Jumu’ah-tul-Wida’a
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Assalamo alykum wa Rehmatullahe wa Barakaatuh
Jumu’ah-tul-Wida’a (Farewell/Last Friday of Ramadan)
There is nothing special in the Shari’ah that distinguishes the last Friday of the month of Ramadan from the other Fridays of the same month, and there is nothing called as the ‘Farewell Friday’. Some people even call it the ‘Orphan Friday’ and they believe in it and do on it things which has no foundation in the Shari’ah. Indeed, there is no difference between the first, second and third Friday of the month of Ramadan.
Knowing that there is nothing that distinguishes the last Friday of Ramadan from the other Fridays of the same month, then doing some special acts of worship or gathering while considering that as an act that gets one closer to Allaah is an additional (secondary) innovation (i.e. an act of worship whose basis is permitted but it contradicts the Sharee’ah regarding its reason, type, amount, manner, time or place).
Regarding the innovations which have been introduced related to this Last Friday of Ramadan.
ash-Shawkaani – رحمه الله – stated a hadeeth which states that:
مَنْ صَلَّى فِي آخِرِ جُمُعَةٍ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ الْخَمْسَ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْمَفْرُوضَةَ فِي الْيَوْمِ وَاللَّيْلَةِ قَضَتْ عَنْهُ مَا أَخَلَّ بِهِ مِنْ صَلاةِ سُنَّتِهِ
“Whoever prays the five obligatory prayers in the last Friday of the month of Ramadan, this will make up for any deficiencies for his prayer throughout the whole year.”
After mentioning the hadeeth, he said: “This is a fabricated Hadeeth without any difference of opinion about that.”
[Source: “Al-Fawaa’id Al-Majmoo’ah fee al-ahadeeth al-Mawdoo’at” page 54, under hadeeth #115]
ash-Shawkaani – رحمه الله – after mentioning the hadeeth and stating that it is fabricated, wrote in the end: فَقَبَّحَ اللَّهُ الْكَذَّابِينَ “Allaah’s curse be on the liars”
[Source: “Al-Fawaa’id Al-Majmoo’ah fee al-ahadeeth al-Mawdoo’at” page 54, under hadeeth #115]
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta’ was asked a question:
Question: Some Imams (leaders of congregational Prayer) offer five Salahs (Prayers) in Ramadan after the last Jumu’ah (Friday) Prayer, with an Adhan (call to Prayer) and Iqamah (call to start the Prayer) for each. They call it Salat-ul-Qada’ Al-‘Umry (making up for Prayer once in a lifetime). The common people perform it, as its name denotes, to make up for all the missed Salahs in one’s entire life; The Imams offer it to compensate for the imperfect parts of their Salahs, and they blame everyone who does not offer it. Is it permissible to offer this Salah in Ramadan after the last Jumu’ah Prayer? Has it any legal foundation in the Shari’ah?
Reply: Salah is a form of ‘Ibadah (worship), so the basic rule on it is Tawqif (a religious text and not personal opinion) and the manner of compensating for it is clarified in Islamic rulings which can be derived only from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the Ijma’ (consensus of scholars) based on one or both of them. It was neither reported from the Prophet – صلى الله عليه وسلم – nor from his Sahabah (Companions, May Allaah be pleased with them), or the Imams of guidance (may Allaah be merciful with them) that they offered this Salah or urged people to do it. If it had been authentically established, the Sahabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) would have known it and transmitted it to us and the Imams of guidance would have informed us about it.
However, this was never reported from any of them, whether by sayings or actions, which indicates that it is a Bid’ah (innovation in religion) which is not permitted by Allaah. It is authentically reported that the Prophet – صلى الله عليه وسلم – stated, {Whoever introduces something into this affair of ours that is not of it, it is to be rejected.}
He – صلى الله عليه وسلم – only informed us that if a person misses a Salah due to sleep or forgetfulness, they must offer it immediately when they awaken or when they remember it, not in the last Friday of Ramadan.
[Source: “Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah”, Fatwa no. 2438, Volume 8, Pages 167-168]
ash-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen – رحمه الله – was asked a question regarding the praying of obligatory prayer on the last Friday of Ramadan thinking that it makes up for the prayers missed and removes the obligations of these prayers.
The Shaykh replied:
الحكم في هذه الصلاة أنها من البدع، وليس لها أصل في الشريعة الإسلامية، وهي لا تزيد الإنسان من ربه إلا بعداً، لأن رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم يقول: ” كل بدعة ضلالة، وكل ضلالة في النار “.
فالبدع وإن استحسنها مبتدعوها ورأوها حسنة في نفوسهم فإنها سيئة عند الله عز وجل لأن نبيه صلي الله عليه وسلم يقول : ” كل بدعة ضلالة، وكل ضلالة في النار “.
وهذه الصلوات الخمس التي يقضيها الإنسان في آخر جمعة من رمضان لا أصل لها في الشرع
“The ruling on this prayer is that it is a Bid’ah (innovation) and has no basis in the Islamic Shariah. It does not increase a man in the sight of his Lord, but distances him, because the messenger of Allaah – صلى الله عليه وسلم – said : {Every innovation leads to misguidance, and every misguidance leads to Hellfire}.
So the innovation, that was approved by the innovators because they saw good in it – it is a sin in the sight of Allaah because his prophet – صلى الله عليه وسلم – said : {Every innovation leads to misguidance, and every misguidance leads to Hellfire}
This five prayers which the man makes up in the Last Friday of Ramadan – It has no basis in the Shariah.”
[Source: “Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il” of ash-Shaykh ibn al-‘Uthaymeen, Volume 12, page 228]
Compiled, edited and adapted by Khalid Latif.