62- Surat Aljumu'ah/Tafseer
11 Verses Medinan (revealed in Medina)
A'auzu Bellahi mena alshaiytani alrajeem
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Besmi Ellahi Alrhmani Alraheem
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Yousabbihu li-llahi ma fee alsamawati wa ma fee al-ardi, Al-Maliki Al-Quddusi Al-Azizi Al-Hakeem (1).
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is glorifying Allah, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Almighty, the All-Wise.
Huwa Allazi ba-atha fee al-ummiyyina rasulan minhum yatlu alayhim ayatihi wa youzakkihim wa youallimuhumu al-kitaba wa al-hikmata wa in kanu men qablu la-fee dalalin mubeen (2).
He is the One who has sent among the illiterate a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses, and purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they were before in clear error.
Wa akhareena minhum lamma yalhaqu bihim wa huwa Al-Azizu Al-Hakeem (3).
And others of them who have not yet joined them, and He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.
Zaleka fadlu Allahi you'tihi man yashau wa Allahu zu al-fadli al-azeem (4).
That is the bounty of Allah, which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the Possessor of great bounty.
Mathalu allazina hummilu altawrata thumma lam yahmiluha ka-mathali al-himari yahmilu asfaran be'sa mathalu al-qawmi allazina kazzabu bi-ayati ellahi wa Allahu la yahdi al-qawma alzalimeen (5).
The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah, and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries books, wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allah, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Qul ya-ayyuha allazina hadu in za-amtum annakum awliyau li-llahi men duni alnasi fa-tamannawu almawta in kuntum sadikeen (6).
Say, O you who are Jews! If you claim that you are allies of Allah to the exclusion of all other people, then Wish for death, if you are truthful.
Wa-la yatamannawnahu abadan be-ma qaddamat aydihim wa Allahu Aleemun bel-zalimeen (7).
But they will never wish for it, ever, for what their hands had sent forth, and Allah is All-Knower of the wrongdoers.
Qul inna almawta allazi tafirruna minhu fa-innahu mulaqikum thumma turadduna ela Alimi al-ghaybi wa alshahadati fa-younabbi-ukum be-ma kuntum ta'malun (8).
Say, indeed, the death from which you flee, it will surely meet you, then you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do.
Ya-ayyuha allazina amanu iza nudiya lel-salati men yawmi aljumu-ati fas-aww ila zekri ellahi wa zaru al-bay'a zalikum khayrun lakum in kuntum ta'lamun (9).
O you who have believed! When the call to prayer is made on Friday, then Proceed to the remembrance of Allah, and Leave trade, that is better for you if you only know.
Fa-iza qudiyati alsalatu fa-ntashiru fee al-ardi wa-btaghu men fadli ellahi wa-zkuru Allaha katheeran la-allakum tuflihun (10).
And when the prayer has been concluded, then Disperse throughout the land, and Seek from the bounty of Allah, and Remember Allah much, so that you may succeed.
Wa iza ra-aww tijaratan aww lahwan enfaddu ilayha wa tarakuka qa-iman qul ma inda Allahi khayrun mina al-lahwi wa mina altijarati wa Allahu khayru alraziqeen (11).
And when they see a transaction or an amusement, they rushed to it, and left You standing, Say, what is with Allah is better than the amusement and than the transaction, and Allah is the Best of Providers.
Simplified interpretation:
Surat Aljumu'ah is one of the seven Surahs of the Holy Quran that begin with glorification. Aljumu'ah is Friday in English, and Allah's Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) described it as the best day on which the sun has risen, as Abu Hurayrah narrated that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday, on it Adam was created, on it He was made to enter Paradise, on it He was expelled from it, and the last Hour will take place on no day other than Friday" (Sahih Muslim 854 b). Friday is a very special day for Muslims for Abu Hurayrah said I heard Allah's Messenger (PBUH) saying: "We (Muslims) are the last to come but will be the foremost on the day of resurrection though the former nations were given the Holy Scriptures before us, and this was their day (Friday) the celebration of which was made compulsory for them but they differed about it. So Allah gave us the guidance for it, and all other people are behind us in this respect, the Jew's Holy day is tomorrow i.e.Saturday, and the Christian's holy day is the day after tomorrow i.e.Sunday" (Sahih Albukhari 876).
