Which Days of the Week Are Named in the Quran?
ما هي أيام الأسبوع المذكورة بالاسم في القرآن الكريم؟
Friday and Saturday.
(O believers! When the call to prayer is made on Friday, then proceed ˹diligently˺ to the remembrance of Allah and leave off ˹your˺ business. That is best for you, if only you knew.) [Al-Jumu'ah 62:9]
(You are already aware of those of you who broke the Sabbath. We said to them, “Be disgraced apes!”) [Al-Baqarah 2:65]
(O you who were given the Book! Believe in what We have revealed, confirming your own Scriptures, before We wipe out ˹your˺ faces, turning them backwards, or We condemn the defiant as We did to the Sabbath-breakers. And Allah’s command is always executed.) [An-Nisa' 4:47]
(We raised the Mount over them ˹as a warning˺ for ˹breaking˺ their covenant and said, “Enter the gate ˹of Jerusalem˺ with humility.” We also warned them, “Do not break the Sabbath,” and took from them a firm covenant.) [An-Nisa' 4:154]
(Ask them ˹O Prophet˺ about ˹the people of˺ the town which was by the sea, who broke the Sabbath. During the Sabbath, ˹abundant˺ fish would come to them clearly visible, but on other days the fish were never seen. In this way We tested them for their rebelliousness.) [Al-A'araf 7:163]
(˹Honouring˺ the Sabbath was ordained only for those who disputed about Abraham. And surely your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Judgment regarding their disputes.) [An-Nahl 16:124]
يوما الجمعة والسبت.
(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ) [الجمعة 62: 9]
(وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ) [البقرة 2: 65]
(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ آمِنُوا بِمَا نَزَّلْنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّطْمِسَ وُجُوهًا فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَىٰ أَدْبَارِهَا أَوْ نَلْعَنَهُمْ كَمَا لَعَنَّا أَصْحَابَ السَّبْتِ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّـهِ مَفْعُولًا) [النساء 4: 47]
(وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَهُمُ الطُّورَ بِمِيثَاقِهِمْ وَقُلْنَا لَهُمُ ادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ لَا تَعْدُوا فِي السَّبْتِ وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُم مِّيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا) [النساء 4: 154]
(وَاسْأَلْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ الْبَحْرِ إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِي السَّبْتِ إِذْ تَأْتِيهِمْ حِيتَانُهُمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا وَيَوْمَ لَا يَسْبِتُونَ لَا تَأْتِيهِمْ كَذَٰلِكَ نَبْلُوهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ) [الأعراف 7: 163]
(إِنَّمَا جُعِلَ السَّبْتُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَيَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ) [النحل 16: 124]
1. Friday: The Day of Gathering | يوم الجمعة
Allah says: O you who believe, when the call is made for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade (62:9). Ibn Kathir explains that the day is called al-Jumu'ah from gathering, because the people of Islam gather on it once a week in the great mosques. The surah named after this day is discussed in which surah is named after a day of the week.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ (سورة الجمعة: 9)
قال تعالى: (يا أيها الذين آمنوا إذا نودي للصلاة من يوم الجمعة فاسعوا إلى ذكر الله وذروا البيع) (الجمعة 62: 9). وبين ابن كثير أنها سميت الجمعة لأنها مشتقة من الجمع، فإن أهل الإسلام يجتمعون فيه في كل أسبوع مرة بالمعابد الكبار.
2. The Best Day the Sun Rises On | خير يوم طلعت عليه الشمس
The Prophet said: The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday: on it Adam was created, on it he was admitted into Paradise, and on it he was taken out of it (Sahih Muslim 854).
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "خير يوم طلعت عليه الشمس يوم الجمعة، فيه خلق آدم، وفيه أدخل الجنة، وفيه أخرج منها" (صحيح مسلم 854).
3. Saturday: The Sabbath of the Children of Israel | السبت عند بني إسرائيل
The Sabbath appears in verses about the Children of Israel: the town by the sea whose fish came to them, clearly visible, on the day of their Sabbath, but not on other days (7:163), and those of them who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (2:65). How they got around the prohibition is told in how the Children of Israel twisted the Sabbath prohibition.
وَاسْأَلْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ الْبَحْرِ إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِي السَّبْتِ إِذْ تَأْتِيهِمْ حِيتَانُهُمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا وَيَوْمَ لَا يَسْبِتُونَ (سورة الأعراف: 163)
ورد السبت في آيات عن بني إسرائيل: القرية التي كانت حاضرة البحر إذ تأتيهم حيتانهم يوم سبتهم شرعا ويوم لا يسبتون لا تأتيهم (الأعراف 7: 163)، والذين اعتدوا منهم في السبت (البقرة 2: 65).
4. The Nations Differed Over Friday | اختلاف الأمم في يوم الجمعة
The Prophet said: We are the last, yet the foremost on the Day of Resurrection, though they were given the Book before us. This is their day that was made obligatory for them, and they differed about it, and Allah guided us to it; so the people follow us in it: the Jews tomorrow and the Christians the day after (Sahih al-Bukhari 876). Ibn Kathir adds that the Jews chose Saturday, on which nothing was created, and the Christians Sunday, on which creation began. Allah says: the Sabbath was only made for those who differed over it (16:124). The times of day named in the Quran are covered in the parts of the day mentioned in the Quran.
إِنَّمَا جُعِلَ السَّبْتُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ (سورة النحل: 124)
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "نحن الآخرون السابقون يوم القيامة، بيد أنهم أوتوا الكتاب من قبلنا، ثم هذا يومهم الذي فرض عليهم فاختلفوا فيه، فهدانا الله، فالناس لنا فيه تبع، اليهود غدا والنصارى بعد غد" (صحيح البخاري 876). وذكر ابن كثير أن اليهود اختاروا يوم السبت الذي لم يقع فيه خلق، واختار النصارى يوم الأحد الذي ابتدئ فيه الخلق، وقال تعالى: (إنما جعل السبت على الذين اختلفوا فيه) (النحل 16: 124).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which days of the week are named in the Quran?
Friday (al-Jumu’ah) and Saturday (as-Sabt, the Sabbath).
Where is Friday mentioned?
In Surah Al-Jumu'ah: when the call is made for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah, hasten to the remembrance of Allah (62:9).
Where is Saturday mentioned?
In verses about the Children of Israel and their Sabbath, such as Al-A'raf 7:163, Al-Baqarah 2:65, An-Nisa 4:47 and 4:154, and An-Nahl 16:124.
What is the virtue of Friday?
The Prophet said it is the best day on which the sun has risen: on it Adam was created, admitted into Paradise and taken out of it (Sahih Muslim 854).