The Prophet (ﷺ) informed us that on the day of Jumu’ah, Allah jalla wa ‘ala assigns angels to the doors of the masjid. These angels carry books in which they record the names of those entering the masjid. Those who arrive early receive greater rewards, while those who come later receive comparatively fewer rewards. However, there is a special reward reserved for those who arrive early for Jumu’ah. The Jumu’ah is not just the two units of prayer (Rak’ah) that you perform; the Jumu’ah prayer includes the obligatory two Rak’ahs as well as the sermon. Therefore, the angels record the names of attendees as they stand at the doors of the mosque. Insha’Allah, if you came today, your name was written, provided you fulfill the next condition.
When the Imam ascends the pulpit (member), the angels close their books and listen attentively. If you want to attain the special reward of Jumu’ah, you must be present before the Imam starts the sermon. It is crucial to understand that when we say we are attending Jumu’ah, it includes both the Sunnah (two units) and the obligatory prayers.
This matter is so serious that if you talk during it, for example, 𝗶𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗻𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 “𝗔𝗹𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵,” 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 “𝗬𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗺𝘂𝗸𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵,” 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝘂𝗺𝘂’𝗮𝗵. 𝗜𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱. 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝘂𝗺𝘂’𝗮𝗵, 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝘂𝗺𝘂’𝗮𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀. Consider, for instance, the case of a person who wakes up early, makes an effort to come to the mosque, and then engages in such activities as playing on the phone, checking schedules, and sending messages all forfeiture of the special rewards of Jumu’ah.
Sometimes, we even witness people answering the phone during the Kutbah. Subhan Allah, this is concerning. The Prophet (ﷺ) informed us that if somebody speaks during Jumu’ah and you tell them to be quiet, you have lost the reward of Jumu’ah. Engaging in idle talk or speech during this sacred time is a serious issue, my brothers. The prevalence of smartphones adds to the challenge. We find ourselves unable to refrain from using our smartphones even in the house of Allah, answering calls during the prayer. If this describes your situation, where you can’t put your phone away for 20 minutes to half an hour, and you have to bring it out, your affair is desperate, and you need serious help.
Hence, it is recommended to come early, maintain silence during the sermon, and avoid distractions such as smartphone use in the masjid. This etiquette applies to everyone, including those bringing children. Conversations with children should be minimized during Jumu’ah, ensuring a peaceful environment for all attendees. May Allah rectify our affairs and help us observe the proper etiquette of Jumu’ah.
This is taken from a Khutbah of Ustadh Abu Ibraheem Hussnayn — Social Media & Smartphones: The Modern Day Traps.