And among the virtues of Friday is that it contains a time when supplications are answered, as Malik bin Anas reported from Abu Al-Zinad from Al-A'raj from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "There is a time on Friday at which no Muslim would stand and pray and ask Allah for what is good, but He would give it to Him, and He (PBUH) pointed with His hand that (this time) is short and narrow" (Sahih Muslim 852 b). There are many different opinions regarding the timing of the response to supplications on Friday, the strongest of which are two opinions, the first group said that it is from the time the Imam sits on the pulpit until the end of the Friday prayer, and the second group said that it is after Asr prayer.
Allah Almighty says in the first verse (1) "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is glorifying Allah, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Almighty, the All-Wise", that is, Allah affirms that whatever is in the Heavens and the earth glorifies Him, so all creatures glorify their Creator, and Allah assures in Aya (44) of Surat Alisraa that man does not understand their manner of glorification. And Allah is the Sovereign as He is the One who manages all of creation as He wills, the Holy who is free of imperfections and described as perfection, and He is the Almighty who is Severe in His revenge on those who disobeyed Him, and He is All-Wise who manages His creation with wisdom in His laws and destiny.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (2) "He is the One who has sent among the illiterate a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses, and purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they were before in clear error", that is, Allah sent His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) to the illiterate people, who were the Arabs, as Allah's Messenger (PBUH) was illiterate, neither reading nor writing, and His people were also illiterate, and as narrated by Ibn Umar: "The Prophet said we are an illiterate nation, we neither write, nor know accounts, the month is like this and this, i.e. sometimes of 29 days, and sometimes of thirty days" (Sahih Albukhari 1913), and it was of Allah's great wisdom that He has sent His Messenger as an illiterate so that the disbelievers would not claim that He has invented the Holy Quran as Allah has stated in Aya (48) of Surat Alankaboot {And You did not recite any book before it, nor did You write it with Your right hand, otherwise, the adherents of falsehood would have doubted}. So Allah has sent to the illiterate a Messenger from among themselves in order to recite to them the Holy Quran, to purify them from the filth of disbelief and sins, and to teach them the Holy Quran and the jurisprudence in religion and clarification of everything they need in the matter of their religion and their worldly life. Perhaps this verse was a response from Allah to His Prophet Abraham, peace be upon Him, when He supplicated Allah to send a Messenger to the people of Mecca from among themselves as mentioned in Surat Albaqarah Aya (129). Before the message of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Arabs were in a clear error as they were adhering to the religion of Abraham, peace be upon Him, but they altered it and replaced monotheism with polytheism, and certainty with doubt, so they worshiped idols besides Allah, except for a small number of the people of the scripture who adhered to that with which Allah sent Jesus, peace be upon Him, such as Waraqah bin Naufil. So Allah has sent His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) with a great and complete law, comprehensive for all creation, containing their guidance and the explanation of all that they need concerning the worldly life and the Hereafter,
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (3) "And others of them who have not yet joined them, and He is the Almighty, the All-Wise", that is, the message of the Prophet Muhammad is not directed only to the Arabs, but to the whole world, and to all who will come after them, whether they are Arabs or Non-Arabs, and Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah said that Sulayman bin Bilal told him from Thawr from Abu Al-Ghayth from Abu Hurayrah: "While we were sitting with the Prophet (PBUH), Surat Aljumu'ah was revealed and when "And others of them who have not yet joined them" was recited by the Prophet (PBUH), I said "Who are they, O Allah's Messenger?, the Prophet (PBUH) did not reply till I repeated my question thrice. At that time, Salman Al-Farisi was with us, so Allah's Messenger (PBUH) put His hand on Salman saying If faith were at Althuraya (Pleiades, the highest star), even then some men or man from these people (i.e. Salman folk) would attain it" (Sahih Albukhari 4897). Salman was not an Arab, but he was a Persian from Isfahan (Iran), and because the message of Allah's Messenger (PBUH) was for the whole world, He (PBUH) sent letters to Persians, Romans, and other nations, inviting them to Islam. Then Allah affirms that He is the Almighty who is Severe in His revenge on those who disobeyed Him, and He is All-Wise who manages His creation with wisdom in His laws and destiny.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (4) "That is the bounty of Allah, which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the Possessor of great bounty", that is, that is the bounty of Allah for what He gave Muhammad (PBUH) of the great Prophecy, and for what He singled out His Ummah with by sending Him to them, and Allah gives His bounty to whom He wills, and He is the Possessor of the great bounty. Ibn Abbas said that what is meant by Allah's bounty is the inclusion of the Non-Arabs with the people of Quraish in the message of Islam, and Al-Kalbi said that the bounty of Allah, which He gives to whom He wills is the religion of Islam. And as narrated by Abu Salih from Abu Hurayrah: "The poor amongst the emigrants came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said the possessors of great wealth have obtained the highest ranks and the lasting bliss. He (PBUH) said How is that?, they said they pray as we pray, and they observe fast as we observe fast and they give charity but we do not give charity, and they set slaves free but we do not set slaves free. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said Shall I not teach you something by which you will catch upon those who have preceded you, and get ahead of those who come after you, only those who do as you do being more excellent than you?, they said yes Messenger of Allah, He (PBUH) said Glorify Allah: Subhana Allah, Declare His Greatness: Allahu Akbar, and Praise Him: Alhamdu li-llah, thirty three times after every prayer. Abu Salih said the poor amongst the emigrants returned to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying our brethren, the possessors of property have heard what we have done and they did the same, so the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said That is the bounty of Allah, which He gives to whom He wills" (Sahih Muslim 595).
