Thursday 2 February 2017

The Chapter on the Recommended Adhkār for the Day of Friday and its Night as well as the Supplications

The republishing of this translation



The Chapter on the Recommended Adhkār for the Day of Friday and its Night as well as the Supplications

By Imam Yaḥyā Al-Nawawī

Translated by Mahdi Lock[1]

It is recommended to do a lot of recitation of the Qurʾān, adhkār and supplications on the day of Friday and the night,[2] as well as prayers upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, and the recitation of Sūrat Al-Kahf in the day. Ash-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy on him, said in the book Al-Umm, ‘It is recommended to read it on Friday night’.[3]

496_We have related in the two Ṣaḥīcollections of al-Bukhārī and Muslim, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, mentioned Friday and said, “In it there is a period of time[4] that a Muslim slave does not coincide with while standing, praying and asking Allah for something except that He gives it to him.” And with his hand he indicated that it was short.

I have said: The scholars from the Salaf and the Khalaf have differed over this period of time with many positions that are as widespread as possible. I have gathered all the positions on the matter in Sharḥ Al-Muhadhdhab[5] and clarified who has said what, and that many of the Companions held the position that it was after ʿaṣr. The meaning of ‘standing, praying’ is the one waiting for the prayer, for indeed he is in prayer.

497_The soundest position that has come regarding this is what we have related in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim on the authority of Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, may Allah be pleased with him, who said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, saying, {It is what is between the imam sitting until the prayer had finished}, meaning when he sits on the minbar.

498_As for the recitation of Sūrat al-Kahf and sending prayers upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, well-known aḥādīth have come regarding this so we have left off relating them due to the length of the book and the fact that they are well-known, and we have mentioned a number of them in a specific chapter.[6]

499_We have mentioned in the book of Ibn as-Sunnī, on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said, “Whoever says on the morning of Friday, before the dawn prayer:  ‘I seek Allah’s forgiveness, the One besides Whom there is no other god, The Living, the Self-Sustaining, and I turn to Him in repentance’ three times, Allah forgives him his sins, even if they are like are the foam of the sea.”

500_We have related therein, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, who said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, would enter the masjid on Friday, take hold of the door supports and then say: “Make me the one who turns to You most from those who turn to You, the nearest of those who draw near to You and the best of those who ask You and desire You.”

I have said: It is recommended for us to say: ‘Make us from those who turn to You most from amongst those who turn to You and from those who are nearest and from those who are best’. Thus, we add the word ‘from’.

As for what is recommended to recite in the Friday Prayer[7] and in the dawn prayer on Friday,[8] we have already clarified them in the chapter on the adhkār of prayer.

501_We have related in the book of Ibn as-Sunnī, on the authority of ʿĀʾisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “Whoever recites after the Friday prayer:  “Say: ‘He is Allah, One’”[9] and “Say: ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of Daybreak’”[10] and “Say: ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind’”[11] seven times, Allah , Mighty and Majestic, will protect him from evil until the following Friday.”

Section: It is recommended to do much remembrance of Allah the Exalted after the Friday Prayer. Allah the Exalted has said: “Then when the prayer is finished, spread through the earth, seek Allah’s bounty and remember Allah much so that hopefully you will be successful.” [12]


[1] Translator’s note (tn): Translated from Al-Adhkār lil Imām Abī Zakariyyā Yaḥyā Bin Sharaf An-Nawawī Ad-Dimashqi (Beirut: Muʾassasa Al-Maʿārif, 2005) p.151-152.
[2] (tn): i.e. from sunset on Thursday until sunset on Friday.
[3] (tn): i.e. after sunset on Thursday. Some editions of Al-Adhkār mention the word ayḍan, i.e. as well, meaning that one should read al-Kahf twice, once at night and once in the day. This is also mentioned by Imam Muḥammad Ibn ʿAlān in Al-Futūḥāt Al-Rabbāniyyah ʿalā Al-Adhkār An-Nawawiyyah (v.4, p.227, Beirut: Dar Al-Turāth Al-ʿArabī), his commentary on Al-Adhkār. As for the aḥādīth on Sūrat Al-Kahf, the most well-known is: “Whoever recites it [i.e. Al-Kahf] on Friday, light shall shine forth for him between the two Fridays”, as narrated by Al-Ḥākim and Al-Bayhaqī, in Shuʿab Al-Īmān, from Abū Saʿīd, marfūʿan (i.e. a statement, action, affirmation or attribute that is attributed to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, by a Companion or someone later).  As for reciting Al-Kahf at night as well, this is based on a report from Al-Dāramī, on the authority of Ibn Saʿīd, also marfūʿan: “Whoever recites it on the night of Friday, light shall shine forth for him between him and Al-Bayt Al-ʿAtīq [i.e. the Kaʿba]”.
[4] (tn): Ar. sāʿat.
[5] (tn): i.e. Al-Majmūʿ  Sharḥ Al-Muhadhdhab, Imam Al-Nawawī’s 27-volume fiqh book, which is the ultimate reference work for the Shāfiʿī school. Imam Ibn ʿAlān mentions that there are more than forty positions on the matter.
[6] (tn): See Kitāb Al-Ṣalāt ʿalā Rasūl Allah Ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam, p.105-108 of the same edition of Al-Adhkār.
[7] (tn): ‘The Sunnah is that one recite Sūrat Al-Jumuʿah [62] in the first rakʿa of the Friday Prayer and Al-Munāfiqūn [63] in the second. If one wants, they can recite “Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High” [Al-ʿAlā, 87] in the first and “Has the news of the Overwhelmer reached you?” [Al-Ghāshiyya, 88] in the second, as they are both Sunnah. Let one be wary of restricting oneself to only some of the sūrah in these situations. If one wants to go easy, let his recitation be gentle without any jabbering’. [Al-Adhkār, p.47, the Chapter on What to Say After the Taʿawwudh].
[8] (tn): ‘The Sunnah is that one recite in the first rakʿa of the dawn prayer on Friday “Alif, Lām, Mīm, The Revelation of the Book” Al-Sajda [32] and in the second “Has man ever known a point of time…” Al-Insān [76], and to read them both in their entirety. As for what some people do by only reciting some of them, this is contrary to the Sunnah’. [Al-Adhkār, p.47].
[9] (tn): Al-Ikhlāṣ 112:1.
[10] (tn): Al-Falaq 113:1.
[11] (tn): Al-Nās 114:1.
[12] (tn): Al-Jumuʿah 62:10.

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