Peace be upon you, dear friends, and welcome. A blessed Friday to you and to us. Here in Turkey we work and continue working on Fridays, unlike in Arab countries where the day off is a lovely blessing. Praise be to God, we also attend Friday prayer. Participation in Turkey is very high, but people take time away from work to go. Even some who do not otherwise pray attend Friday prayer. I cannot say whether this is right or wrong; I leave that question for scholars to answer. Let us read what scholars have written about Friday prayer.
Friday prayer is held every Friday after the midday prayer time begins. It is preceded by two sermons: the first Friday sermon, a pause, and then the second. The prayer consists of only two units, recited aloud, making it the only regular daytime prayer with audible recitation among the five daily prayers. It is an individual obligation on free, adult Muslim men who are settled residents in buildings and have no valid excuse. Islamic jurists differ over the minimum congregation required. Some say Friday prayer becomes obligatory when a town has forty people meeting those conditions; others require fewer, and some hold that it may be conducted by two worshippers.