The first Friday prayer at Banu Salim
أول جمعة ببني سالم
The first Friday prayer in Islam — the camel 'commanded' forward through the Ansar's pleas until the hour caught him among Banu Salim in Wadi Ranuna' — and the jurists' standing dispute over the Friday quorum, al-Shafi'i holding to forty, the Kufans otherwise 1.
At a glance
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
According to al-Mas'udi this was the first Friday prayer ever held in Islam. The Prophet set out from Quba on a Friday, with the Helpers clinging to the reins of his she-camel, and he said: "Leave her alone, for she is commanded." Then the time of prayer overtook him in the Banu Salim, and he prayed with them. 2
The place
It happened in the bottom of the valley known as the valley of Ranunaa. 2
The disagreement of the jurists
Al-Mas'udi says the jurists disputed the number by which the Friday prayer is complete. Al-Shafi'i and those with him held that it is not obligatory until there are forty or more, and others among the jurists of Kufa disagreed with him. 2
Other sources report the first Friday before the Hijra; see the first Friday prayer in Yathrib. Comparing the two accounts needs an additional source.
Sources
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p. 577-578
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p.577-578
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The first Friday prayer at Banu Salim”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/first-jumua-bani-salim/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.