Monday, June 1, 2009

Jumah - Congregational Prayer

I wondered about this a long time ago and I wanted to ask about it today.

Jumah, from what I understand, is known as the Arabic word for "Friday" but is also the word for "congregational". I was wondering about the time of the prophet Muhammad and if they used the same weekly style calendar as we use now, with the seven days of the week, one of these days being Friday. Did they also have congregational prayer every 7 days, on the day we now know as Friday? Or was it just a day that they named Jumah because of the fact that it was the day they prayed congregationally on? Makes me wonder if there is really any important reason for this prayer to fall on our "Friday" instead of any other day of the week. I feel like Jumah Prayer is a congregational prayer to be held at regular intervals, for example ever 7 days, but I don't see any reason why it needs to be on the day we call "Friday". Wouldn't it be easier to hold it on Saturdays, in a Western country? Would it not still hold the title of Jumah Prayer because it is a congregational prayer that is held at regular intervals (ie every Saturday)?

I need to learn more about the calendar at the time of the prophet Muhammad though because I obviously know little. I know they counted months and years with the moon*, but as far as weeks go, I've never heard about it.

*I put this just because I know some people (some Qur'an only believers), believe that it was a lunisolar calendar that was used. It is an interesting topic that I read, where they gave their reasons for that conclusion, a big part of it being that they believed that Ramadan is the name of the month, but that it is called "Ramadan" for a reason. They say it means scorching heat and that if it was a lunar calendar used, it would be in different times of the solar year, being in every season, the scorching hot and the cold times of the year. They believe Ramadan is at the hottest time of year, every year. I know it is not what most Muslims believe though!

4 Comentários:

cairo, lusaka, amsterdam said...

From what I know Friday was chosen as the special prayer day in Islam so as not to clash with Saturday, which was the day of prayer for Jews - another example of Islam trying to coexist peacefully with Judaism and Christianity. There were Friday prayers like there are today, and I think the Prophet usually led them in the first mosque in Madinah.

Candice said...

Thanks for that! I never thought of other religions and their "holy days".

Anisah said...

NeverEver said...

I have heard, though I am not completely sure with evidence and stuff because I was just talking with a friend and didn't really ask for evidence, that Friday is a holy day. I heard that Friday was the day that Adam was created and the day of judgment will be on a Friday. (I'm sure that if this is true, there will be ahadith about it)

Plus I think that if Friday was the day that the Prophet Muhammad prayed in congregation, then we should too whether or not it is inconvenient with our cultural schedule. (this is most convincing to me)

Note: this comes from someone who has not converted yet from a conversation with a friend who provided no proof, so I'm not really sure how helpful it is, but maybe it will give a place to start to look for proof... maybe :-P

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