Hazrat Amr and Abu Az-Zubair narrate from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), Hazrat Amr says that a man entered the mosque — and the words of Hazrat Abu Az-Zubair’s narration are as follows — Sulaik Ghatafani entered the mosque on the day of Jumu’ah while the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him:“Have you performed the voluntary prayer?”He replied,“No.”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Then perform two rak‘ahs.”Hazrat Makhzawi narrated both these narrations to us separately. In one narration, it is mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Then stand up and perform two rak‘ahs.”And once, after the narration of Hazrat Abu Az-Zubair, it was said, and the name of that man is Sulaik bin Amr Ghatafani.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that a man entered the mosque while the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him: "Have you performed the prayer?" He replied, "No." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Stand up and perform the prayer." And in the narration of Ahmad bin Abadah and Ahmad bin Muqaddam, it is: "O so-and-so, have you performed the prayer?" And in the narration of Abi Asim, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: "Have you offered the prayer?" He said, "No." So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Offer two rak‘ahs."

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that a man came while the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was standing on the pulpit delivering the sermon on the day of Jumu'ah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him: "Have you performed two rak'ahs?" He replied, "No." So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Then perform them."

This is an optional and recommended ruling. And this is the explanation of offering two short and light rak‘ahs. And the explanation of the evidence against those who say that the ruling was specific to Sulaik Ghatafani.

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Sayyiduna Sulaik Ghatafani (may Allah be pleased with him) came on the day of Jumu’ah while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon, so he sat down. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:“O Sulaik, stand up and pray two rak‘ahs, and make them brief and light.”Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“When any one of you comes to the mosque on the day of Jumu’ah while the Imam is delivering the sermon, he should pray two rak‘ahs and make them brief and light.”

Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that in this way, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the command after Sayyiduna Sulaik (may Allah be pleased with him) had finished his two rak‘ahs, that whoever comes for Jumu’ah while the Imam is delivering the sermon should pray two rak‘ahs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave this command for every Muslim until the Day of Judgment who enters the mosque in this state, that the Imam is delivering the sermon. Therefore, how can it be correct for any scholar to interpret this hadith as if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave this command specifically to Sayyiduna Sulaik (may Allah be pleased with him) because he entered the mosque in tattered clothes while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon? Whereas the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave this command in general terms. Whoever enters the mosque while the Imam is delivering the sermon should perform two rak‘ahs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave this command after Sayyiduna Sulaik (may Allah be pleased with him) had finished his two rak‘ahs. And Sayyiduna Abu Sa‘id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), the narrator of this hadith, used to swear that after the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he would never abandon these two rak‘ahs. Therefore, whoever claims that this command was specific to Sayyiduna Sulaik (may Allah be pleased with him) or for the person who entered the mosque in a broken state during the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) sermon, then such a person has contradicted the specific commands of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Because from the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):“When any one of you comes on the day of Jumu’ah while the Imam is delivering the sermon, he should pray two rak‘ahs,”it is impossible to take the meaning that only a specific person entering the mosque is intended, because the words“when any one of you comes”among the Arabs cannot be used for only one person, rather it is used for the plural. I have mentioned the chains of this hadith in the Book of Jumu’ah.

And the explanation of the evidence that whatever prayer is performed before Jumu'ah will be considered Nafl (supererogatory), none of it will be Fard (obligatory). Imam Abu Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, states that in the narrations of Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id and Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with them both, these words are mentioned: "He performed as much prayer as was written for him in his destiny." And in the narration of Sayyiduna Salman, may Allah be pleased with him, it is stated: "Whatever was destined for him (he performed)." And in the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub, may Allah be pleased with him, it is stated: "So he performed prayer if he wished."

Ayub narrates that I asked Nafi', "Did Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to pray before Jumu'ah?" He replied, "He used to perform a long prayer before Jumu'ah, and after Jumu'ah he would offer two rak'ahs in his house. And he used to narrate that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also used to do so."

Sayyiduna Sa’ib bin Yazid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that for the (Friday) prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), there was only one mu’adhdhin. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would arrive, he would call the adhan, and when the Prophet would descend from the pulpit, he would call the iqamah. This remained the practice during the time of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) as well. Then, when the era of ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) came and the people increased in number, he ordered a third adhan to be called from the roof of a house in the market, which was called Az-Zawra. Thus, when he would come from his house for the sermon, the mu’adhdhin would call the adhan, and when he would descend from the pulpit, he would call the iqamah.