Make Friday a holy day for rest and relaxation
We live in a world where our gadgets are on 24/7. Does that mean we must be on all the time too? It seems like that, no wonder we are always tired. It’s like we’re on a treadmill that never stops. There is time poverty, which is seen as a badge of achievement, a sign of being busy and high ranked. We find the idea of resting strange and resist it as it is a sign of laziness. Is this the right attitude towards life? In return for our efforts and for being on 24/7, the world offers money, so we can live leisurely.
On the other hand, Islam gives us Friday, a day of rest. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “People should stop their trading on Friday or else their hearts will be sealed, they will be forgetful people.” He (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever misses three Fridays consecutively isn’t one of us” (Muslim).
Friday is an antidote to our obsession with work and refusal to rest. It challenges the prevalent materialistic world view that you must be continuously engaged in economic activities. Stopping work and resting shows trust in Allah, the Provider, Al-Razzaq.
The question is do we set aside a regular time in our weekly schedule for rest? Probably not. This workaholic attitude and refusal to rest causes health problems and relationship breakdown.
The positive impact of Jummah on our health
The human body operates in a rhythmic manner. This is known as the circadian rhythm, the blood pressure, the heartbeat, the bowel movements follow in a pattern of going up and down throughout the day. This is how Allah has created us, by riding roughshod over bodily patterns we ruin our health. Resting is key to healthy living and our mental well-being.
The family and friend’s connection
Unfortunately, we disregard the significance of relationships with our family, friends and relatives, we regard them as an optional extra in our lives. Yet relationships are the foundation of human happiness and their neglect is the cause of misery. The gadgets are replacing relatives and friends. What a poor substitute!
What can we do on Friday?
Free yourselves from your workaholic mindset, abandon the idea that we must be busy. We can invite relatives and friends for a meal or visit the sick, visit relatives, go for a leisurely walk and enjoy the countryside.
Some virtues of Friday Prayer
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “anyone who takes a bath on Friday, wears his best clothes and puts on perfume, then comes to the prayer early. Sits and listens to the Imam when he is preaching, this is atonement for his sins from Friday to Friday” (Muslim).
He (peace be upon him) said: “on this day send blessings on me, they are presented to me” someone asked, ‘how are our blessings conveyed to you when you are dead?’ He replied, ‘Allah has forbidden the Earth to destroy the bodies of prophets.”
Walk to the Masjid
Aus’ ibn Aus narrated the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “whoever comes early to the Friday prayer walking, not mounted will be rewarded for every step taken, when he sits near the imam and listens without fidgeting he gets the reward of a fasting person” (Abu Dawud).
Abu Huraira narrated the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “on Friday the Angels come and stand at the door of the masjid and register the first person who arrives in the mosque awarding him the reward of sacrificing a camel, the second worshiper is awarded the reward of a cow, the third is awarded a lamb, the fourth is awarded the reward of offering a hen, and the fifth rewarded for donating an egg. When the Imam begins his sermon, they close the register and listen to the sermon” (Bukhari).
The hour of accepted prayer
Abu Huraira narrates the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “there is an hour on Friday when Allah answers the prayer” (Bukhari).
Abi Burda reported the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “the special hour on Friday is the time when the Imams sits on the pulpit until the prayer is over” (Muslim).
In another hadith, Anas Ibn Malik reported the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “search for the special hour on Friday from Asr till sunset, during this hour prayers are accepted” (Tirmidhi).
