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The first Friday prayer in Yathrib

أول جمعة بيثرب قبل الهجرة

c. 622 CE · 1 AH

Medina

The first congregational Friday in Islam, on the account of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Ka'b ibn Malik: As'ad ibn Zurara gathered it at Naqi' al-Khadimat in the harra of Banu Bayada with forty men, and his father Ka'b used to pray for As'ad's forgiveness whenever he heard the Friday call, for he was the first to gather them; al-Zuhri's version that Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr gathered twelve men is reconciled in that As'ad held the prayer with the twelve and Mus'ab led it 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia
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In time

610620630640 c.
Pre-Islamic Arabia · The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate

In space

Medina

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Sacred time

Overview

According to the account of Abd al-Rahman ibn Ka'b ibn Malik, the first Friday prayer in Islam was led by As'ad ibn Zurara in the Harra of the Banu Bayada, at the Naqi' al-Khadamat of Medina; they were forty men. 2

The report

His father Ka'b, whenever he heard the call to the Friday prayer, would ask forgiveness for As'ad, because he was the first to gather them for it. 2

The report of al-Zuhri

It is related from al-Zuhri that Musab ibn Umayr led the Friday prayer with twelve men. Al-Samhudi reconciles the two reports: As'ad held the Friday prayer with the help of the twelve, and Musab was the imam. 2

This was before the Prophet ﷺ's Hijra to Medina. 2

Connections

Explore the connections

Occurred at
Medina
Had participant
As'ad ibn Zurara· Mus'ab ibn Umayr

People and things also explored

The Pledges of Aqaba· The Hijra· The affair of the Badr prisoners· The Battle of Uhud· The first pledge of al-Aqaba· The building of the Prophet's Mosque· Uhud war council and Muslim mobilization· The Ansar

Sources

  1. Wafa al-Wafa bi-akhbar dar al-Mustafa — al-Samhudi (older print), p. 236-237
  2. Wafa al-Wafa bi-akhbar dar al-Mustafa — al-Samhudi (older print), p.236-237
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The first Friday prayer in Yathrib”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/first-jumua-yathrib/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.

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Time

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The Pledges of Aqaba

The First and Second Pledges of Aqaba at Mina in the 12th and 13th years of prophethood (621 and 622 CE), in which delegates from Yathrib pledged allegiance to the Prophet, preparing Medina as the haven of the Hijra.