Farewell Friday and Ramadan
Jumu‘atul-Wida‘ (Farewell Friday) refers to the final Friday of the month of Ramadan. In Islamic tradition, Friday holds special significance as the weekly day of congregational worship. Likewise, Ramadan is considered one of the holiest months in Islam. Since Jumu’atul-Wida marks the close of this sacred month, its importance is further heightened.
It is mentioned in Hadith that the most excellent day among your days is the day of Friday. On Friday, people gather in larger numbers to remember God. They perform congregational prayer and take part in other communal activities. Due to the spiritual atmosphere created during Ramadan, the importance of Jumu’atul-Wida becomes even greater than that of an ordinary Friday.
The month of Ramadan begins with the sighting of the new moon. On the last night of Sha‘ban, when people see the new moon of Ramadan, they say a prayer: May God bring this moon upon us with safety and peace, and may He make it a moon of peace and Islam. With these elevated feelings, people enter the month of Ramadan.
During Ramadan, every person stops eating and drinking from morning to evening. In doing so, on one hand, he builds the habit of obeying God’s commands, and on the other, he experiences what hunger feels like. This experience creates within him a sense of sympathy for the poor.
In Ramadan, acts of worship increase. Recitation of the Quran, remembrance of God, and the Tarawih prayers continue throughout the month, creating a devotional environment.
From the very first day of Ramadan, these spiritual activities begin in the community. Then the fourth week arrives, bringing the Friday known as Jumu‘at al-Wida‘. After passing through the blessings of Ramadan, when people walk toward the mosque to offer the Jumu‘at al-Wida‘ prayer, a new spiritual feeling awakens in their hearts. They are filled with a sense of equality, goodwill, and brotherhood toward others. Because of these factors, the Jumu‘at al-Wida‘ prayer becomes more meaningful than usual Friday prayers.
About Friday, it is mentioned in Hadith that there is a moment during the day in which, if someone prays to God, his prayer is accepted. The reason is that on Friday, a person is filled with deeper spiritual emotions than on other days. Therefore, his prayer comes from a place of sincerity, and such heartfelt prayer is surely accepted.
On Friday, a person takes a bath and wears clean clothes. He performs ablution and actively walks to the mosque. There, he offers the Sunnah prayers and sits quietly to listen to the sermon of the imam. If all of this is done with sincere intention, it becomes a source of great reward, as mentioned in Hadith.
All things that go against the spirit of Friday have been clearly prohibited in Islam. Guidance about this has been given in both the Quran and the Hadith.
The Quran says that when people gather in the mosque for prayer, they should not be distracted by any unrelated engagement. In the time of the Prophet, once during the Friday prayer, some people became occupied with buying and selling. The Quran strongly warned against this and instructed that during prayer; one should avoid all irrelevant activities. (62:9-11)
It is mentioned in Hadith that if a person enters the mosque and begins stepping over people to reach the front rows, he is doing something sinful. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith No. 1118) People should sit wherever they find space after entering. No worshipper should cause trouble to another worshipper.
In another Hadith, it is mentioned that when the imam is delivering the sermon, people should sit quietly and listen attentively. If someone speaks during the sermon, another person should not respond by speaking again to tell him to be quiet. Instead, he should signal with a gesture. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 934) This teaches that if someone makes a mistake, others should avoid repeating the same mistake.
This is an important instruction. It tells us that any action that does not produce a useful result is wrong—no matter how good it may appear outwardly, or how well-intentioned it may be. Speaking is not always the right response. Sometimes, silence is more necessary, and speaking becomes an unwanted act.
It is mentioned in Hadith that when the Prophet led the Friday prayer, both his sermon and prayer were balanced. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 21038) He did not make either of them too long. This is an important Islamic principle regarding group worship: the leader should be considerate of the people. He should not make things difficult by making them lengthy. However, in personal acts, if someone wishes to do more, there is no harm in it.
Friday is a special training day for the entire week. And Jumu‘at al-Wida‘ is a special training day for the entire year. On this day, every person is reminded to stay clean and tidy. He is encouraged to live as a well-wisher for others. He receives training in discipline. He is reminded of the remembrance of God. He is given practice in unity and togetherness. His sense of compassion for others is awakened—and more.
Friday is the day to do all those things together that one learns separately on other days. It is the day for collective performance of what is done individually on other days. If the other days are days of individuality, then Friday is the day of collectiveness.
All India Radio, New Delhi, 19 March 1993.
