Enhancing the spirit of collectivity Friday congregational...

Enhancing the spirit of collectivity Friday congregational prayer gathers the scattered drops of human beings into a single ocean, and through mutual communication and acquaintance, everybody acquires the spirit of collectivity, and thus, dissension and individualism gradually vanish. 5. The center for mobilization The Friday congregational prayer stronghold is the best place to invite people and mobilize them for jihad , defence, solving social problems, and rendering assistance to others.

This glorious power of the masses that is formed in the Friday congregational prayer has always been the focus of attention.

During the early days of Islam, the Messenger of Allah (S) and the Commander of the Faithful ( ‘a ) used to mobilize the people and dispatch them to the arenas of jihad .[^5] Life conduct {sirah} of the holy saints {awliya’} The conduct { sirah } of the Messenger of Allah (S) and the infallible Imams ( ‘a ) in relation to Friday congregational prayer bespeaks of its importance and the need to increase efforts for this obligation.

It is recorded in the hadith that ‘Ali ( ‘a ) said: “During Thursday, do not take medicine that weakens the body.” He was asked for the reason.

He said: “So that it does not hinder you from attending the Friday congregational prayer.”[^6] Imam as-Sadiq ( ‘a ) says: “The companions of the Prophet used to make preparation for Friday on Thursday because on Friday the time is limited (because of their works).”[^7] The Commander of the Faithful ( ‘a ) used to free those who were imprisoned on account of debt, accusation, and the like so that they could attend the Friday congregational prayer while their guardians used to guarantee that they would return to the prison cell.

The Imam ( ‘a ) also used to allow the imprisoned transgressors { fasiqun }, under guard, to participate in the congregational prayer.[^8] As a token of commemorating Friday congregational prayer and glorifying these rites, ‘Ali ( ‘a ) used to attend the congregational prayer barefooted, holding his shoes with his left hand saying, “This prayer has a special divine status.” He used to do so out of humility in the presence of the Lord.[^9] Keeping this in view, the importance of this obligatory act becomes clear, and any committed Muslim must not be heedless of attending this politico-religious assembly.