Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear moulana

just i want to ask you moulana my duty time is morning 6 o clock, some time  i will not take bath, but iam sure im clean, and i can pray. on Friday some time i will wake up late, and i will run to duty. just i want to ask you that i can pray on Friday with out taking bath?

if im clean means i can pray are not? please replay me as soon as possible, because im totally confuse. thanks...

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Ghusl on Fridays

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: ….just i want to ask you that i can pray on Friday with out taking bath?

Abu Saeed reported that the Prophet said: "’Ghusl’ (full bath) on Friday is ‘wajib’ (obligatory) on every adult, as is using a ‘siwak’ (toothbrush), and applying some perfume."

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

In light of the above guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), performing the ‘ghusl’ before one offers their Friday Jumua prayers is considered ‘wajib’ or obligatory in Islam.

The issue is whether the Friday Jumua prayer of one who has not performed the ‘ghusl’ for some reason is valid or invalid….

Abdullah Ibn Umar ibn Khattab (r.a.) reported from his father that one day Hadrat Umar ibn al-Khattab (r.a.) was standing and delivering the Friday sermon, when Hadrat Uthman (r.a.) entered. Hadrat Umar (r.a.) asked him, "What time is it now?" He (Hadrat Uthmaan (r.a.)) said, "I was busy and could not return home when I heard the call to prayer; I did not make more than the regular ablution." Hadrat Umar (r.a.) said, "And the ablution only, when you know that the Messenger of Allah (saws) ordered us to perform ‘ghusl’?" Commenting on the incident, says Imam Shafei reports "Hadrat Uthman (r.a.) did not leave the prayer to perform the ‘ghusl’, nor did Hadrat Umar (r.a.) order him to do so. This illustrates that the companions knew that this order (performing the ‘ghusl’ on Fridays) was one of choice. It also shows that it is preferred."

The absolute majority of the scholars and jurists in Islam consider the term ‘wajib’ in the above quoted statement as an extremely preferred Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) rather than obligatory….and they are almost unanimous in their opinion that if for some genuine reason one was unable to perform the ‘ghusl’ before the Friday prayer, provided one is free from major ceremonial impurity, their Friday prayer would be valid. But to make it a habit of not performing the ‘ghusl’ on Fridays would indeed be against the preferred Sunnah and Guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws). And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan