then giving charity before speaking privately with Him—mighty and majestic—is all the more meritorious.”
Ahmad ibn Zuhayr ibn Harb (1) said: My father (2) narrated to us; Jarīr narrated to us, from Mansūr, from Mujāhid, from Ibn ‘Abbās, who said: Abū Hurayrah and Ka‘b met, and Abū Hurayrah said: “On Friday there is an hour during which, if a Muslim man is praying and asks Allah—mighty and majestic—for anything, He grants it to him.”
Ka‘b said: “I (3) will tell you about Friday: when Friday comes, the heavens and the earth, land and sea, mountains, trees, and all creatures are seized with fear on its account, except humankind and the devils. The angels gather around the mosque’s entrances, recording those who arrive in order of arrival, until the imam comes out. When the imam comes out, they fold up their scrolls. Whoever arrives thereafter comes to fulfil Allah’s right and the duty prescribed for him. Everyone who has reached puberty must bathe that day as he would to cleanse himself of sexual impurity. Giving charity on that day is more meritorious than giving it on other days. The sun has neither risen nor set upon a day like Friday.”
Ibn ‘Abbās said: “This is what Ka‘b and Abū Hurayrah related. In my view, if his household has any perfume, he should apply (4) some of it.”
Twenty-fifth: It is the day when Allah—mighty and majestic—manifests Himself to His believing friends in Paradise and they visit Him. Those closest to Him will be those closest to the imam, and the earliest to visit Him