Missing the Jum'ah Three times

The Messenger - صلى الله عليه وسلم - said:

"Whoever doesn’t attend the Jum'ah three times out of negligence will have a seal placed over his heart by Allah."

[Collected by Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasaa-I, ibn Maajah and ad-Daarimi. It was declared as Saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami' #6143]

Al-Manawee stated:

"Allah will place a seal over his heart" Meaning Allah would seal it, cover it and prevent it from its goodness, and place ignorance, coldness and hardness in it, or turn it into the heart of a hypocrite.

[Fayd al-Qadeer: 6/133]

Shaykul Islam ibn Taymiyyah stated:

It has been authentically recorded on the authority of the Prophet - صلى الله عليه وسلم -that he said:

"Whoever doesn’t attend the Jum'ah three times out of negligence without an excuse will have a seal placed over his heart by Allah."

So if a seal is placed over the heart for not attending the Jum'ahs - even if that person prayed Dhuhr - then what would be the case with one who doesn't pray neither the Dhuhr or Jum'ah, or an obligation or a superogatory prayer.

[Al-Fatawa al-Kubrah: 1/189]

As-Suyooti stated:

"out of negligence"

It is possible that the meaning here is out of negligence concerning its obligation, not out of belittlement for it, because belittling Allah's obligations is Kufr."

And the meaning of:

"Allah will place a seal over his heart"

That Allah will seal it, cover it and prevent it from its goodness.

…

Al-'Iraaqi stated that what is meant by 'negligence' is not attending the Jum'ah without a valid reason, and 'seal over his heart' means that his heart will become the heart of a hypocrite.

Abul Baqa stated:

"A seal placed over his heart by Allah"

Meaning He would seal it, cover it and prevent it from its goodness.

[Haashiyat as-Suyooti was-Sindee 'ala Sunan an-Nasaa-i: 2/425]

Al-'Adheem Abaadi stated:

At-Taybee stated: 'out of negligence' Meaning being neglectful of it, and ibn Malik stated: Meaning being lax due to negligence, not due to an excuse. 'A seal placed over his heart by Allah' by preventing the good from reaching it, it was also said that it means he would be recorded as a hypocrite.

['Awn al-Ma'bood: 3/265]

Al-Mubarakfoori stated:

Ash-Shawkani stated: It is possible that was is meant is not attending three Jum'ahs ever, whether it happens one after the other or separately, even if a person leaves off a Jum'ah once a year, Allah would place a seal over his heart after the third time, and this is the apparent meaning of the Hadeeth.

It is also possible that what is meant is three Jum'ahs in a row, as is in the Hadeeth of Anas that was collected by ad-Daylami in Musnad al-Firdaws, because consecutively practicing a sin shows that one does not care much about it.

I say [Al-Mubarakfoori]: The second probability, meaning missing three Jum'ahs in a row, is the correct one due to what is established in Usool that nonrestrictive evidence is restricted by restrictive evidence. And the Hadeeth of Anas is supported by a Hadeeth collected by Abu Ya'la, with a chain of narrators fulfilling the criteria of Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Ibn 'Abbaas:

"Whoever does not attend three Jum'ahs in a row has thrown Islam behind his back."^[1]

[Mir'aat al-Mafateeh: 4/446]

'Abdul Muhsin al-'Abbad stated:

Abu Dawud as-Sijistani mentions the chapter: 'The Severity of not Attending the Jum'ah' Meaning that it is a dangerous affair, the affair is not light, there is a grave threat for it, so it is upon the Muslim to beware of being lax and negligent concerning it so that he may avoid this threat that was issued from the Messenger of Allah - صلى الله عليه وسلم ; it is his statement:

"Whoever doesn’t attend the Jum'ah three times out of negligence will have a seal placed over his heart by Allah."

Meaning that he does not go to the Jum'ah, he prays on his own or prays Dhuhr in congregation, and the Messenger - صلى الله عليه وسلم - informs us that whoever repeats this would have a seal placed over his heart by Allah, so guidance would not reach it and goodness would not reach it either. This illustrates the danger of this action, that it is an affair that is not permissible, and that it is an obligation upon every Muslim male to be diligent upon attending the Jum'ah and the congregation and not be negligent in that, so as not to place himself in a position where he is liable to have this severe threat by the Messenger of Allah - صلى الله عليه وسلم - applied upon him.

The likeness of this Hadeeth was collected in Saheeh Muslim; that the Prophet of Allah - صلى الله عليه وسلم - said while he was on the Minbar delivering a sermon:

"Let a certain people leave off being negligent in attending the congregations or Allah would put a seal over their hearts and they would surely be from the heedless."

All of this demonstrates the danger of forsaking the Jum'ah prayer.

[Sharh Sunan Abu Dawud by Shaykh 'Abdul Muhsin al-'Abbaad: 6/257 ]

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[1] It was collected by Abu Ya'lah in his MusnadL 2/719. Al-Albaani stated: "It is an authentic Isnad as was declared by al-Mundhiri: 1/261, and its chain of narrators is with the criteria of Muslim except Sufyan ibn Habeeb, he is trustworthy [but not with the criteria of Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim] and al-Bukhari collected his Ahadeeth in 'Al-Adab al-Mufrad. With this, the error in al-Haythami's statement – 'The men in the chain are with the criteria of Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim ' becomes known.