Ghusl before Friday Prayer

assalaamu alaikum

i just needed a clarification

Issue #20: Is Ghusl Obligatory for Friday prayer
1. Majority, all four madhhab—it is a sunnah, not fardh. A hadith by Samurah ibn Jundub says that the Prophet (S) said that it is better to make the ghusl before Friday Prayer, but doesn’t say this is a must.
2. Ibn Hazm az-Zahiri—it is a fardh, sin if you don’t. Uses as evidence the hadith from Bukhari and Muslim that it is obligatory (wajib) to make ghusl every Friday.

There is a contradiction in the two hadith.

QUESTION:
Which is the stronger opinion? And how do you explain the two contadicting hadith?

Jazakallah khair

Fi amaanillah

Originally Posted by ummfahadntalha

assalaamu alaikum

i just needed a clarification

Issue #20: Is Ghusl Obligatory for Friday prayer
1. Majority, all four madhhab—it is a sunnah, not fardh. A hadith by Samurah ibn Jundub says that the Prophet (S) said that it is better to make the ghusl before Friday Prayer, but doesn’t say this is a must.
2. Ibn Hazm az-Zahiri—it is a fardh, sin if you don’t. Uses as evidence the hadith from Bukhari and Muslim that it is obligatory (wajib) to make ghusl every Friday.

There is a contradiction in the two hadith.

QUESTION:
Which is the stronger opinion? And how do you explain the two contadicting hadith?

Jazakallah khair

Fi amaanillah

Don't know if this is an old thread or new one, just refreshing it. I've to do an assignment on this issue. Any help would be appreciated ,or resources from where i can search myself.

jazakum Allah Kahir.

[AkheeAB]

(3) Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: The Prophet said, "Ghusl (taking a bath) on friday is compulsory for every Muslim reaching the age of puberty." (Book #12, Hadith #817)

[Massoud]

Assalamu Alaikum.

The Hadith which commands Ghusl as an obligation is abrogated.

Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips said:

In the early days of Islaam, taking a ghusl for the Friday congregational prayers was compulsory. Sa'eed al-Khudree quoted Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) as saying, "Taking a ghusl on Friday is compulsory for everyone who has reached puberty." (Sahih Muslim vol. 2, pp.163-4 no. 1838)

‘Aa'ishah related that people would come to Friday prayer from their houses in neighbouring villages dressed in dusty wollen garments which emitted bad odours. One of them came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) while he was in ‘Aa'ishah's home and the Messenger of Allaah said to him, "It would be good if you cleaned yourself on this day." Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) strongly recommended that Muslims who attend the Friday congregational prayer take a complete Islaamic bath (ghusl). However, the obligation was later reduced to a strong recommendation. Samurah quoted Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) as saying, "Whoever makes wudoo on Friday, it is good [for him], but if ghusl is taken, it is better." (Sunan Abu Dawud vol.1, p. 93, no. 354 and authenticated in Saheeh Sunan Abee Dawood, vol.1, p.72, no. 341).

[Abdul Razzaq]

I remember YQ at the first ilmsummit (as we were going through the summerized Sahih Bukhari) the word wajib when Rusullah (saw) said in the hadith that it is wajib to take a bath on friday is different then when a fuqaha uses the word wajib. Rusullah use of the word wajib (and the meaning of the word wajib at the time of Rusuallah) meant highly recommended. a fuqaha would use wajib as meaning obligatory.

In Sahih Bukhari (which is Imam Bukhari's book of fiqh) you will notice right after that hadith there is a hadith about making your children and women take a bath at least once a week. So in the Sahih, Imam Bukhari is actually saying taking a bath on friday is sunnah and taking a bath at least once a week is wajib.

wa Allaah alaam.

[Abd- Allah]

Originally Posted by Abdul Razzaq

I remember YQ at the first ilmsummit (as we were going through the summerized Sahih Bukhari) the word wajib when Rusullah (saw) said in the hadith that it is wajib to take a bath on friday is different then when a fuqaha uses the word wajib. Rusullah use of the word wajib (and the meaning of the word wajib at the time of Rusuallah) meant highly recommended. a fuqaha would use wajib as meaning obligatory.

