Friday: (9) O you who believe...

The connection to the preceding verses is that those who became Jews flee from death because of the pleasures and delights of this world. Similarly, those who believed used to trade and buy for the pleasures and delights of this world. Therefore, Allah the Exalted admonished them by saying: {So hasten to the remembrance of Allah} (Al-Jumu'ah: 9), meaning hasten to what benefits you in the Hereafter, which is attending the Friday prayer. This is because the world and its pleasures are fleeting, while the Hereafter and what is in it are everlasting, as Allah the Exalted says: {And the Hereafter is better and more enduring} (Al-A'la: 17).

Another connection is mentioned by some scholars: Allah invalidated three claims of the Jews.

1. They boasted of being the friends and beloved ones of Allah, so He refuted them by saying: {Then wish for death, if you should be truthful} (Al-Jumu'ah: 6).
2. They boasted of being the People of the Book, while the Arabs had no Book, so He likened them to a donkey carrying books.
3. They boasted about the Sabbath, which Muslims do not have, so Allah legislated the Friday prayer for them.

And His saying, {when the call is made} (Al-Jumu'ah: 9), means the call when the Imam sits on the pulpit on Friday, according to Muqatil. This is because during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), there was no call (Adhan) except when he sat on the pulpit, Bilal would call at the mosque door, and similarly during the time of Abu Bakr and Umar.

His saying, {for the prayer} (Al-Jumu'ah: 9), means for the time of the prayer, indicated by {of the Day of Jumu'ah}. The prayer does not belong to the day itself, but its time belongs to the day. Al-Layth said: Friday is a day specially designated for the gathering of people on that day. Its plurals are al-Jumu'at and al-Jumu' (plural of Jumu'ah). Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: (It was named Jumu'ah because Adam’s creation was gathered on it). Another opinion is that it is because Allah completed the creation of things on it, and the created beings gathered on it.

Al-Farra’ said there are three pronunciations for the word: Takhfif (lightening the consonant), which is the reading of Al-A'mash; Tathqil (doubling the consonant), which is the reading of the general public; and a dialect used by Banu 'Uqayl.

His saying, {So hasten to the remembrance of Allah} (Al-Jumu'ah: 9):

• {Hasten} (Fas'aw) means proceed or walk. On this basis, Sa'y (hastening) means walking, not running. Al-Farra’ said that proceeding (Mudu), hastening (Sa'y), and going (Dhahab) have the same meaning.
• Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) heard a man reciting: {Fas'aw} (hasten/run). He asked, "Who taught you this reading?" The man replied, "My father." Umar said, "He will keep reading the abrogated text. If it were Fas'aw (run), I would have run until my cloak fell off!"
• Another opinion is that Sa'y here means intention rather than running. Sa'y is exertion in every action, as in His saying: {So when he reached the age of striving} (referring to Ishmael's striving with his father).
• Al-Hasan said: "By Allah, it is not hastening with the feet, but hastening with the hearts, hastening with intention, hastening with desire, and the like."
• Sa'y here means action, according to a group, which is the view of Malik and Al-Shafi'i, because Sa'y in the Book of Allah means action, as He says: {And when he turns away, he strives throughout the earth} (Al-Baqarah: 205) and {And that your striving is indeed varied} (Al-Layl: 4), meaning action.
• It is narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him): (When you come to the prayer, do not come to it while hastening, but come to it with tranquility.) The jurists agreed that (whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Jumu'ah, he came with composure.)

{to the remembrance of Allah} (Al-Jumu'ah: 9):

• The remembrance (Dhikr) is the sermon (Khutbah) according to most exegetes.
• Another opinion is that it is the prayer.
• The rulings related to this verse are known from the books of Fiqh.

His saying, {and leave trade} (Al-Jumu'ah: 9):

• Al-Hasan said: When the caller calls on Friday, buying and selling become unlawful.
• Ata said: When the sun passes its zenith, buying and selling become forbidden.
• Al-Farra’ said: Buying and selling are only forbidden when the call for prayer is made, due to the gathering and to attain all the rewards.

His saying, {That is better for you} (Al-Jumu'ah: 9): Meaning in the Hereafter, {if you only knew} what is better and more beneficial for you.

His saying, {And when the prayer has been concluded} (Al-Jumu'ah: 10): Meaning when you have performed the obligatory Friday prayer, {then spread throughout the land} (Al-Jumu'ah: 10). This is a command form implying permission, because the obligation of performing the prayer is lifted, so the permission to disperse returns, allowing them to scatter across the land and seek the bounty of Allah, which is provision. This is similar to His saying: {There is no blame upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord} (Al-Baqarah: 198).

