Al-Jumu'ah, "Friday," is the sixty-second surah — 11 verses revealed in Medina.1 It is the surah that gives Muslims their weekly congregational prayer, and the Prophet ﷺ himself used to recite it in that prayer.5
What it is about
The surah opens with the Prophet's ﷺ mission: God "has sent among the unlettered [Arabs] a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom — although they were before in clear error — and [to] others of them who have not yet joined them."2 It warns against receiving scripture without living by it: "The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]."3
Then comes the command: "O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew. And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah often." The surah ends with a gentle rebuke of those who, on one occasion, "saw a transaction or a diversion... rushed to it and left you standing. Say, 'What is with Allah is better than diversion and than a transaction.'"4
Why it matters
Al-Jumu'ah is the Quranic foundation of the Friday prayer, the weekly gathering at the heart of Muslim communal life. Its instruction to leave trade for prayer and then return to seek one's living expresses the Islamic balance between worship and work, and its image of the donkey carrying books remains a pointed warning against knowledge without practice. To read Al-Jumu'ah in Arabic with translations and recitation, open it on Quran.com.