The Quran

يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا إِذا نودِيَ لِلصَّلاةِ مِن يَومِ الجُمُعَةِ فَاسعَوا إِلىٰ ذِكرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا البَيعَ ۚ ذٰلِكُم خَيرٌ لَكُم إِن كُنتُم تَعلَمونَ

Ali Unal

O you who believe! When the call is made for the Prayer on Friday, then move promptly to the remembrance of God (by listening to the sermon and doing the Prayer), and leave off business (and whatever else you may be preoccupied with). This is better for you, if you but knew.¹

The Friday Congregational Prayer is obligatory and a major Islamic symbol. God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, declared that God seals the heart of one who misses it three consecutive times without a valid excuse (Abū Dāwūd, “Salāh,” 215; at-Tirmidhī, “Salāh,” 359). There are also elements in the Friday Prayer that concern the Muslim community’s political freedom and condition, and it cannot be offered alone.
This prayer is offered during the time of the Noon Prayer, and the normal Noon Prayer is not performed on Friday. Every free, adult, sane, and resident Muslim male who can attend must attend, unless he has a valid reason not to do so. It is not obligatory upon women, children, those with valid excuses (e.g., illness, lack of security, extreme cold), and travelers.
A sermon must be made before the Friday Prayer. (The remembrance of God in the verse includes both the sermon and the Prayer itself.) The imām gives the sermon from a pulpit while standing. He begins by praising God and calling God’s blessings and peace upon God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, and his family. Next, he gives a sermon in which he exhorts Muslims to good deeds, discourages them from evil, advises them, and seeks to enlighten them mentally and spiritually and to guide them. He should not make the sermon too lengthy. After this part of the sermon, he sits for a short while and then, standing up, praises God, calls for God’s blessings and peace upon God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, and his family, and prays for all Muslims. The congregation must listen carefully and silently.
The Friday Prayer consists of two rak’ahs. It is a sunnah to offer four rak’ahs before it, just like the four rak’ahs offered before the Noon Prayer. After the Prayer, another (supererogatory) prayer of four rak’ahs is recommended.
Particularly the scholars of the Hanafī School of Law have had some doubts about the Friday Prayer’s validity under certain (political) conditions of the Muslim community. In some parts of the world, Muslims are under the general control of non-Muslims (literally and explicitly, or by indirect means), and so do not have the absolute freedom to offer their Jumu’ah Congregational Prayer and/or give the sermon in the manner that would make the Prayer and sermon valid. Therefore, to be certain that the performance of the prescribed Noon Prayer has been carried out correctly, they have ruled that another Prayer of four rak’ahs, just like the prescribed Noon Prayer, along with the intention of offering a later noon prayer, should be offered after the four-rak’ah supererogatory Prayer. They also advise following this with another supererogatory Prayer of two rak’ahs with the intention of offering the sunnah Prayer for that time.