salaat is better and more beloved to Allah than sixty thousand Hajj and ‘Umrah, and better than this world and all that is in it, sixty times over. Each Rak’at that the believer performs in Jama’at is better than offering one hundred thousand dinars in charity to the poor, and his Sajdah is better than if he were to free one hundred slaves. Compiled by: Syed H. Akhtar   ]]>