“The Friday bath is obligatory for every adult (1).”
It was recorded by Muslim and by Abū Dāwūd through Mālik’s disciples.
Al-Nasaʾī (2) also transmitted it, through Hārūn ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Ḥammāl, al-Ḥasan ibn Sawwār, al-Layth ibn Saʿd, Khālid ibn Yazīd, Saʿīd ibn Abī Hilāl, Abū Bakr ibn al-Munkadir, ʿAmr ibn Sulaym al-Zurqī, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān the son of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, from his father—may Allah be pleased with him.
Judging from the sequence of numbers, it appears that our shaykh transmitted it by ijāzah from al-Nasaʾī—Allah’s favor is abundant.
166 – Zayd ibn Jubayr al-Taʾī al-Kūfī * (ʿ)
One of the trustworthy Successors.
His report from Ibn ʿUmar is included in the Ṣaḥīḥ collections.
He also narrated from Khishf ibn Mālik and Abū Yazīd al-Ḍabbī.
Narrations from him were transmitted by Ḥajjāj ibn Arṭāʿah, Shuʿbah, al-Thawrī, Isrāʾīl, Zuhayr, Abū ʿAwanah, and others.
(1) Reported by Malik 1/102, Book of Jumuah, chapter: “Act of bathing on Friday”; by al-Bukhari 1/212, Book of Jumuah, chapters: “The merit of the Friday bath,” “Perfume for Friday,” and “Is the bath required of women, children and others who do not attend the prayer?”; in the Book of Testimonies, chapter: “The age at which boys’ testimony is accepted”; and in the Description of Prayer, chapter: “The ablution of boys.” Also reported by Muslim (846), Book of Jumuah, chapter: “The Friday prayer is obligatory for every adult male,” as well as by Abu Dawud (341) and al-Nasai. Several scholars, among them Abu Hurayrah, al-Hasan and Malik, hold that performing ghusl on Friday is obligatory. The majority, however, regard it as a sunnah rather than a duty, citing the Prophetic statement related by Samura ibn Jundub: “Whoever performs wudu on Friday, that suffices and is good; whoever bathes, bathing is better.” This hadith is sound and strong; it is recorded by Ahmad 5/11, 16, 22, Abu Dawud (354) and al-Tirmidhi (497), with additional supporting chains—see Nasb al-Raya 1/91, 93.
(2) This chain of transmitters is not found in the copy of al-Mujtaba available to us—a work compiled by Ibn al-Sani—so it is presumably in the larger collection (al-Kubra).
(*) Ibn Saad, Tabaqat 6/329; al-Bukhari, Tarikh al-Kabir 3/390; Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Jarh wa-l-Ta'dil 3/558; al-Mizzi, Tahdhib al-Kamal, 453; Ibn Hajar, Tadhhib al-Tahdhib 1/249/2 and Tahdhib al-Tahdhib 3/400; al-Dhahabi, Tarikh al-Islam 5/74; al-Khazraji, Khalasat Tadhhib al-Kamal, 127.