Title: A Time on Friday Question: I came across the following hadith in several books. "Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There is a time on Friday at which no Muslim servant would pray and would ask Allah for a thing (that is good) but He would give it to him. Qutaiba pointed with the help of his hand that it (the time) is short." What is the time that on Friday when our prayers will be granted?. Why Muslims are not paying much attention to this hadith to get the reward? Answer: Following is the translation of the narrative according to the Sahih of Bukhari: Narrated by Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of God [pbuh] talked about Friday and said: "There is an hour on the day during which if a Muslim asks something from God while standing in prayer, his request would surely be granted." He (i.e. the Prophet [pbuh]) indicated to the shortness of the time with the help of his hands. [Bukhari: 893] This and many other versions of the narrative do not identify the opportune time. However, in some versions appearing in less authentic sources the Prophet [pbuh] is reported to have told that this time starts from the beginning of the congregational prayer and lasts till its end. According to another source the time spans from after Asr to the end of the day. The fact that such reports are not very authentic and that they lead to different conclusions leaves a student in conjecture on the issue. This is why Allamah Ibn-E-Hajr Al-Asqalaani, in his commentary on Sahih of Bukhari, could enumerate more than forty different views in this regard. We believe that the time spans from the beginning of the congregational prayer to its end as guided by the Holy Prophet [pbuh] in another version of the narrative. The following points lead us to the conclusion. First, the Holy Prophet [pbuh] himself has suggested this. Second, the Holy Prophet [pbuh] has explicitly mentioned that this time is while the believer is standing in prayer. Now, there is no denying the fact that the excellence of Friday lies in the congregational prayer and Muslims assembly for the remembrance of God. We know that the Holy Qur'an commands the believers to attend the Mosque and join the congregation and requires us to abandon other worldly activities. It allows them to disperse and join their business after the congregation is over. Therefore the basic thing that elevates this day above others is nothing else than the Friday congregational prayer. All these facts have us believe that the times should lie between the beginning and the end of the Friday congregation. I would like you to appreciate that such narratives should not lead one to believe that they may leave fundamental religious obligations towards God and His creatures and attend the Friday prayer hoping that it will do away with their sins. They should not expect tons of reward to clear themselves of the sins perpetuated between any two congregations. The promise of reward only pertains to the ones who live their life according to the dictates of the Shari'ah (i.e. Islamic law) and are basically pious people. The Prophet [pbuh] has exhorted the believer to turn to God with hope and remember His favours, seek His forgiveness and attain His closeness on this day. Another important thing is that the Almighty only listens to the prayers of His slaves when they do not contradict the wisdom of the Almighty and the scheme of the test the man is put through. Sometimes God's wisdom and His plans regarding our test and trial in this world do not allow our prayers to be accepted and granted instantly. Therefore granting requests made by worshippers even at the time alluded to in the narrative is not guaranteed. As for the Muslim's attitude towards the Friday congregation is concerned we understand that the whole Ummah takes the matter very seriously. They fulfill what they are obliged and worship the Lord diligently. Their obligation does not go beyond that limit. The basic requirements are delineated in the Qur'an and the Sunnah and not the individual reports which cannot add to the basic religious corpus. We believe that the report only creates in believers a yearning to turn to the Merciful God. And we know that people have not abandoned attending Friday prayer even after their rulers have given up their responsibility long ago in this regard. We see that even those of the Muslims who do not offer regular prayer rush to join the Friday congregation. They fully prepare themselves for meeting their Lord in the assembly and never give up the attitude the Prophet [pbuh] cultured within the collectivity. Though, in contrast to this vast number of people, there are many others who do not care much about the Friday prayer just as they are careless with the daily obligatory prayers and all other religious obligations. Their carelessness and daring attitude should not be ascribed to the whole Ummah . Regards, Tariq Mahmood Hashmi June 10, 2004