Friday prayer

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Men praying jumu'ah at the Jama Masjid in Delhi

Friday prayer (Arabic: جمعة ) (also known as the Jumu'ah) is a congregational prayer (salat) that Muslims hold every Friday, just after noon. It replaces the dhuhr prayer performed on other days of the week.

It is an obligation for men (and is recommended for women) to perform Jumu'ah in congregation (jama'ah) at a mosque. Women also have the option of performing the dhuhr prayer instead, either privately or in a mosque. Anyone who is unable to join a congregation for jumu'ah is required to make up the prayer with a regular dhuhr prayer.

Among what is considered an acceptable reason for missing jumu'ah is for the person to be sick in a way that going to the mosque is either a serious hardship on him or potentially harmful to other people (e.g. having a contagious illness).

The jumu'ah prayer is shorter than the dhuhr prayer (consisting of two raka'ah instead of four) to allow for the weaker seniors and juniors to participate, and it is preceded by a sermon (khutba) delivered in two parts by a speaker (khatib). The sermon, which is a technical replacement of the two reduced raka'ahs of the ordinary dhuhr prayer, is followed by a communal prayer, led by the (imam). In most cases the khatib also serves as the imam.

The sermons often have a strong practical slant, trying to integrate and apply Islamic beliefs and historical teachings into contemporary daily life. In many Islamic societies, jumu'ah often has a significant community or even political role.

[edit] Iran

There were limited Friday prayers in Iran prior to 1979 at some collective Mosques. However, they were widely made popular just before the Islamic Revolution as a part of Islamic demonstrations against Pahlavi regime with the inglorious Islamic Cultural Revolution.

See the list of current Iranian Friday prayers Imams. In Islamic countries significant cultural and political issues are discussed in Friday sermons.