Ibn Abbas said: When you finish the prayer, if you wish, leave; if you wish, stay until Asr; if you wish, remain seated. Similarly, {and seek the bounty of Allah} is a command form implying permission as well, to seek provision through trade after the prohibition imposed by {and leave trade}.

According to Muqatil: Seeking provision was permitted for them after the prayer, so whoever wished left, and whoever wished did not leave. Mujahid said: If he wishes, he does it; if he wishes, he does not. Al-Dahhak said it is permission from Allah the Exalted: when finished, if he wishes he leaves, and if he wishes he stays.

The best way to seek the bounty of Allah is to seek provision, or a righteous child, or beneficial knowledge, and other good matters. The apparent meaning is the first one (seeking provision).

It is narrated from 'Urak ibn Malik that when he prayed Jumu'ah, he would leave and stand at the door of the mosque and say: "O Allah, I have answered Your call, I have prayed Your obligatory duty, and I have dispersed as You commanded me, so grant me provision from Your bounty, for You are the best of providers."

His saying, {and remember Allah often} (Al-Jumu'ah: 10):

• Muqatil said: With the tongue.
• Sa'id ibn Jubayr said: Through obedience.
• Mujahid said: One is not among those who remember often until he remembers Him standing, sitting, and lying down. The meaning is: when you return to trade and buying and selling again, remember Allah often, as Allah says: {Men whom neither trade nor sale diverts from the remembrance of Allah} (An-Nur: 37).

Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him): (When you come to the marketplace, say: 'La ilaha illa Allah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu yuhyi wa yumit, wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir' (There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner, His is the dominion and His is the praise, He gives life and causes death, and He is over all things competent). Whoever says this, Allah will write for him a million million good deeds, erase a million million sins from him, and raise him a million million degrees.)

His saying, {that you may be successful} (Al-Jumu'ah: 10), is part of what has been mentioned repeatedly.

There are several discussions regarding this verse:

We say: Al-Qaffal said: It is because Allah the Mighty and Majestic created creation, bringing them from non-existence into existence, and made among them inanimate things, growing things, and animals. Those other than inanimate things were of different types: beasts, angels, jinn, and humans. They also had different dwelling places, the high and the low. The noblest of the lower world were humans due to their marvelous composition, and the honor Allah bestowed upon them with speech, and the intellects and dispositions He instilled in them, which are the ultimate means for fulfilling religious obligations. Since the magnitude of this favor and the greatness of the gift bestowed upon them were not hidden, they were commanded to be thankful for this honor on one of the seven days in which creation was initiated and completed, so that their gathering on that day would be a reminder of the great favor Allah bestowed upon them. Since their status is such, they have never been without a grace from Allah since their beginning, and Allah's favor is established upon them even before they deserve it.

Every religious community among the known religions has a day that is honored: for the Jews, it is Saturday; for the Christians, it is Sunday; and for the Muslims, it is Friday. It is narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that he said: (This day of Jumu'ah is the day they differed about, and Allah guided us to it. For the Jews, it is tomorrow, and for the Christians, it is the day after tomorrow.) Since the Day of Jumu'ah was made a day of thanks, expression of joy, and glorification of favor, gathering was necessary for it to become well-known, so congregations were gathered for it, like the annual Eid gatherings. The sermon was needed as a reminder of the favor and an encouragement to sustain it by performing acts that bring about the rewards of gratitude. Since the core of glorification is prayer, the prayer for this day was set in the middle of the day so that the gathering would be complete, and this prayer was only permitted in one mosque to encourage gathering, and Allah knows best.

We say: What is meant by the remembrance of Allah is the sermon and the prayer, because each one of them includes the remembrance of Allah. As for what is other than that, such as mentioning tyrants, praising them, and supplicating for them, that is the remembrance of Satan.

We say: Because trade is one of the most important means by which a person occupies himself during the day for livelihood. It also indicates leaving commerce. Furthermore, buying and selling usually occur in the marketplaces, and heedlessness is most common among market-goers. Thus, {and leave trade} is a warning to the heedless. Trade is prioritized for mention, but it is not forbidden in itself, but rather because of the distraction it causes from what is obligatory—it is like praying on usurped land.

We say: The first one is among those things that cannot be combined with trade at all, as it refers to the sermon and the prayer, as mentioned before. The second one is among those things that can be combined, as in His saying: {Men whom neither trade nor sale diverts from the remembrance of Allah} (An-Nur: 37).

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