In Sahih Bukhari (which is Imam Bukhari's book of fiqh) you will notice right after that hadith there is a hadith about making your children and women take a bath at least once a week. So in the Sahih, Imam Bukhari is actually saying taking a bath on friday is sunnah and taking a bath at least once a week is wajib.

wa Allaah alaam.

Assalam Alaikum

Just one question, what is the proof for that statement?

"Rusullah use of the word wajib (and the meaning of the word wajib at the time of Rusuallah) meant highly recommended."

[Abdul Razzaq]

Originally Posted by Abd- Allah

Assalam Alaikum

Just one question, what is the proof for that statement?

"Rusullah use of the word wajib (and the meaning of the word wajib at the time of Rusuallah) meant highly recommended."

I'm not sure. I looked in my quranic dictionaries and lanes lexicon but couldn't find wajib nor am I an arab speaker. Maybe the answer lies somewhere in the difference of fard and wajib with the hanafi fuqaha where fard is a higher degree of obligatory then wajib.

[Massoud]

Assalamu Alaikum.

I know this is a little late to mention, but Insha-Allah the following narration will help to explain and clear matters up regarding this topic:

Ikramah reported that a group of people came to Ibn Abbas from Al-Iraq. They said: "Oh Ibn Abbas, do you think that Ghusl on Friday is obligatory?" He replied: "No, but it is purer and better for the one who performs Ghusl. And whoever does not perform Ghusl, then it is not obligatory for him. And I will inform you how (this) Ghusl started. People used to work hard; they would wear wool garments, and would work with their backs (meaning, manual labour). And their Masjid was small, with a low roof, made out of palm-leaves. One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out on a hot day, and people were sweating in their wool garments, until the stench from them harmed (disturbed and distracted) others. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) smelled this odour, he said: 'Oh people! When this day arrives, then perform Ghusl, and let everyone of you apply the best oil and fragrance that he has.'" Then Ibn Abbas said: "After this, Allah, Exalted is His rememberance, blessed (the Muslims) with much good, and so they wore other than wool, and did not have to work (themselves), and their Masjid was expanded. So the matter which used to trouble them, of (the stench) from their sweat, was removed."

[Sunan Abu Dawud (Darussalam Publishers, translated by Yasir Qadhi, edited by Abu Khaliyl), vol. 1, p. 265, Book 1: The Book of Purification, Chapter 128: The permissibility of not performing Ghusl on Friday, Hadith #353. Classed as Hasan by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair Za'i]

Hence, this comprehensive narration explains to us the reason of why the order of performing Ghusl on Friday was done. In addition, Ibn Abbas explains to us the reason why Ghusl is not obligatory despite the reason that he was aware of the narrations ordering it. Therefore, we can see that Ghusl is not obligatory on Friday, despite the fact that it is still recommended.

And Allah knows best.

Wassalamu Alaikum.

[Abd- Allah]

Originally Posted by Massoud

Assalamu Alaikum.

I know this is a little late to mention, but Insha-Allah the following narration will help to explain and clear matters up regarding this topic:

Ikramah reported that a group of people came to Ibn Abbas from Al-Iraq. They said: "Oh Ibn Abbas, do you think that Ghusl on Friday is obligatory?" He replied: "No, but it is purer and better for the one who performs Ghusl. And whoever does not perform Ghusl, then it is not obligatory for him. And I will inform you how (this) Ghusl started. People used to work hard; they would wear wool garments, and would work with their backs (meaning, manual labour). And their Masjid was small, with a low roof, made out of palm-leaves. One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out on a hot day, and people were sweating in their wool garments, until the stench from them harmed (disturbed and distracted) others. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) smelled this odour, he said: 'Oh people! When this day arrives, then perform Ghusl, and let everyone of you apply the best oil and fragrance that he has.'" Then Ibn Abbas said: "After this, Allah, Exalted is His rememberance, blessed (the Muslims) with much good, and so they wore other than wool, and did not have to work (themselves), and their Masjid was expanded. So the matter which used to trouble them, of (the stench) from their sweat, was removed."

