Virtues of Friday in Islam: The Weekly Eid and the Qur'an
The virtues of Friday in Islam from authentic hadith, the surahs the Prophet ﷺ recited every Friday, and a simple plan to make it your Qur'an day.
The virtues of Friday in Islam come from authentic hadith: it is the best day the sun rises on, the day Adam was created and the Hour will begin, a weekly Eid, and the day this Ummah was guided to. It holds an hour when du'a is answered, and it is the day most closely tied to the Qur'an.
If you have searched for the importance of Friday in Islam and found long lists of mixed quality, this guide gathers only the virtues that rest on sound narrations, each with its source, and then maps something most lists leave out: the surahs the Prophet ﷺ recited at Fajr, at the Jumu'ah prayer and from the minbar every Friday. It ends with a simple weekly plan and the Friday practices that have no authentic basis.
What are the virtues of Friday in Islam?
The virtues of Friday in Islam rest on a handful of authentic narrations, most of them in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The best known sets Friday above every other day of the week:
“The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday; on it Adam was created, on it he was made to enter Paradise, on it he was expelled from it. And the last hour will take place on no day other than Friday.”
| Virtue | What the narration says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The best day of the week | Adam was created on it, entered Paradise and left it on it, and the Hour will begin on it | Muslim 854 |
| The day this Ummah was guided to | Those before us were turned away from Friday and given Saturday and Sunday; Allah guided us to Friday | Muslim 856; al-Bukhari 876 |
| An hour of answered du'a | A short hour in which a Muslim who is praying and asks Allah for something is given it | al-Bukhari 935 |
| Expiation from one Jumu'ah to the next | The five prayers and Jumu'ah to Jumu'ah wipe out what lies between them, as long as major sins are avoided | Muslim 233 |
| Reward for coming early | Arriving in the first hour is like offering a camel, then a cow, a ram, a hen and an egg; the angels then come to listen to the khutbah | al-Bukhari 881 |
| Blessings on the Prophet ﷺ | Send plenty of blessings on him on Friday, because they are presented to him | Abu Dawud 1047, graded sahih by al-Albani |
Two of these deserve a note. The hour of response is short (the Prophet ﷺ indicated how brief it is with his hand), and scholars differ over exactly when it falls, so many people spread their du'a across the day. And the expiation is tied to Jumu'ah itself: the prayer, the khutbah and the way you come to them, which the narrations below describe.
Why is Friday called the weekly Eid?
Friday is called the weekly Eid because the Prophet ﷺ himself counted it as an Eid. When the annual Eid fell on a Friday, he described the day as two festivals falling together:
“Two festivals ('Id and Friday) have synchronised on this day.”
Like the two yearly Eids, Friday has its own preparation and its own gathering. The preparation is described in a narration from Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him), and it ends with the very thing this article is about: listening to the khutbah. (For rulings, such as who must attend Jumu'ah or what happens when Eid and Friday coincide, read islamqa.info and ask the people of knowledge where you live.)
“Whoever takes a bath on Friday, purifies himself as much as he can, then uses his (hair) oil or perfumes himself with the scent of his house, then proceeds (for the Jumu'ah prayer) and does not separate two persons sitting together (in the mosque), then prays as much as (Allah has) written for him and then remains silent while the Imam is delivering the Khutba, his sins in-between the present and the last Friday would be forgiven.”
What does the Qur'an say about Friday?
The Qur'an names Friday directly in Surah al-Jumu'ah, the 62nd surah, which takes its name from the day. Ibn Kathir notes that al-Jumu'ah comes from al-jam', gathering, because the Muslims gather on it every week. Ayat 9 and 10 give the day its shape:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا نُودِىَ لِلصَّلَوٰةِ مِن يَوْمِ ٱلْجُمُعَةِ فَٱسْعَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلْبَيْعَ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةُ فَٱنتَشِرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“O you who have believed, when [the adhān] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumuʿah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allāh and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew. And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allāh, and remember Allāh often that you may succeed.”
