Ghusl before Friday Prayer

[m zahra]

Finally the wajib issue is cleared up! I now understand, thanks a lot brother Massoud!

[Abd- Allah]

My dear brother Massoud, you brought up several points so I will try and address some of them.

1)

"Obviously, had they considered the Ghusl an obligation, Umar probably would have ordered Uthman to return to make Ghusl."

No one said that ghusl is a prerequisite for Friday prayer or else Jumuah would be invalid. There is a difference between saying that it is obligatory versus saying that it is a shart. Umar would not have ordered Uthman to go back and make ghusl even if he did consider it to be obligatory, and that only proves that the obligation of ghusl is less than that of listening to the khutbah as Sheikh Zarabozo stated. Even the scholars who say ghusl is obligatory do not say that the Friday prayer is invalid without it. A similar example is a man who prays while his shoulders are uncovered, and even though it is obligatory for him to have his shoulders covered during prayer, but his prayer is not invalid if he does not do so.

2) The statement of Ibn Abbas radiyallahu anhuma is not proof that the obligation of ghusl was abrogated. It is only proof that the opinion of Ibn Abbas was that ghusl is not obligatory. Which of the early scholars have stated that the obligation of ghusl was abrogated?

3) Not everyone who holds the opinion that ghusl is obligatory does so because he is ignorant of the language and thinks that waajib has to mean obligatory, and even if the word waajib in the hadith does not necessarily mean obligatory, it doesn't prove that it is not an obligation either.

[Massoud]

Dear brother, I believe that both sides have provided their evidence, and at the end of the day, it is not up to us to prove this. In other words, I do not want to make this into a debate. Barakallahu Feek. But here are just some thoughts . . .

Samurah reported that the Messenger of Allah (pece be upon him) said: "Whoever performs Wudu' on Friday, then that is sufficiant and acceptable, and whoever performs Ghusl, then that is more virtuous."

[Sunan Abu Dawud (#354), Jami' At-Tirmidhi (#497); classed as Hasan by Zubair Ali Za'i. At-Tirmidhi called it Hasan as well.]

But Imam At-Tirmidhi also gives us a lot of information about this Hadith. He said:

"This is acted upon according to the people of knowledge among the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and those after them. They prefer Ghusl on Friday, and they consider Wudu' instead of Ghusl on Friday as acceptable."

Ash-Shafi' said: "Of that which proves that the order from the Prophet (peace be upon him) to perform Ghusl on Friday is an order of preference not an obligation, is the Hadith of Umar when he said to Uthman: 'And Wudu'?! While you know that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) ordered performing Ghusl.' For if it was known that the order was one of obligation not preference, then Umar would not have left Uthman alone until he had performed it, and he would have told him to return and perform Ghusl, so he would not have left Uthman alone while knowing that. Rather, this Hadith proves that Ghusl on Friday is a virtuous deed that is not obligatory."

[Jami' At-Tirmidhi, vol. 1, p. 499]

The Hadith that Imam Ash-Shafi' quoted is the following:

"Umar bin Al-Khattab was giving a Khutbah on Friday when a man from the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered. So he said, 'What time is it?' So he said: 'I do not know, I heard the call and did nothing more than perform Wudu'.' So he said: 'And Wudu' again?! I know surely that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has ordered Ghusl.'

[Al-Bukhari (#878), At-Tirmidhi (#494), and others.]

And Imam Ash-Shafi' (may Allah's mercy be upon him) has responded to this (see above).

And Allah knows best.