(62:9). Any other prayer may be said singly under special circumstances, but not so the Friday service which is essentially a congregational service. For the holding of the Friday service, later jurists have laid down certain conditions which are not met with either in the Holy Qur’ān or in Ḥadīth. The call to prayer, which is mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān, may be made from any mosque whether it be situated in a village or a town or in a certain quarter of a town, or it may even be given, when necessary, from a place where there is no mosque. Bukhārī has a special chapter devoted to this subject headed “Friday service in villages and towns”, and he cites the case of Ruzaiq who was manager of a farm and whom Ibn Shahāb enjoined to hold the Friday service on his land (Bu. 11 :11). It is, however, true that the practice has been for all Muslims, who can do so, to gather together at a central mosque, because the underlying idea is, undoubtedly, to enable the Muslims to meet together once a week in as large a number as possible.

Preparations for the Friday service

The importance of the occasion and the greater number of the persons assembled have made it necessary to issue further instructions regarding cleanliness in preparation for the Friday service. For example, it is recommended that a bath be taken before attending (Bu. 11:2); that scent be used (Bu. 11:3), and the best clothes available be worn (Bu. 11:7); also that the mouth be well-cleaned with a tooth-brush (Bu. 11:8). These instructions are intended to foster habits of cleanliness and to make the great concourse of people in Divine service on Friday as little offensive as possible.

The Sermon

A special feature of the Friday service is the sermon (khuṭbah)50 by the Imām, before the prayer Service is held. After the people have assembled in the mosque, the mu’adhdhin makes a call for prayer while the Imām is sitting. When the adhān is finished, the Imām stands up facing the audience and delivers the khuṭbah. He begins with the kalimah shahādah,51 or words speaking of the praise and glory of God, and then goes on to recite a Qur’ānic text52 which he expounds