Jumu‘ah Prayer & Niyyah

Walekumussalam,

The Sunnah Prayers Before and After Friday Prayer and How to Make the Intention

According to Hanafi jurisprudence, four rak‘ahs of Sunnah Mu’akkadah are established before the Friday prayer, and four rak‘ahs of Sunnah Mu’akkadah are established after the two obligatory rak‘ahs of Jumu‘ah.

 Order of the Prayer

 Before Jumu‘ah: Pray four rak‘ahs  of Sunnah Mu’akkadah.

 Obligatory Jumu‘ah Prayer: Perform  two obligatory rak‘ahs behind the  Imam.

 After Jumu‘ah: Pray four rak‘ahs of  Sunnah Mu’akkadah.

Additional Two Rak‘ahs: It is also permissible to pray two additional rak‘ahs afterward. According to Imam Abu Yusuf (رحمه الله), six rak‘ahs of Sunnah are prescribed after Jumu‘ah, whereas according to Imam Abu Hanifah (رحمه الله) and Imam Muhammad (رحمه الله), four rak‘ahs are prescribed. Therefore, praying two additional rak‘ahs after the first four is preferable.

How to Make the Intention (Niyyah)

Niyyah is essentially an intention in the heart; verbally stating the words of intention is not necessary. However, if someone wishes to verbalize the intention, they may do so as follows:

 Intention for the Four Sunnah Rak‘ahs Before Jumu‘ah: I intend to pray four rak‘ahs of Sunnah.

 Intention for the Obligatory Jumu‘ah Prayer: I intend to pray the two obligatory rak‘ahs of Jumu‘ah behind this Imam.

 Intention for the Four Sunnah Rak‘ahs After Jumu‘ah: I intend to pray four rak‘ahs of Sunnah.

 Intention for the Additional Two Rak‘ahs: I intend to pray two rak‘ahs of Sunnah.

It is not necessary to utter these exact words when making the intention. Having the intention in the heart is sufficient. For Sunnah prayers, a general intention to pray Sunnah is also sufficient.

If a person performs only the two obligatory rak‘ahs of Jumu‘ah, their obligatory prayer will be fulfilled. However, abandoning the Sunnah Mu’akkadah prayers without a valid excuse is not appropriate. Therefore, one should make an effort to observe the Sunnah prayers both before and after Jumu‘ah.

And Allah knows best.