[Sunan Abu Dawud (Darussalam Publishers, translated by Yasir Qadhi, edited by Abu Khaliyl), vol. 1, p. 265, Book 1: The Book of Purification, Chapter 128: The permissibility of not performing Ghusl on Friday, Hadith #353. Classed as Hasan by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair Za'i]

Hence, this comprehensive narration explains to us the reason of why the order of performing Ghusl on Friday was done. In addition, Ibn Abbas explains to us the reason why Ghusl is not obligatory despite the reason that he was aware of the narrations ordering it. Therefore, we can see that Ghusl is not obligatory on Friday, despite the fact that it is still recommended.

And Allah knows best.

Wassalamu Alaikum.

Assalam Alaikum

What about the hadith related in Sahih Muslim that Umar radiyallahu anhu was once delivering the Friday khutbah when Uthman radiyallahu anhu came in, so Umar said what is up with men coming late after the call (of adhan) ?! So Uthman said O' Amir Al-Mu'mineen, after I heard the call (of adhan) I did nothing more than perform wudu' and then come (here). So Umar said and wudu' as well! Didn't you (all) hear what the Prophet peace and blessings upon him said that if any one of you comes to Jumuah, let him take a bath."

From this hadith it shows that Umar radiyallahu anhu was of the view that taking a bath for Jumuah was an obligation, and since in the above narration none of the other companions disagreed with him nor corrected him that taking a bath is not an obligation, and Umar was on the minbar delivering the sermon, so many companions were present there and would have said something if what he stated was not correct. This incident happened during the khilafah of Umar, and so it was after the death of the Prophet peace and blessings upon him.

The Hadith which commands Ghusl as an obligation is abrogated.

Brother, what is the proof that the obligation of ghusl was abrogated?

[Massoud]

Assalamu Alaikum . . .

Actually brother, the opinion that you have derived from the narration of Umar bin Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) is weak . . .

Jamal Az-Zarabozo commented on this Hadith:

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

And he commented in the second footnote of the same page:

"Actually, all this incident proves is that Ghusl is not one of the prerequisites for the Friday prayer . . . It could have been the case that a more important obligation (attending the Khutbah) took precedence over a lesser obligation (making Ghusl) . . ."

[The Fiqh of the Friday Prayer (1), p. 59]

The proof that the obligation of Ghusl has been abrogated has been provided in the Hadith in the Hadith in the first post that I gave, where Ibn Abbas gave the origin of why Ghusl was sanctioned and that it its absent today:

"And I will inform you how (this) Ghusl started. People used to work hard; they would wear wool garments, and would work with their backs (meaning, manual labour). And their Masjid was small, with a low roof, made out of palm-leaves. One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out on a hot day, and people were sweating in their wool garments, until the stench from them harmed (disturbed and distracted) others. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) smelled this odour, he said: 'Oh people! When this day arrives, then perform Ghusl, and let everyone of you apply the best oil and fragrance that he has."

[Sunan Abu Dawud (Darussalam Publishers, translated by Yasir Qadhi, edited by Abu Khaliyl), vol. 1, p. 265, Book 1: The Book of Purification, Chapter 128: The permissibility of not performing Ghusl on Friday, Hadith #353. Classed as Hasan by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair Za'i]

That is why Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips said:

"However, the obligation was later reduced to a strong recommendation . . ."

And due to these narrations, "the vast majority of scholars have concluded that Ghusl is not obligatory on Fridays but is a stressed, recommended act."

[The Fiqh of the Friday Prayer (1), p. 61]

And another problem is the lack of understanding of that Hadith that states that "Ghusl is obligation on every Muslim on Friday . . ." This is due to the lack of knowledge of the Arabic language, as Jamal Az-Zarabozo said:

"The word Wajib here may be understood by some people to mean 'obligatory.' Actually, to be exact, that is the meaning of the word that was given to it by later jurists. In the Arabic language of the Prophet (peace be upon him), it does not necessarily mean obligatory as such but may mean an action which is stressed and is close to mandatory. It is similar to another expression in Arabic, 'Your right is a must (Wajib) upon me,' but this does not mean that it is absolutely incumbent and there is no alternative available to the person. It merely means that it is the proper and best behaviour that one should have."

[The Fiqh of the Friday Prayer (1), p. 61]

And Allah knows best.