Twenty-fourth: Since Friday is to the week what Eid is to the year, and Eid includes (1) prayer and a sacrificial offering, while Friday is a day of prayer, Allah, glorified be He, has made going early to the mosque on that day a substitute for a sacrificial offering, taking its place. Thus, one who goes to the mosque that day combines prayer with a sacrificial offering, as reported in the two Sahīh collections (2) from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:
“Whoever goes in the first hour is as though he offered a camel in sacrifice. Whoever goes in the second hour is as though he offered a cow in sacrifice. Whoever goes in the third hour is as though he offered a ram in sacrifice (3).”
The jurists have differed concerning these hours (4), holding two views:
The first is that they begin at the start of the day. This is the well-known position in the schools of al-Shāfi‘ī, Ahmad, and others.
The second is that they are portions of the sixth hour, after midday. This is the well-known position in Mālik’s school, and some Shāfi‘ī jurists have adopted it. They supported it with two arguments:
The first is that rawāh (going out) occurs only after midday, in contrast to ghuduww (going out in the morning), which occurs only before midday. Allah Most High says:
“Its morning journey was a month, and its afternoon journey was a month.” [Saba’: 12]
Al-Jawharī (5) said: “And it occurs (6) only after midday.”