Ibn Kathir explains the 'remembrance of Allah' here as attending the khutbah and the prayer, and says that 'proceed' (fas'aw) is about giving it importance, not about rushing. So the Qur'an itself frames the Friday gathering as dhikr: a weekly sitting in which Allah is remembered and His Book is recited. Then the ayah sends you back to your work, still remembering Him.
يَوْمُ ٱلْجُمُعَةِ
yawm al-jumu'ah
The day of gathering: Friday
Jumu'ah comes from the root j-m-'a (ج م ع), to gather; the same root gives jami' (a congregational mosque) and jama'ah (a congregation).
Which surahs did the Prophet ﷺ recite on Friday?
The Prophet ﷺ recited particular surahs at three points of Friday: in the Fajr prayer, in the Jumu'ah prayer and in the khutbah itself. Knowing them turns Friday into a weekly meeting with the same passages of the Qur'an.
| When | Surahs | Length | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fajr prayer | As-Sajdah (32), then al-Insan (76) | 30 and 31 ayat | al-Bukhari 891; Muslim 880 |
| Jumu'ah prayer | Al-Jumu'ah (62) and al-Munafiqun (63) | 11 ayat each | Muslim 877 |
| Jumu'ah prayer (also reported) | Al-A'la (87) and al-Ghashiyah (88) | 19 and 26 ayat | Muslim 878 |
| The khutbah | Qaf (50) | 45 ayat | Muslim 873 |
| During the day | Al-Kahf (18) | 110 ayat | al-Hakim, graded sahih by al-Albani |
Surah al-Kahf, the last row, is the best known Friday practice connected to the Qur'an and has its own guide: Surah al-Kahf, the light between two Fridays covers the authentic narration, its grading and exactly what it does and does not promise. The rest of this section looks at the other four.
Fajr on Friday: as-Sajdah and al-Insan
“The Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite the following in the Fajr prayer of Friday, 'Alif, Lam, Mim, Tanzil' (Surat as-Sajdah) and 'Hal ata 'ala al-Insan' (Surat al-Insan).”
Hadith commentators explain the choice by what the two surahs contain. As-Sajdah describes how Allah began the creation of man from clay (32:7) and goes on to the Resurrection and the reward of the believers. Al-Insan opens with man's beginning and moves on to the Day of Judgement and Paradise. Friday is the day Adam was created and the day the Hour will begin, so every Friday dawn the believer hears where he came from and where he is going.
هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْإِنسَـٰنِ حِينٌ مِّنَ ٱلدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْـًٔا مَّذْكُورًا
“Has there [not] come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing [even] mentioned?”
Surah as-Sajdah also contains a verse of prostration (32:15), so on Friday mornings you will often see the imam go down into sujud in the middle of the recitation. If the mark in the margin is new to you, our guide to the symbols on the Qur'an page explains the sajdah sign.
The Jumu'ah prayer: two pairs of surahs
For the Jumu'ah prayer itself, two pairs are reported. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) recited al-Jumu'ah and al-Munafiqun and said he had heard the Prophet ﷺ recite these two on Friday (Muslim 877). The second pair is shorter and very familiar:
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite on two 'Ids and in Friday prayer: 'Glorify the name of thy Lord, the Most High' (Surah 87) and 'Has there come to thee the news of the overwhelming event' (Surah 88).”
The khutbah: Surah Qaf
The khutbah itself was a lesson in the Qur'an. A woman of the Ansar, Umm Hisham bint Harithah (may Allah be pleased with her), learned a whole surah simply by listening to it week after week:
“I learnt 'Qaf. By the Glorious Qur'an' from no other source than the tongue of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) who used to recite it every Friday on the pulpit when he delivered the sermon to the people.”
Surah Qaf is 45 ayat about death, the Resurrection and the record of every word a person says, and it opens by swearing by the Qur'an itself. That is what the Prophet ﷺ chose to put in front of his community every week.
