The etiquettes of Friday
How to prepare for Jumu'ah from Thursday onward: ghusl, clean clothes and perfume, going early, and what to do between Asr and Maghrib.
The Prophet ﷺ used to get ready for Friday a whole day early, on Thursday. Here is how to do the same.
| Etiquette | What to do |
|---|---|
| Get ready on Thursday | Have clean clothes ready, get a haircut if you need one, trim your nails, and buy perfume if you don't have any, so Friday itself is free for worship. |
| Take a bath (ghusl) | Do ghusl on Friday morning, after Fajr. This is a confirmed sunnah. |
| Use the miswak | Clean your teeth with a miswak; this has great reward on Friday. |
| Wear clean clothes and perfume | White clothes are best. A turban is also recommended. |
| Go to the mosque early | The earlier you go, the bigger the reward. Try to sit close to the imam. |
| Walk, don't ride | Walking to the mosque for Jumu'ah is best, if you are able. |
| Perfume the mosque | This is recommended too. |
| Send lots of blessings on the Prophet ﷺ | Say durood often on Friday. |
| Read Qur'an, especially Surah al-Kahf | Reading it on Friday, before or after the prayer, has special protection attached to it. |
| Do extra good deeds | Extra nafl prayers and extra charity on Friday earn double reward. |
| Make du'a between Asr and Maghrib | There is a special time somewhere in these hours when Allah answers du'a: spend it in dhikr and du'a. |
The Prophet ﷺ prepared for Friday from the day before it, and every Muslim should do the same.
| Etiquette | Detail |
|---|---|
| Prepare on Thursday | Arrange clean clothes, get a haircut and trim the nails if needed, and buy perfume in advance if you can afford it but don't have any, so that Friday itself is left free of these tasks. |
| Ghusl after Fajr | A confirmed sunnah, with great emphasis on it in hadith; the people of Madinah regarded neglecting it very seriously. |
| Miswak | Using the miswak on this day carries great virtue. |
| Clean clothes and perfume | Sunnah, put on after ghusl; white clothing is the most beloved to Allah, and wearing a turban is recommended. |
| Go to the central mosque early | The earlier, the greater the reward: likened to sacrificing a camel, then a cow, then a goat, then a chicken, and finally only an egg, as the hour gets later. Sit close to the imam. |
| Walk rather than ride | Preferable, for the reward attached to every step. |
| Perfume the mosque | Recommended. |
| Recite durood abundantly | Throughout the day. |
| Read Qur'an extensively, especially Surah al-Kahf | Before or after the Friday prayer; there is a hadith that whoever reads it on Fridays remains protected from one Friday to the next, and three days more. |
| Increase nafl prayer and charity | Every good deed on Friday earns a doubled reward. |
| Dhikr, tasbih and du'a between Asr and Maghrib | There is hope that this window contains the hour in which any du'a is accepted. |
Every preparation connected to Friday should, where possible, be completed on Thursday, following the Prophet's ﷺ own practice, so that Friday itself is left entirely for what belongs to it.
| Etiquette | Detail |
|---|---|
| Prepare on Thursday | Clean clothes arranged, a haircut and trimmed nails if needed, and perfume bought in advance if affordable but not already owned, so nothing of this remains to be done on Friday itself. |
| Ghusl after Fajr | Sunnah mu'akkadah, heavily emphasised in hadith; the people of Madinah are reported to have regarded its omission with strong disapproval. |
| Miswak | Carries particular virtue on this day. |
| Clean clothes and perfume | Sunnah, applied after ghusl; white is the most beloved colour to Allah, and a turban is mustahabb. |
| Go to the jami' mosque early | Reward diminishes with each stage of lateness, likened to the sacrifice of a camel, then a cow, then a goat, then a chicken, and finally only an egg; sitting close to the imam is preferable. |
| Walk rather than ride | Preferable, on account of the reward attached to every step taken toward the prayer. |
| Perfume the mosque | Mustahabb. |
| Recite durood abundantly | Throughout the day. |
| Extensive Qur'an recitation, especially Surah al-Kahf | Before or after the Friday prayer; a hadith states that whoever recites it on Fridays remains protected from that Friday to the next, and for three days beyond. |
| Increase nawafil and sadaqah | Every good deed on this day is multiplied. |
| Dhikr, tasbih and du'a between Asr and Maghrib | In hope of the sa'ah of acceptance, whose precise timing is discussed in the section on the miscellaneous rulings of Jumu'ah. |
Related
- The etiquettes of Eid day The recommended acts of Eid day, from ghusl and best clothes to the takbir said on the way, and how Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha differ.
- Miscellaneous rulings of Jumu'ah Travelling on Friday, visiting graves, fasting alone on Friday, the two views on the hour of acceptance, and other rulings that don't fit elsewhere.
- The virtues of Jumu'ah Why Friday is called Jumu'ah, the hadith on its excellence, its place among the earlier nations, and why a special prayer was given to this one day.
- The emphasis on the Friday prayer, and the warning against abandoning it The Qur'an's command to hasten to Jumu'ah, the reward for attending it properly, and the hadith that warn severely against missing it.