Salamah bin al-Akwa' (1) said: We used to perform the Friday prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when the sun passed the meridian, then we would return and seek the shade. This is narrated by both (Bukhari and Muslim) (2). From Anas, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray the Friday prayer when the sun tilted. Recorded by Al-Bukhari (3). This is because doing so avoids the disagreement, as the scholars of the Ummah have agreed that the time after the meridian (zawal) is a time for the Friday prayer, while the disagreement is only regarding the time before it. There is no difference in the desirability of performing it immediately after the meridian, regardless of whether the heat is intense or otherwise; for people gather for the Friday prayer, and if they were to wait for the cooling of the day (al-ibrad), it would be difficult for them. Likewise, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to perform it when the sun passed the meridian, in both winter and summer, at one fixed time. It is recommended that he ascend a pulpit (minbar) for the sermon so that he may be heard by the people, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to address the people on his pulpit. Sahl bin Sa'd said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent a message to so-and-so—a woman whom Sahl named—saying: "Order your carpenter slave to make me some wooden planks (a pulpits) which I can sit on when I speak to the people." This is narrated by both (Bukhari and Muslim) (4). Umm Hisham bint Harithah bin al-Nu'man said: I only memorized Qaf...
(1) In [A] and [M]: "Salamah", which is an error. (2) Recorded by Al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on the Battle of al-Hudaybiyyah, from the Book of Military Expeditions. Sahih al-Bukhari 5/159. And by Muslim, in: The Chapter on Performing the Friday Prayer When the Sun Passes the Meridian, from the Book of Friday Prayer. Sahih Muslim 2/589. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on the Time of the Friday Prayer, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/249. Al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on the Time of the Friday Prayer, from the Book of Friday Prayer. Al-Mujtaba 1/81. Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Said Regarding the Time of the Friday Prayer, from the Book of Establishing Prayer. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/350. (3) In: The Chapter on the Time of the Friday Prayer When the Sun Passes the Meridian, from the Book of Friday Prayer. Sahih al-Bukhari 2/8. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on the Time of the Friday Prayer, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/249. Al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Said Regarding the Time of the Friday Prayer, from the Chapters on Friday. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/291. Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 3/128, 150, 228. (4) Recorded by Al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on Seeking Help from a Carpenter... etc., from the Book of Prayer; in: The Chapter on the Sermon on the Pulpit, from the Book of Friday Prayer; in: The Chapter on the Carpenter, from the Book of Sales; and in: The Chapter on One Who Asks a Gift from His Companions, from the Book of Gifts. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/122, 2/11, 3/80, 201. And by Muslim, in: The Chapter on the Permissibility of One or Two Steps in Prayer, from the Book of Mosques. Sahih Muslim 1/386, 387. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on Constructing a Pulpit, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/248. Al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on Prayer on the Pulpit, from the Book of Mosques. Al-Mujtaba 2/45. Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 5/339.
