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2. It must be said in a congregation led by an Imam, no single person can offer it by
himself
3. If any person misses it, he cannot make up for it; Instead, he has to offer the noon
prayer, the original prayer which this service normally replaces
4. All kinds of normal work are allowed on Friday as on any other week day. For
Muslims there is no Sabbath. They can carry on with their usual duties and activities
provided they come to the congregational service in time. After the service is over,
they may resume their mundane activities
5. This Friday prayer must be performed in a mosque, if there is one available.
Otherwise, it may be said at any gathering place e.g. homes, farms, parks. etc
6. When the time for prayer comes, the Adhan is said, the Imam stands up, facing the
audience and delivers his sermon (khutbah) which is an essential part of the service.
Muslims are recommended to offer Sunnah prayers before the sermon. As for those
who will arrive at the Mosque during the sermon they should offer the two brief units
of the Sunnah prayer “ Tahiyatu al Masjid” (Mosque greetings) and then sit down to
listen. While the Imam is talking nobody should talk, everyone present should take a
sitting position and listen to the sermon quietly to the end
7. The sermon (khutbah) consists of two parts each beginning with words of praise of
God and prayers of blessing for Prophet Muhammad. In the first part some Qur’ anic
passage must be recited and explained for the purpose of exhortation and admonition.
At the end of the first part the Imam takes a short rest in the sitting posture, then
stands up to deliver the second part of his sermon. General affairs of the Muslims may
be stated in either or both parts of the sermon. In the second part, especially, the Imam
prays for the general welfare of all Muslims
8. After that, the Iqamah is made and the two obligatory units are offered under the
leadership of the Imam who recites the Fatihah and the other Qur’ anic passage in
audible voice. When this is done, the prayer is completed. After that, Sunnah prayers
may be offered individually in a low voice.
The Sunnah prayers may be offered at home. Also they may be replaced with some
obligatory prayers that one has missed in the past and for which one has to make up.
Any participant in the Friday weekly congregation or ‘Eed Prayers should do his best
to be neat and tidy. Though there is no compulsory reason for a complete ablution, a
bath is strongly recommended as it makes one fresher and more pleasant
The Significance of ‘Eed Prayers
‘Eed means recurring happiness or festivity. The ‘Eed Prayer is very important for all
Muslims. It has the merits of the daily prayers as explained above, the effects of the
weekly convention (Jumu’ ah) and the characteristics of annual reunions between
Muslims. There are two such ‘Eeds. The first is called ‘Eed-l-Fitr (the Festival of Fast
– Breaking). It falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal the tenth month of
Muslim year, following the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’ an was revealed and
which is the month of Fasting. The second is called ‘Eed-l-Adha (the Festival of
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