Friday is the best day of the week, and Jumuah is the best prayer of that day. Many virtues of the Jumuah prayer are described in the hadith. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that Friday is the best of days. The prayer is offered at the time of Zuhr on Friday.

Addressing the believers, Allah says: "O you who believe! When the call is made for prayer on the day of Jumuah, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade. That is better for you, if only you knew." (Surah Al-Jumuah)

Allah turns away from those who turn away from the Jumuah prayer and keep themselves busy with other work. The virtues of Friday are many. It was on this day that Allah completed the creation of the world, and on this day He brought Adam (AS) and Hawa (AS) together in Paradise.

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: whoever deliberately leaves three Jumuah prayers in a row without a valid excuse, Allah will put a seal on his heart. (Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah)

After that, such people become heedless and are then deprived even of the chance to reform. (Muslim)

Abdullah ibn Abbas (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: whoever abandons three Jumuah prayers in a row has thrown Islam behind his back. (Muslim)

In another hadith, however, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said that abandoning the Jumuah prayer is a major sin except for four categories of people, listed as: slaves, women, boys who have not reached maturity, travellers and the sick. (Abu Dawud)

Believing Muslims should therefore offer the Jumuah prayer with due importance and listen attentively to the Jumuah sermon. If someone truly cannot attend the prayer, they should offer the Zuhr prayer instead.

Source: Amader Shomoy. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.