—provided that the quorum of forty is completed by others, according to the preponderant opinion. Should it later become clear that the imam was in a state of major ritual impurity or lacked ablution, their Friday prayer is still valid on the preponderant view, so long as the required number is made up by someone else; otherwise, it is not. Anyone who joins such an imam while he is already bowing does not have that bowing counted as a full cycle (rakʿah), according to the soundest position.

5. Two sermons delivered before the prayer. Their essential pillars are five:

1. praising Allah Most High,
2. invoking blessings upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ—both with fixed wording,
3. exhorting the congregation to God-fearingness, whose exact wording is not fixed on the sound view; these three pillars are required in both sermons;
4. reciting a Qurʾanic verse in one of the two—some say in the first, others in both, and yet others that it is not obligatory;
5. uttering any form of supplication for the believers in the second sermon—though some jurists hold that this, too, is not obligatory.

The sermons must be in Arabic, the first three pillars kept in their stated order. They are to be delivered after the sun has passed its zenith, while standing if the imam can, with a brief sitting between the two, and in a voice that reaches forty legally accountable listeners. According to Imam al-Shāfiʿī’s later view, speech is not forbidden to the congregation during the sermons, though attentive silence remains recommended.

I say: the stronger opinion is that strict order among the pillars is not a condition, and Allah knows best. The preponderant view, however, requires continuity, freedom from both minor and major impurity, physical cleanliness, and proper covering of the body. It is recommended to give the sermons from a pulpit or other raised place. The imam greets those near the pulpit, turns to face the worshippers as he ascends, greets them again, then sits while the adhān is called. The sermons should be eloquent, clear, and concise; the imam should not look to either side during them and may lean on a sword, staff, or similar support. His sitting between the two sermons should last about the time needed to recite Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ. When he finishes, the muʾadhdhin gives the iqāmah, and the imam moves quickly so that he reaches the prayer niche as it concludes. In the first unit he recites Sūrat al-Jumuʿah, and in the second Sūrat al-Munāfiqūn, both aloud.

Section

It is recommended for those attending the Friday prayer to perform the ritual bath; another opinion extends the recommendation to everyone. Its time begins at dawn, yet bathing closer to one’s departure for the mosque is preferable. If one is unable to bathe, he performs dry ablution instead, according to the sound view. Also recommended are the baths for the ʿEid prayers, for the eclipse and rain-seeking prayers, and for anyone who has washed a deceased person.