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (5) "The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah, and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries books, wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allah, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people", that is, Allah likens the Jews to a donkey carrying books on its back, but it does not know its content, nor does it benefit from it, so too are those who were given the Torah, which contains the explanation of the matter of Muhammad (PBUH), but they did not benefit from it nor did they act according to it, so they disbelieved in Allah's Messenger (PBUH) and opposed Him, and became like a donkey carrying only the load without any benefit. So wretched is the example of the people who deny Allah's signs even although they are clear before their eyes, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoers who wronged themselves with disbelief and tyranny. Imam Qurtubi said that is Aya is a warning from Allah to those who were entrusted with the Book of Allah to learn its meaning and understand its content lest they fall into the same sin as those to whom the Torah was revealed.
Allah Almighty says in the next two verses (6,7) "Say, O you who are Jews! If you claim that you are allies of Allah to the exclusion of all other people, then Wish for death, if you are truthful, but they will never wish for it, ever, for what their hands had sent forth, and Allah is All-Knower of the wrongdoers", that is, Allah commanded His Messenger (PBUH) to say to the Jews If you claim that you are allies of Allah to the exclusion of all other people, then Wish for death, if you are truthful, as the Jews claimed that they are the children of Allah and His beloved ones as mentioned in Aya (18) of Surat Alma'idah {And the Jews and the Christians said we are the children of Allah and His beloved}, so if they are truthful in their claim, they would wish for death because Allah does not punish His allies and His beloved, but rather He honors and blesses them in Paradise. But Allah challenges them saying that they will never wish for death for what their hands had sent forth of disbelief, denial, and sins, and Allah is All-knower of those who wronged themselves with disbelief and tyranny, so they did not wish for death for fear that the punishment of Allah would befall them, and as narrated by Ibn Abbas: "If the Jews had wished for death, they would have died and would have seen their place in the Hell" (Musnad Ahmed 2225).
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (8) "Say, indeed, the death from which you flee, it will surely meet you, then you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do", that is, Allah commanded His Messenger (PBUH) to assure the Jews that the death will inevitably happen, and that on the day of resurrection they will return to the One who knows all that His servants do not see, and all that they do see, for nothing is hidden from Him, and He will inform them of their deeds in the worldly life, both good and evil, so He will recompense each one of them for his deeds.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (9) "O you who have believed! When the call to prayer is made on Friday, then Proceed to the remembrance of Allah, and Leave trade, that is better for you if you only know", that is, Allah commanded Muslim men to proceed to the remembrance of Allah when they hear the call of Friday prayer, and to leave off all business. They are commanded to proceed not to hasten in walk, as Abu Hurayrah reported that he heard Allah's Messenger (PBUH) saying: "When the Iqamah has been pronounced for prayer, Do not go running to it, but Go walking in tranquility and Pray what you are in time for, and Complete what you have missed" (Sahih Muslim 602). The earlier a person goes to Friday prayer, the better the reward, as Allah's Messenger said in narration of Abu Hurayrah: "Any person who takes a bath on Friday like the bath of Janabah, and then goes for the prayer in the first hour (early), it is as if he had sacrificed a camel (in the way of Allah), and whoever goes in the second hour, it is as if he had sacrificed a cow, and whoever goes in the third hour, then it is as if he had sacrificed a horned ram, and if one goes in the fourth hour, then it is as if he had sacrificed a hen, and whoever goes in the fifth hour, then it is as if he had offered an egg, when the Imam comes out and starts delivering the Khutbah: sermon, the Angels present themselves to listen to the Khutbah" (Sahih Albukhari 881). And in another narration of Abu Hurayrah also: "When the Imam comes out for Jumu'ah prayer, the Angels fold their papers and listen to the Khutbah" (Sahih Albukhari 929).
