When Can You Pray Before Jumu'ah?
Exemptions to Prohibited Prayer Times: Optional Prayers Before Jumu'ah
Summary
Sh. Ali Mashhour discusses the exemptions to prohibited times of prayer in Islam, specifically focusing on optional prayers that are connected to specific times, places, or occasions. He explains that while it is generally forbidden to pray during certain times of the day (after Fajr until sunrise, before Dhuhr, before Maghrib, and after Asr), optional prayers made before Jumu'ah are exempt from these restrictions. Sh. Ali Mashhour clarifies that during Jumu'ah preparation, Muslims may continue making optional prayers in sets of two until the Imam ascends the minbar, at which point optional prayer stops. He also addresses common misconceptions about when speech becomes prohibited during Jumu'ah, noting that silence is required when the Imam begins the khutbah, not when the adhan is called.
Note: This transcript was generated using YouTube's automatic captioning, with AI-assisted cleanup for readability. It may contain inaccuracies due to background noise, audio quality, or limitations of the transcription software — particularly during Arabic recitation. Listener discretion is advised; please refer to the original video for precise wording.
Yesterday morning we discussed three instances when a salah is exempt, an optional prayer, so a prayer that is not an obligatory prayer, is exempt from the prohibited times of salah. So we mentioned three types of optional prayer that are exempt from the prohibited times of salah. So it's prohibited to pray after Fajr until the sun rises high. It's prohibited to pray about 15-20 minutes before Dhuhr. It's prohibited to pray about 15-20 minutes before Maghrib, and some scholars say after Asr entirely until Maghrib. And so what are those three instances? We said Three. Those optional prayers which are connected to a specific time or place or occasion or event. Right? And the author gives us a first example of an optional prayer that is connected or specified tied to a time. And that first example he gives us is making optional prayer in sets of two before Jumu', before the khutbah begins. So usually the khutbah is done after the adhan of Dhuhr. And a person waits meaning after the adhan of Dhuhr, meaning after the time of Dhuhr is in. Is it permissible to do Jumu' before the time of Dhuhr? Yes, it is. But usually it is done after the time of Dhuhr is in cuz Jumu' is not a supplement for Dhuhr. They are not interchangeable. And.
[Arabic recitation]
Dhuhr to come in, they're waiting for the Imam to go on the mimbar the sun will be at that point at its highest point in the sky and at that time it's prohibited to pray. Correct? Except during Jumu'. When a person is awaiting the Imam to rise on the mimbar, the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam encouraged that a person continue to make optional prayer in sets of two until the Imam rises onto the minbar. And at this point, salah, optional prayer, then stops.
[Silence]
The author makes a very interesting observation here. He says the prophet was selling encourages the person who is awaiting the khutbah of Jumu' to continue to make optional prayer in sets of two until the Imam emerges and climbs onto the minbar. So, the prophet was selling made the time when a person stops praying optional prayer when the sun reaches its zenith or when the Imam emerges. When the Imam rises on the minbar. So, on a regular day, Saturday through Thursday and Friday for anyone who's not going to Jumu', the time when a person is prohibited from prayer is when the sun is at its highest point at the exact center in the sky at its zenith. However, for a person who is making Jumu' and awaiting Jumu' to begin, that doesn't apply to them. When is it prohibited for him to pray? When the Imam rises onto the mimbar. And for this reason, a number of the salaf Salaf here doesn't mean Salafi. Salaf here means the companions, the tabi'in, tabi'i tabi'in. So, a number of the companions and the most early of scholars have noted that the time when prayer is prohibited for those attending Jumu' is when the Imam rises onto the mimbar. And the point when speaking is prohibited is when the Imam begins to speak. I'll repeat that there. For a person who's attending Jumu', the point when salah becomes prohibited is when the Imam rises onto the mimbar. Now, there's no more salah. For persons in salah, they finish their prayer quickly and they await the Imam's khutbah. So, when the prayer stops is when the Imam rises on the mimbar. When speaking becomes prohibited is when the Imam begins his khutbah. Not necessarily when the adhan is being called. This is another misconception and that is that the companions radiyallahu anhum used to speak to one another while the adhan was being made for Jumu'. When would they when the when would work speaking become prohibited? When the Imam begins the khutbah. That's when speaking is prohibited. So, insat, which is silence, that begins at the point that the Imam begins speaking. And salah, its prohibition begins when the Imam rises onto the mimbar. Right? And for everyone else, all of the rest of the Muslimeen who are not attending Jumu', they are to stop making prayer when the sun reaches its zenith, just any other day. So, this optional prayer is connected to a time, which is the time of Jumu' specifically, the attendance of Jumu'. That exempts a person from the the aforementioned prohibition. And we will continue to mention other examples of this, inshallah ta'ala, in the coming days.
[Silence]
[Arabic recitation]