Abandoning the Friday prayer 

Sources:  

• The Clarified Ruling of Mistakes done in the Salaat by Mashhur al-Hasan
•  Fat-h Dhil-Jalaali wal-Ikraam bi Sharh Bulugh al-Maraam by Shaikh ibn ‘Uthaimeen
• Riyadhus-Saliheen by Darus-Salaam

Abu Hurairah and ‘Umar (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhuma) narrated that they heard Allaah’s Messenger (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saying: “People must cease to neglect the Friday prayers, or else Allaah will seal their hearts and then they will be among the Ghaafileen (heedless).” [Muslim]

[The Ghaafileen are those whose hearts know no good and are heedless of Allaah’s remembrance and His Ayaat (signs, etc.), i.e. one will not get benefit of his lifetime.]

The Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) also said: “Whoever abandons three Friday congregational prayers without necessity (i.e. out of laziness or carelessness), Allaah will seal his heart.” [Authenticated by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jamie’, no. 6140]

The Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) also said: “Whoever hears the Adhaan for Friday Salaat and does not respond [i.e. attend the Masjid], then hears it and does not respond, then hears it once again and does not respond, Allaah will seal his heart and turn it into that of a hypocrite.” [Authenticated by al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Targheeb, no. 735 on the authority of Yahya ibn As’ad ibn Zurarah]

[‘Seal’ means no good will reach his heart at all]

Commentary   

1- In these narrations there is a severe threat against the one who abandons the Friday congregational prayer. They will be among the negligent ones, i.e. those who will become utterly unmindful of the remembrance of Allaah and His Commands. Such people are hypocrites, whose abode will be Hell. It means that negligence of Jumu’ah is such a serious offense that it can even seal a man’s heart, which ends all hope and chance of one’s improvement. [Riyadhus-Saliheen by Darus-Salaam]

2- Offering Jumu’ah (Friday) congregational Salaat in the Masjid is Fard `Ain (obligatory upon every male Muslim); it is not a collective duty such that if a group of Muslims performed it, the rest will not be responsible.

3- Sealing the heart until one becomes Ghaafil (heedless) is a great punishment, the cause of which is the person himself. This is because the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “They neglect Friday prayers.” For everything there is a cause and those who neglected the Friday prayer, they themselves were the cause of their deviation.

4- The apparent meaning of the aforementioned Ahadeeth (narrations) is that whoever does not attend the Friday prayer three times without having any legal excuse, his heart will be sealed and he will be of the Ghaafileen and hypocrites. These three times are not necessarily successive; they could be separate – as some scholars held that even if these three occasions took place each in a different year, their heart will be sealed after the third time. [The Clarified Ruling of Mistakes done in the Salaat]

5- Warning against abandoning the Friday prayer, because it is one of the major sins due to the consequent threat and punishment set for those who abandon it without a legal excuse.

6- Every male Muslim should be keen to attend the Jumu’ah prayer and never leave it for trivial, false excuses such as football matches, picnics on Friday, etc.

One of the most prevalent mistakes people make is believing that it is permissible for a bridegroom to abandon the Jumu’ah (Friday) prayer and other congregational prayers in the Masjid.

This misconception is due to false interpretation of the Hadeeth where the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “A virgin’s proportion is seven days and the matron’s proportion is three days.” [Al-Bukhaari]

This Hadeeth is concerning the man who gets married to another woman, (e.g. he takes a second wife).

Such false acts prevail due to false rulings given by some scholars.