قٓ ۚ وَٱلْقُرْءَانِ ٱلْمَجِيدِ
“Qāf. By the honored Qur'ān...”
How can you make Friday your weekly Qur'an day?
You can make Friday a weekly Qur'an day by keeping the Friday sunnahs of the Prophet ﷺ, step by step, rather than inventing new Friday rituals. Pick one or two steps to start with and keep them every week.
A Friday plan built on the Sunnah
- 1
Understand the Fajr surahs
Read the translation of as-Sajdah and al-Insan once, so that you follow along when you hear them at Friday Fajr. Over the months, aim to memorise al-Insan (31 ayat).
- 2
Memorise the short Jumu'ah pair
Al-A'la (19 ayat) and al-Ghashiyah (26 ayat) are ideal hifz targets: you will hear them at Jumu'ah and on Eid. Our beginner's method for memorising the Qur'an shows how to break them into daily portions.
- 3
Read Surah al-Kahf
Set a fixed time on Friday for it, such as after Fajr or during your lunch break.
- 4
Prepare and arrive early
If you attend Jumu'ah, bathe, wear perfume if you have it, and aim for the earliest hour you can manage, as al-Bukhari 881 and 883 describe.
- 5
Listen to the khutbah like a lesson
Sit quietly, phone away, and note one ayah the imam recites. Look it up on quran.com afterwards and read its meaning.
- 6
Increase salawat and du'a
Send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ often through the day and make du'a, hoping to meet the hour of response.
Each of these is small on its own. Kept every Friday for a year, they add up to two surahs understood, two more memorised and fifty khutbahs actually heard. For what reciting the Qur'an itself earns you, see the virtues of reciting the Qur'an that authentic hadith promise.
What has no authentic basis on Friday?
Because Friday is so honoured, a number of practices have attached themselves to it without sound evidence, and one is directly forbidden. Keep to what is established:
Do
- Read Surah al-Kahf, knowing what the authentic narration promises
- Send plenty of blessings on the Prophet ﷺ
- Make du'a through the day, hoping to meet the hour of response
- Fast on Friday only together with the day before or after it, or when it falls on a day you already fast
- Pray at night on Friday night as you would on any other night
Don’t
- Single out Friday night for special night prayer, which the Prophet ﷺ forbade (Muslim 1144)
- Single out Friday alone for a voluntary fast (Muslim 1144)
- Rely on the report about reciting Surah ad-Dukhan on Friday night, which sunnah.com lists as weak (at-Tirmidhi 2889)
- Pass on messages promising fixed rewards for reciting a surah a set number of times on Friday
- Talk during the khutbah, even to tell someone else to be quiet (al-Bukhari 934)
If you would like help learning the Friday surahs with correct tajweed, you can find a Qur'an teacher of your choice on My Tijarah and take them one surah at a time.
Key takeaways
- Friday is the best day the sun rises on: Adam was created on it and the Hour will begin on it (Muslim 854).
- The Prophet ﷺ counted Friday as an Eid, calling a Friday that fell on Eid 'two festivals' (Abu Dawud 1073, sahih per al-Albani).
- Surah al-Jumu'ah 62:9-10 calls the Friday gathering the remembrance of Allah, which Ibn Kathir explains as the khutbah and the prayer.
- The Prophet ﷺ recited as-Sajdah and al-Insan at Friday Fajr, al-Jumu'ah and al-Munafiqun or al-A'la and al-Ghashiyah at Jumu'ah, and Qaf in the khutbah.
- Friday's virtues include an hour of answered du'a, expiation from one Jumu'ah to the next and extra reward for blessings on the Prophet ﷺ.
- Singling out Friday night for prayer or Friday alone for fasting is forbidden, and the Surah ad-Dukhan report is weak.
Further reading
My Tijarah
Ready to take this beyond reading?
Articles build understanding. A teacher builds you. Learn 1:1 with vetted Qur’an and Arabic teachers, matched to your goals and schedule.
Find your teacher
