Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin - Khalifatul-Masih I — Page 233
Hadrat Maulw i Nur-ud-D i n ra — Khalifatul Masih I ILLNESS 233 concerning which he made the following announcement on July 1, 1911: "Friday is accounted a very blessed day in Islam, and is looked upon as a festival by the Muslims. Attendance during the Friday noon service is obligatory, and more emphasis is laid upon it than upon attendance during the service on the two recognised festival days, as is said in the Holy Quran: O ye who believe, when the call is made for prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off all business (62:10). That is why ever since the inception of Islam, Friday has been observed as a holiday in all Muslim countries. In India also Friday was observed as a holiday for centuries. The verse just cited does not permit of the Friday noon service being performed individually; attendance at the mosque, listening to the sermon, and participating in the congregational prayer are obligatory. Sunday is a holiday on account of the religion of the sovereign, and government business does not permit of two holidays in a week. It is, therefore, necessary to propose something that would secure the desired end for the Muslims without creating any administrative difficulty. An easy way would be either to close all offices, courts, schools, colleges etc. for two hours at the time of the Friday noon service, or to grant Muslim employees and students leave for that space of time to enable them to participate in the service. A government circular to that effect may be issued to all departments.