It is desirable for Muslim men to take bath for Jumu'ah prayer, to wear their best clothes, and to use perfumes, for the Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Salman Al-Farisi "Whoever takes a bath on Friday, purifies himself as much as he can, then uses his hair oil, or perfumes himself with the scent of his house, then proceeds (for Jumu'ah prayer) and does not separate two persons sitting together (in the mosque) then prays as much as written for him, and then remains silent while the Imam is delivering the Khutbah, his sins in-between the present and the last Friday would be forgiven" (Sahih Albukhari 883). And Qutaybah narrated from Layth from Nafi' from Abdullah: "I heard Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying when any one of you intends to come for Jumu'ah prayer, he should take a bath" (Sahih Muslim 844).
Allah says When the call to prayer is made on Friday, then Proceed to the remembrance of Allah, and Imam Ibn Katheer said that what is meant by this call is the second call to prayer at the present time, which was the first call to prayer during the time of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), as when He (PBUH) would go out and sit on the pulpit, the call to prayer would be pronounced in His presence, but Caliph Uthman bin Affan ordered that the call to prayer be given before the Imam ascended the pulpit so that the people would gather, then the call to prayer would be given again when the Imam ascended the pulpit, as Muhammad bin Muqatil narrated from Abdullah from Yunus from Alzuhari that he said I heard Alsa'ib bin Yazid saying: "In the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), Abu Bakr, and Umar, the Adhan for Jumu'ah prayer used to be pronounced after the Imam had taken his seat on the pulpit, but when the people increased in number during the caliphate of Uthman, he introduced a third Adhan on Friday for the Jumu'ah prayer, and it was pronounced at Alzaura', and that new state of affairs remained so in the succeeding years" (Sahih Albukhari 916), and he called it a third call because he considered the call to Iqamah to be a call as well.
Only free men are commanded to attend Jumu'ah prayer, not women, slaves, or children, and the traveler and the sick and those of similar excuses are excused. Imam Qurtubi said that no one obliged to attend Jumu'ah prayer should be excused from it except for a valid reason that prevents him from attending the prayer such as severe illness, fear of worsening illness, or fear of injustice from the ruler regarding his soul or property without due process. He also considered heavy rain accompanied by mud to be a valid excuse if it does not cease, but Imam Malik did not consider it a valid excuse. Imam Qurtubi also said that whoever misses Jumu'ah prayer without an excuse and prays before the Imam must repeat it, and it is not sufficient for him to pray before the Imam, and by missing Jumu'ah prayer while he is able to do so, he is disobeying Allah by this action. And Abdullah bin Umar and Abu Hurayrah said that they heard Allah's Messenger (PBUH) saying on the planks of his pulpit: "People must cease to neglect the Jumu'ah prayers or Allah will seal their hearts and then they will be among the negligent" (Sahih Muslim 865). It is not permissible to speak during the Khutbah as Allah's Messenger said in narration of Abu Hurayrah: "When the Imam is delivering the Khutbah, and you ask your companion to keep quiet and listen, then no doubt you have done an evil act" (Sahih Albukhari 934).
Imam Qurtubi said Jumu'ah prayer is not waived because it falls on a day of Eid, contrary of the opinion of Ahmed bin Hanbal, who said that if the Eid falls on Friday, the Jumu'ah prayer is waived because the Eid prayer preceded it, and because the people are preoccupied with the Eid, he based his opinion on the narration that Caliph Uthman had permitted the people of Al-Awali to be excused from Jumu'ah prayer on the day of Eid, but Imam Qurtubi said that the opinion of a single companion is not considered authoritative if it is contradicted and not supported by consensus, and that command to proceed to the Jumu'ah prayer is as applicable on the day of Eid as it is on any other day. And Nu'man bin Bashir reported: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to recite on two Eids prayer and Jumu'ah prayer {Sabbehi esma Rabbika al-a'la: Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High, Surat Al-A'la}, and {Hal ataka hadithu Alghashiyah: Has there come to You the news of the Overwhelming?, Surat Alghashiyah}, and when the Eid and Jumu'ah combined on a day, He recited these two Surahs in both the prayers" (Sahih Muslim 878).
