English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 62: Al-Jumuah — The Congregation (Revealed at Madinah: 2 sections, 11 verses)
Section 2 (Verses 62:9–62:11): Friday Prayer
Translation:
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اِذَا نُوۡدِیَ لِلصَّلٰوۃِ مِنۡ یَّوۡمِ الۡجُمُعَۃِ فَاسۡعَوۡا اِلٰی ذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ وَ ذَرُوا الۡبَیۡعَ ؕ ذٰلِکُمۡ خَیۡرٌ لَّکُمۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۹﴾
62:9 O you who believe, when the call is sounded for prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off business. That is better for you, if you know.1
فَاِذَا قُضِیَتِ الصَّلٰوۃُ فَانۡتَشِرُوۡا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ وَ ابۡتَغُوۡا مِنۡ فَضۡلِ اللّٰہِ وَ اذۡکُرُوا اللّٰہَ کَثِیۡرًا لَّعَلَّکُمۡ تُفۡلِحُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰﴾
62:10 But when the prayer is ended, disperse in the land and seek of Allah’s grace, and remember Allah much, that you may be successful.
وَ اِذَا رَاَوۡا تِجَارَۃً اَوۡ لَہۡوَۨا انۡفَضُّوۡۤا اِلَیۡہَا وَ تَرَکُوۡکَ قَآئِمًا ؕ قُلۡ مَا عِنۡدَ اللّٰہِ خَیۡرٌ مِّنَ اللَّہۡوِ وَ مِنَ التِّجَارَۃِ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ خَیۡرُ الرّٰزِقِیۡنَ ﴿٪۱۱﴾
62:11 And when they see trading or entertainment (taking place), they break away to it, and leave you standing.2 Say: What is with Allah is better than entertainment and trading. And Allah is the Best of providers.
Commentary:
- The Friday service, just after noon, is preceded by a sermon. Verses 9–10 show that ordinary business may be carried on by a Muslim on Friday before or after the Friday prayer. Hence, unlike the Jewish and the Christian Sabbaths, it is not necessarily a day of rest. But attendance at these prayers is obligatory, and as soon as the call to prayer is sounded, every Muslim is bound to leave business of every kind and immediately hasten to the mosque. Every nation has a Sabbath, or a so-called day of Divine service set apart from the ordinary weekdays, but in practice, the whole day is never given to prayer. In fact, a Muslim, who is allowed to do his ordinary work on Friday, gives more time to his prayers than the majority of those who recognize a seventh day as their Sabbath. The idea underlying the Sabbath is, no doubt, a temporary cessation of material activities, to give place to spiritual exercise. Islam, on the other hand, requires communion with the Divine Being to be observed throughout the entire week, five times daily. ↩
- Those spoken of here are apparently the hypocrites. The fact that the next chapter deals with the hypocrites corroborates this. ↩