Islamic Fiqh > Prayer > The Friday prayer
For whom Friday prayer is obligatory, its conditions of validity, and the virtues of the week's most important day.
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Updated on 07 September 2026 at 3:44 PM
On Friday, the dhuhr prayer is replaced by a congregational prayer with a sermon. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed it when the sun declined (al-Bukhari 862), and Salama ibn al-Akwa' said: we gathered with the Prophet when the sun declined, then we returned seeking the afternoon shade (Muslim 860).
The time of the jumu'a extends until asr enters: when the time of dhuhr leaves, the jumu'a falls and is replaced by dhuhr. It is not made up as such: it is a prayer that is not compensated merely by having missed it.
The schools differ on the minimum number: Abu Hanifa requires four people with the imam, Abu Yusuf three, Ash-Shafi'i forty with the imam, and the Malikis twelve people besides the imam, relying on the episode reported from Jabir: a caravan arrived on the day of jumu'a during the sermon, the people left to look at it, and only twelve men remained, which brought down the verse: "when they see a trade or an amusement, they disperse toward it and leave you standing" (62:11).
The jurists agree: the khutba is not a condition for catching it. The Prophet said:
Whoever catches one rak'a of the Friday prayer has caught the prayer.an-Nasa'i 1424, Ibn Majah 1121
That is, a complete rak'a with its two prostrations; he then adds the other rak'a, as another version specifies: let him pray another rak'a with it.
Whoever misses the jumu'a prays dhuhr, four rak'as. Praying it afterwards in congregation is recommended according to Ahmad, Ishaq and Ash-Shafi'i's view, while a group of scholars, among them al-Hasan, Sufyan ath-Thawri and Abu Hanifa, disapprove of repeating it in congregation; the preference for congregation remains for the one who had a legitimate excuse.
If you arrive late, do not leave: join the prayer, catch at least one complete rak'a with the imam, and complete the rest after his salam. The jumu'a remains the community's weekly meeting: it is prepared with the bath, fine clothes and an early arrival at the mosque.
No: it is an obligation on the capable man; the woman not attending prays dhuhr normally. Her attendance remains permitted and rewarded.
Two rak'as after the sermon, in place of dhuhr, recited aloud.
Pray dhuhr (four rak'as) at its time: Friday is not made up; dhuhr replaces it for whoever missed it.
No: silence is required, even for good words; talking during the sermon erases Friday's reward (Muslim 851).