Preparation Sunnahs Before Jumuʿah

1. Take ghusl (ritual bath). 

The Prophet ﷺ said: “The taking of a bath on Friday is compulsory for every male (Muslim) who has attained the age of puberty.” [Sahih Bukhari, 879; Sahih Muslim, 846]

2. Wear your best clothes, preferably white. 

The Prophet ﷺ encouraged wearing one’s best garments for Jumuʿah. [Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 1078]

“Wear white clothes, for they are the best of your clothes, and shroud your dead in them.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 4061 | Tirmidhī, 994]

3. Use perfume if available (for men). 

The Prophet ﷺ said: “…and he should use perfume if he has any.” [Sahih Bukhari, 880]

Virtues and Recommended Acts on Friday

4. Recite Surah Al-Kahf. 

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever recites Surah Al-Kahf on Friday, it will illuminate him with light between the two Fridays.” [Sunan al-Kubrā al-Bayhaqī, 5996; authenticated by al-Albānī]

5. Send abundant ṣalawāt upon the Prophet ﷺ. 

He said: “Increase in sending ṣalāh upon me on the day and night of Friday, for your ṣalāh is presented to me.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 1047]

6. Make duʿāʾ, especially in the last hour before Maghrib. 

The Prophet ﷺ said: “On Friday there is a time when no Muslim servant happens to ask Allah for something while standing in prayer except that He will give it to him.” [Sahih Bukhari, 935; Sahih Muslim, 852]

Sunnahs in Attending the Jumuʿah Prayer

7. Go early to the masjid. 

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever takes a bath on Friday like the bath of janābah, then goes (to the masjid) in the first hour, it is as if he had sacrificed a camel…” [Sahih Bukhari, 881; Sahih Muslim, 850]

8. Walk to the masjid if possible. 

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever purifies himself in his house then walks to one of the houses of Allah to perform an obligatory prayer, one step removes a sin and the other raises him a degree.” [Sahih Muslim, 666]

9. Sit close to the imām and avoid stepping over people. 

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Be present at the sermon and come close to the Imam. Verily, a man continues to distance himself until he is delayed from Paradise, even though he will eventually enter it.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 1108]

Abu al-Zahiriyyah said: We were in the company of 'Abd Allah b. Busr, the Companion of the Prophet (ﷺ), on a Friday. A man came and stepped over the people. 'Abd Allah b. Busr said: A man came and stepped over the people while the Prophet (ﷺ) was giving the sermon on Friday. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Sit down, you have annoyed (the people). [Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 1118]

10. Pray two rakʿahs upon entering the masjid (Tahyiyat al-Masjid), even if the khuṭbah has started. 

The Prophet ﷺ said: “When any one of you comes for the Friday (prayer) and the Imam comes out (from his apartment), (even then) should observe two rak'ahs (of prayer).” [Sahih Muslim, 875]

11. Listen attentively to the khuṭbah. 

Allah says: “So when the Qur’an is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy.” [Surah Al-Aʿrāf, 7:204] The Prophet ﷺ said: “If you say to your companion ‘Be quiet’ while the imām is delivering the sermon, then you have engaged in idle speech.” [Sahih Bukhari, 934; Sahih Muslim, 851]

After Jumuʿah Prayer

12. Pray Sunnah prayers at home or in the masjid. 

The Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you prays Jumuʿah, let him pray four [rakʿahs] after it.” [Sahih Muslim, 881] In another narration: “When you have prayed Jumuʿah, do not pray after it until you have spoken or left, then pray two rakʿahs.” [Sahih Muslim, 883]

13. Continue dhikr, duʿāʾ, and ṣalawāt throughout the day.