Ismā‘īl, who said: Ayyūb narrated to us from Nāfi‘, who said: Ibn ‘Umar used to prolong his prayer before Friday prayer and pray two units afterward in his home. He related that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to do this.
This provides no evidence that Friday prayer has a sunnah prayer before it. By saying, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to do this,” he meant only that he would pray the two units after Friday prayer in his home, not in the mosque. This is the preferable way to perform them, as established in the two Sahīh collections (1), where Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to pray two units after Friday prayer in his home.
The Sunan (2) report that when Ibn ‘Umar was in Mecca and had performed Friday prayer, he would move forward and pray two units, then move forward again and pray four. When he was in Medina, he would perform Friday prayer, then return home and pray two units, without praying them in the mosque. When this was put to him, he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to do this.
As for Ibn ‘Umar’s prolonged prayer before Friday prayer, this was unrestricted voluntary prayer. This is the preferable practice for someone who comes to Friday prayer: to occupy himself with prayer until the imam comes out, as mentioned earlier in the reports of Abū Hurayrah and Nubaysha al-Hudhalī from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him:
Abū Hurayrah (3) said: “Whoever bathes on Friday, then comes to Friday prayer (4) and prays as much as