Wa`alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

 

Jumu`ah is the weekly assembly of Muslims; it is one of the great symbols of Islam, whose purpose is to build a vibrant community and foster unity among Muslims.

 

We are ordered by Allah in the Qur’an to hasten to respond the call of the muadhin on Friday and shun all other distracting activities or business. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also exhorts the faithful not only to observe the Friday prayer but also to exert oneself to go as early as possible to derive maximum blessings of the largest weekly assembly of Muslims. He also said that the rewards vary according to how soon one arrives at the mosque for the Friday prayer and that the angels sit at the entrance of the mosque and record the names of those who come early.  However, when the Imam arises to deliver the sermon, they close the register and listen to it. Furthermore, we learn from the traditions that khutbah is in place of two rak`ahs cut from Zhuhr prayer.

 

It is, therefore, clear from the above how important it is to arrive the mosque early and the blessings we lose by missing the khutbah.

 

Now let me come to your question: There is a consensus among scholars that those who miss the Khutbah are indeed missing abundant blessings. And the majority are of the view that those who do not catch the last rak`ah miss the Jumu`ah altogether and they need to pray Zhuhr. They base it on the tradition reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Whoever catches one rak`ah with the imam, he catches the salah.” Imam Abu Hanifah, however, is of the view that even though he misses the full blessings, he catches the salah even if he were to join the salah while Imam is in the final sitting before Salam.

The conclusion: No one should deliberately delay his arrival at the mosque; by doing so he deprives himself of abundant blessings.