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Dear Zuha,
I know you are inquisitive about how our religious days fit into the modern world. It is a brilliant question. I will be breaking this down for you so you can clearly see that Islam is not a copycat. It is a complete system with its own deep, independent roots.
Firstly, you asked: if the Gregorian calendar is not real, why do Muslims pray on Friday, and is there a different Friday in the Islamic calendar?
To help you and others understand, we have to go back to history.
Pope Gregory was the one who introduced the Gregorian calendar, and he introduced it in 1582. However, when you look at Islamic history, you will see that Muslims had been observing Jumu'ah for nearly a thousand years before that Pope was even born. If you open classical books of Islamic history such as the Seerah of Ibn Hisham or The Sealed Nectar, the physical proof is right there.
These books documented the very first Jumu'ah prayer held by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in 622 CE. It took place in the valley of Ranuna during his migration from Mecca to Medina. In that same era, Allah revealed an entire chapter in the Quran called Surah Al-Jumu'ah, where He commanded the believers to leave their worldly trades and gather. This proves Yawm al-Jumu'ah was a lived reality in the 7th century, over 900 years before the Gregorian calendar existed in Rome.
Now, you might wonder how this connects to the Friday we know today. Frankly, the seven day weekly loop is an entirely different system from how we count solar or lunar months. It is an ancient, unbroken mathematical cycle. You do not even have to take my word for it. Non Muslim historians and sociologists agree on this.
For instance, Eviatar Zerubavel in his book The Seven Day Circle confirmed that this weekly cycle has remained completely unbroken for thousands of years across different empires. The day the Western world decided to call Friday aligns seamlessly with the sixth day of that ancient cycle.
In Arabic, the days are just numbered. Sunday is Day One. Monday is Day Two. The sixth day is Yawm al-Jumu'ah, the Day of Gathering. This means we do not pray on this day to honor a Roman calendar. That is, it was just a coincidental relationship. We pray on it because Allah established it on a divine timeline.
Secondly, you asked: why is Friday night considered so blessed, and what are you missing here?
To understand this, we have to look at the foundations of human existence. Friday goes more than just the end of the work week. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us that Friday is the day Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) was created, the day he entered Paradise, the day he was sent to earth, and the day the world will end.
This is why the Prophet had a very profound routine. Every Friday during the early morning Fajr prayer, he would recite Surah As-Sajdah and Surah Al-Insan. He did this deliberately. These two chapters detail the creation of the universe, the biological creation of man, and the intense realities of the Day of Judgment. Praying these chapters every Friday morning is a divine reset. It reminds you of your origin and your final destination, both of which are tied to this specific day.
Because Friday carries the heavy weight of the end of times, reciting Surah Al-Kahf is your spiritual shield. The Surah contains stories about the ultimate trials of wealth, power, and faith. Reading it provides a divine light that protects your heart from the materialistic noise of the world and the deception of the Dajjal until the next Jumu'ah.
So by this fact, you are not missing anything. You just need to see that we are not following a Gregorian Friday. We are following a divine timeline. Don’t fret.
Allah knows best.
Zuha Malik@zoemalyks_chai
I have a question. If the Gregorian calendar isn't real, why do Muslims pray jummah and recite surah kahf on Friday? Why is Friday night considered so blessed in Islam? Is there a different Friday in the Islamic calendar? What am I missing here?
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