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Islam and Spiritualism ( 18 Apr 2023, NewAgeIslam.Com)

Juma’ah and Jumu'at-ul-Widaa': Thirty Lessons of Ramadan – Part 27

By Mufti Abdul Malik Misbahi, New Age Islam

Translated into English by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam

18 April 2023

Lesson 27 On Juma’ and Jumu'atul-Widaa' (Farewell Friday of Ramadan)

Regrettably, the holy month of Ramadan is gradually coming to a conclusion with all its beauty and blessing. The holy month, during which the evil deeds of the sinners were washed away by the water of divine kindness and forgiveness, is about to come to an end. The heart of a believer was first happy when these hours arrived; it is now becoming more and more devastated by their departure. After accompanying us like a kind and generous guest for a few days, this month of mercy and blessing is coming to an end. Obviously, this is a sad and unfortunate situation.

Islam places a strong emphasis on purifying one's soul and Nafs, but it also gives particular attention to collective life and affairs. Congregational prayers, Fridays, Eids, and Hajj are organised in order to achieve the same objective of collective life. Due to the significance of this, the good news is that praying in the congregation will reward you 27 times more than praying alone. (Sahih Bukhari)

One day of the week known as "Friday" has been granted a unique status in order to stabilise collective life. Allah Almighty revealed a whole Surah in the Holy Qur'an, known as Surah Juma, in which He Almighty declared while emphasising the significance of the particular Friday prayer and establishing its value in the heart and mind of the believers.

Allah Almighty says:

“O you who believe, when the call for Salah (prayer) is proclaimed on Friday, hasten for the remembrance of Allah, and leave off business. That is much better for you if you but know” (62:9)

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is reported to have said, “The best day amongst your days is a Friday. Adam was born and passed away on the same day. Nafakha (i.e. the blowing of the trumpet for the second time) will occur on the same day. Sa’aqa (i.e. the blowing of the trumpet for the first time) will happen on the same day. Recite Durood (blessings and peace) as many times as you can for me on this day, because your Durood is presented to me. The people (companions) asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! When you leave this world, how will our Durood be presented to you?’ He said, ‘Allah has made it forbidden upon the earth to eat (devour) the bodies of the Prophets” (Abu Dawud/Nasa’i/Ibn Majah/Baihaqi)

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is reported to have said, “Send Durood (peace and blessings) upon me in abundance on Fridays, since it is well known that Angels appear on this day, and one who recites Durood upon me, his Durood is presented to me.’ Abu Dawud (may Allah be pleased with him) says that he then said, “And after your passing away!” He [the Prophet] said, “Undoubtedly Allah has made it forbidden upon the earth to eat the bodies of the Prophets. The Prophet of Allah is alive and he is blessed with sustenance.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol.2, p.291)

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is reported to have said, “A Friday is the Leader of all the days and it is regarded by Allah as the most virtuous, and it is more virtuous than Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha in the Sight of Allah, and there are five attributes for this day:

1. Allah created Adam (peace be upon him) on this day.

2. On this day, Allah sent him down to earth.

3. On this day, Allah caused him to pass away.

4. On this day, there is a special period during which a servant may ask Allah for anything, and Allah will give it to him, as long as he does not ask for something Haraam.

5. The Day of Resurrection will take place on this day.

(Sunan Ibn Majah)

The greatness of Friday can be estimated from these blessed hadiths. Since Ramadan is a month with exceptional splendour and these hadiths speak of the majesty and beauty of the Fridays throughout the entire year, it is much more important to make special arrangements for the Fridays of Ramadan. May Allah grant us the wisdom to understand it.

The Reality of Jumu'atul-Widaa (Farewell Friday)

The last Friday of this blessed month is known as Jumu'atul-Widaa. Although Farewell Friday does not have any special significance from the Shari'a point of view, since it is the last Friday of the month of Ramadan, special arrangements might be made for that day. Since nobody knows how much time we have left in this world, we might or might not ever experience another blessed month quite like this one.

Jumu'atul-Widaa is therefore observed with special arrangement. Many people who do not even attend Jumu'ah prayer throughout the year come especially on this day in order to be blessed with divine reward as atonement for their sinful conduct. Allah, the Exalted, by His perfect mercy, with the blessing of the congregational prayer on Friday, looks at the regret and remorse of such people and enriches them with His infinite mercy, which is why this Friday is arranged with such care.

Removing a Misconception

The common conception is that the Imam must include the Arabic phrase "Al-Wida Al-Wida Yaa Shahra Ramdana" in the sermon before performing the prayer Jumu'atul-Widaa. There is a big commotion from the side of the common people if Imam Sahib forgets to recite this Arabic phrase during the Friday sermon. These people should know that it is not compulsory to utter this phrase on the last Friday of Ramadan. The prayer will be valid without any issue even if the imam is unable to read it and finishes the sermon out of forgetfulness. No need to debate it or react to it. We ask Allah, the Most Exalted, to give us the ability to learn Islamic teachings and act upon them.

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Mufti Abdul Malik Misbahi is the author of multiple books. He has also lectured and held positions such as Mufti, Shaykhul Hadith, president, founder, and director at a number of institutions, including Darul Uloom Ghousia in Hubli, Karnataka, and Darul Uoom Solemaniya Rahmaniya in Bikaner Darul Uloom Reza-e-Mustafa, Bihar, Madrasa Shah Khalid, Vanwa Libo Muslim League, Fiji (near Australia), Madina Educational Society, Rajasthan. He currently holds the positions of Mufti in the Sunni Darul Ifta in the Madina Masjid, General Secretary of the Raza Foundation, Director of the Darain Academy, Founder of the Afkar-e- Raza Institution, and Chief Editor of the Do-Maahi Raza-e-Madina (Urdu, Hindi) in Azadnagar, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.