Islamic History
The First Friday Prayers in Islam
In Mecca, it was not possible to gather Muslims in the Kaaba mosque and perform or lead the Friday prayer. [30] When Mus’ab b. Umeyr was sent to Medina, he asked our Prophet (a.s.) for permission to perform the Friday prayer; our Prophet (a.s.) instructed him in the letter he sent, to strive to approach Allah with two rak’ahs of prayer performed with the congregation after the time for Zuhr prayer on Fridays, and to address the Muslims through this means. Upon this, Mus’ab b. Umeyr gathered twelve people at Sa’d b. Haysema’s house in Quba, a sheep was slaughtered and eaten, and he became the first person to gather Muslims for the Friday prayer in Islamic history.[31] As’ad b. Zurara also gathered forty people in Medina, at Nakīu’l-Ḥadīm ‘atta (the black stone of the sons of Beyaz), and performed the Friday prayer. [32] Our Prophet (a.s.) also performed the two rak’ahs prayer for the first time in the house where he stayed in Quba, and delivered the khutbah.[33] Upon entering Medina, he performed the Friday prayer for the first time in the mosque located in the Rānuna valley where Salim b. ‘Auf’s family resided, and delivered the khutbah.[34]