And Allah says and Leave trade, that is better for you if you only know, and the scholars agreed on the prohibition of buying and selling after the second call to Jumu'ah prayer for those obligated to perform it, but those who are not obligated to attend Jumu'ah prayer are not prohibited from buying and selling, and Allah assures that leaving trade, and going to Friday prayer and remembrance of Allah is better in the worldly life, and in the Hereafter. Malik's view is that one should stop selling when the call to prayer is made, and any sales that have taken place at that time are voided, but Imam Shafi'i said that the sale is valid and not voided, and Imam Qurtubi adopted the view of Imam Malik, stating that the sale is invalid and must be annulled.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (10) " And when the prayer has been concluded, then Disperse throughout the land, and Seek from the bounty of Allah, and Remember Allah much, so that you may succeed", that is, Allah has permitted the believers to disperse throughout the land after the end of Jumu'ah prayer to fulfill their needs and to seek Allah's bounty, and to remember Allah often through obedience and gratitude for the blessings He has bestowed upon them, enabling them to perform their religious duties so that they may succeed in the worldly life and the Hereafter.
Allah Almighty says in the last verse (11) "And when they see a transaction or an amusement, they rushed to it, and left You standing, Say, what is with Allah is better than the amusement and than the transaction, and Allah is the Best of Providers", that is, Allah blames the believers who turned away from Jumu'ah sermon to the trade that had arrived to Medina, as Husayn narrated from Salim bin Abi Al-Ja'd from Jabir bin Abdullah: "While we were praying (Jumu'ah) with the Prophet (PBUH), some camels loaded with food, arrived (from Sham). The people diverted their attention towards the camels (and left the Mosque), and only twelve persons remained with the Prophet, so this verse was revealed And when they see a transaction or an amusement, they rushed to it, and left You standing" (Sahih Albukhari 936).
Imam Ibn Katheer and Imam Qurtubi said that Allah's statement "And left You standing" indicates that the Imam delivers the Friday Khutbah while standing, and Jabir bin Samura reported: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to deliver the sermon while standing, He would then sit down and then stand up and address in a standing posture, and whoever informed you that He (PBUH) delivered the sermon while sitting told a lie, By Allah! I prayed with Him more than two thousand times" (Sahih Muslim 862 b). And Ka'b bin Ujra reported that he entered the Mosque and saw Abdul-Rahman bin Umm Al-Hakam delivering the sermon in a sitting posture, upon this he said Look at this wretched person, he delivers the sermon while sitting, whereas Allah says And when they see a transaction or an amusement, they rushed to it, and left You standing" (Sahih Muslim 864). The majority of scholars said that the sermon is a condition for the validity of the Jumu'ah prayer, and it is not valid without it. Sa'id bin Jubair said that the Khutbah is a substitute for the two Rak'ahs of Dhuhr prayer (Noon prayer), so if one omits it and prays the Jumu'ah prayer, then he has omitted the two Rak'ahs of the Noon prayer, and Imam Qurtubi said that the proof of its obligation is Allah's saying "And left You standing", and that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) did not perform Jumu'ah prayer except with a sermon.
It is a Sunnah for one who enters the mosque while the Imam is delivering the Friday sermon to pray two Rak'ahs as a greeting of the mosque, praying them as two light Rak'ahs in recitation, bowing, and prostration, as Al-A'mash narrated from Abi Sufyan from Jabir bin Abdullah: "Sulaik Ghatafani came on Friday when the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was delivering the sermon, he sat down, so Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said to him O Sulaik! Stand and Observe two Rak'ahs and make them short, and then He (PBUH) said when any one of you comes on Friday while the Imam delivers the sermon, he should observe two Rak'ahs and should make them short" (Sahih Muslim 875 g).
Thereupon, Allah commanded His Messenger (PBUH) to tell those who turned away from Him that what is with Allah is better than the amusement and the transaction, so whoever sits and listens to the sermon of Allah's Messenger (PBUH) on Friday until He finishes it, then it is better for him than the amusement and the transaction to which they turned, and Allah is the Best of Providers where none can provide sustenance like Him, nor can none bless with the same as His blessings, so He provides those who rely on Him, obey Him, and seek sustenance through obedience to Him.