The To-Do-List for the last Hour of Fridays

The To-Do List for the Last Hour of Fridays

Introduction: A Special Hour on Friday

Brothers and sisters in Islam, today our khutbah is about the last hour on the day of Friday — the last hour of the day of Friday.

We'll begin with this story from a shaykh who says: my entire life, my father never accepted any invitation on Friday. He never booked or planned any activity on Friday. He said Friday — he would pray Asr in the masjid, and he would sit from Asr until Maghrib, and he would make du'a to Allah in the masjid.

Another story: a man who had all kinds of debts and problems and he didn't know what to do. He was advised — and he lived in Mecca — so they told him: go to the Haram on Friday, pray Asr there, and then don't leave, just stay there making du'a until Maghrib. He says: I prayed Asr and I made du'a until Maghrib, and I stayed there after Maghrib, and before Isha came in, I got a phone call — someone offering me a huge amount of money, solving all my problems.

So what is so special about this last hour on the day of Friday?

The Hadith: The Blessed Hour of Friday

We have a hadith mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim from Abu Hurairah, narrating from the Prophet:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 935; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 852)

On the day of Friday there is an hour — there is no believing Muslim who coincides with or happens to be asking Allah during this time for any of the good of this world or the next, except that Allah will give it to them.

The hadith also says "standing in prayer," but the scholars explained — and this we'll see later on as explained by the Prophet himself — it doesn't mean that he is engaged in the actual prayer, but rather that you are sitting in the musalla. The Prophet explained that any time you are sitting in the musalla awaiting a prayer, or sitting in the musalla after a prayer, it is considered salah. So that is what it means: someone is in the musalla making du'a to Allah.

This hadith is authentic in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and it says there is this hour on the day of Friday — and it is a twelve-hour day — so within this day there is an hour where, if you are asking Allah for anything, you will get it.

When Is This Hour? The Two Strongest Opinions

The scholars have mentioned nineteen different opinions on when this time is, and in total there are about forty different opinions. But we are going to look at the top two.

First Opinion: Between the Two Khutbas Until the End of Prayer

The first opinion is narrated by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, from Abu Burdah. Abu Burdah is a Tabi'i — he is the son of the companion Abu Musa al-Ash'ari. He meets with Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, and Abdullah ibn Umar asks him: did you hear your father narrating anything from the Prophet about the hour of al-Jumu'ah — the hour where the du'a is accepted?

He says: yes, I heard my father say that he heard the Prophet say that this hour where your du'a is answered is from between the time the imam sits — meaning between the two khutbas — until the prayer is over. There are other hadith stating the same opinion, but they all range from weak to very weak.

This opinion also does not mean that you ignore the khutba and engage in du'a. The scholars explain: rather, you listen to the khutba, you say ameen when the imam makes du'a, you make du'a between the two khutbas when the imam sits down, you make du'a in the salah, and before the taslim. That is the first opinion.

Second Opinion: After Asr Until Maghrib

The second opinion is the more popular opinion, and that is: it is after Asr prayer on the day of al-Jumu'ah. This is the opinion of companions of the Prophet including Abdullah ibn Salam and Abu Hurairah, and from the scholars, Tawus ibn Kaysan and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on them.

This is narrated by Imam Ahmad through Abu Hurairah: the Prophet is saying on Friday there is an hour — there is no believing servant or Muslim servant who is making du'a to Allah during this hour except that Allah will give it to him — and then he says: it is after Asr. There is some weakness in this narration, but it is supported by many similar narrations.

Also narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud and by al-Nasa'i through Jabir ibn Abdullah:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 1048; Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 1389)

The day of Friday is twelve hours. Seek out this hour in the last hour after Asr — meaning the last hour after Asr before Maghrib comes in.

In the Sunan of Sa'id ibn Mansur, from Abu Salamah ibn Abdurrahman, it is narrated that a group of companions of the Prophet gathered together and they mentioned that specific hour on the day of Friday. Until they separated, not a single one of them had disagreed — it is the last hour on the day of Friday, before Maghrib comes in.

