Is it permissible to perform the Friday prayer in the early part of the day (before the established time)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Friday Prayer
Primary text
The correct ruling is that performing it in the early part of the day is not permissible, as stated by the majority of scholars. This is because establishing a specific time requires textual evidence or its equivalent, and there is no established report from the Prophet or the Rightly Guided Caliphs that they prayed it at the very beginning of the day. The established evidence suggests its time is the time of Dhuhr, and the allowance for precedence is restricted to the Sixth Hour (the beginning of the Dhuhr time window), not before that.
Supporting text
If it were prayed in the early part of the day, the majority of intended attendees would miss it, as the custom is for them to gather around the time of Zawal. Only a few individuals would arrive early. Ibn Mas'ud remarked upon arriving late that only four others preceded him, stating, 'The fourth of four is not far off,' implying a small number had arrived early.