and “Has there come upon man” (1), because these two surahs recount what occurred and what will occur on Friday: creation and resurrection, the gathering of all creatures, and their being raised from their graves to enter Paradise or Hell. It was not because of the prostration, as those deficient in knowledge and understanding suppose. Such a person therefore recites a passage requiring prostration from another surah, believing that the Friday dawn prayer has been distinguished by a prostration, and reproaches anyone who does not perform it.

Likewise, at large gatherings, such as the Eid prayers and similar occasions, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would recite surahs concerning Allah’s oneness, creation and resurrection, the accounts of the prophets and their peoples, and how He dealt (2) with those who rejected the prophets and disbelieved in them, bringing them destruction and misery, and with those who believed in them and accepted their truthfulness, granting them deliverance and well-being. Thus, at the two Eid prayers, he would recite the two surahs “Qāf. By the glorious Quran” and “The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has split.” At other times, he would recite “Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High” and “Has there come to you the account of the Overwhelming?”

Sometimes, at the Friday prayer, he would recite Surah al-Jumu‘ah because it commands this prayer, makes proceeding to it obligatory, commands abandoning work that prevents attendance, and commands remembering Him abundantly (3), so that they may attain success in both worlds. Neglecting His remembrance brings ruin and destruction in both worlds. In the second unit of prayer, he would recite the surah “When the hypocrites come to you,” to warn the community against ruinous hypocrisy, and to warn them (4) lest their wealth and children distract them (5) from the Friday prayer and from remembering Him (6), and that, if they did so, they would inevitably suffer loss, and to urge them to