Likewise, another narration supporting this is narrated by Ibn Majah from Abdullah ibn Salam:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1139)

He says: I said while the Prophet was sitting with me — he was talking about the hour of al-Jumu'ah where the du'a is answered — so I asked him: which hour is it? The Prophet said: it is the last hour of the hours of the day, before Maghrib comes in.

Then I said: but it is not from the time of prayer — because you are not allowed to pray after Asr unless there is a reason, such as a janazah, but for no reason, just extra voluntary prayers, you are not allowed to in this time. So then the Prophet explained — and this is the hadith we alluded to earlier — that when someone is sitting in the musalla before or after the salah, that is considered salah.

We also find in Sunan al-Tirmidhi, narrated by Anas, the Prophet said: seek out that hour where your du'a is answered, from after Asr until the sun sets.

That is why you find great scholars such as Sa'id ibn Jubayr — it was said of him that when he would pray Asr, he would not talk to anyone; he would just sit until Maghrib making du'a to Allah.

This is the hour we are supposed to seek — and this is the day we are in, that day where there is this hour. How many Fridays have passed where perhaps we missed out on this great opportunity?

Second Part of the Khutbah: How to Take Advantage of This Hour

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ الْأَمِينِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ.

We know that Allah informs us of the best of times and virtuous times — such as Ramadan, and Laylatul Qadr, and the excellence of Friday — so that we can take advantage of these times. Otherwise, what is the point of telling us about the best of times if there is nothing we are going to do in the best of times?

So it befits and behooves the believing man and woman to free up that hour and that time on Friday. We understand it's the weekend and families go out and things happen — and we're not saying you have to miss out on that. But we're going to mention the highest level:

The highest level is to free yourself during this time, and before Maghrib comes in, to sit and make some du'a to Allah.

Then, if not, even if you're at a family outing or some event, you can stop — in your car, or just step aside — and make some du'a to Allah, just to not miss the greatness of this hour or the possibility of this hour.

And if you can't do it regularly, at least take advantage of it during times of difficulty. Just like we saw in the stories in the beginning: maybe I can't do this regularly, but when I have difficulty in my life, I take advantage of moments like this. I take advantage of the last hour of Friday.

A Closing Story: The Power of Du'a in This Hour

I'll conclude with this true story that happened in our times. This old man had a teenage son. He says: my son is always out of the house — sometimes he'll be out for five days and I don't see him. He was spending his nights and times with his friends. He said: I was so angry with him that I was going to make du'a against him.

Some of his friends advised him: don't make du'a against him. It is the day of Friday and the last hour of the day — go sit in the masjid and make du'a for him.

He said: I went and I made du'a for him until Maghrib. Then I prayed Maghrib and I came home. When I was at home, my son came to me — he shook my hand and kissed my hand. That was the first thing out of the ordinary. Then the second thing: he asked me if I wanted coffee or tea. That was the second thing out of the ordinary. He made it, and we sat down and drank together and spoke — we spoke until Isha. When Isha came, my son said to me: let's go and pray together.

I expected him after the salah to say goodbye to me and go out and hang out with his friends until the early morning — but he came back and said: let's have dinner. And we had dinner and we had a long talk afterwards.

There are many success stories and many narrations about the excellence of this hour. But the most important thing, brothers and sisters, is: don't do this to test Allah. Don't do it to see if what you heard in the khutbah works or doesn't work. Ask Allah while you are certain of the response coming from Allah. Ask Allah knowing that He is Ghafoor, knowing that He is Rahim — that He is Merciful, that He is Forgiving, knowing that He is the One who answers du'a — not to test if it will work or not.

Closing Du'a

With that, we ask Allah to make us of those who hear the truth as clear truth and follow the best of it, and to make us of those who recognize falsehood as clear falsehood and abstain from it.