How did Jumu'ah prayers start? — credits

How Jumu'ah, the Friday prayer, began: a gathering in a rain hollow outside Medina before the Hijra, the first Jumu'ah the Prophet ﷺ led in Medina, at Ranuna, the verses of Surat al-Jumu'ah, the palm trunk and the minbar, and the calls and towns that followed. A hand-made-style paper-collage animation, rendered live in your browser with plain JavaScript and canvas.

Sources for the story

Qur'an 62:9-11 (Surat al-Jumu'ah; Saheeh International translation): leave trade at the call, disperse after the prayer, the caravan verse. quran.com/62/9
Sunan Abi Dawud 1069 and Sunan Ibn Majah 1082 (hasan): Ka'b ibn Malik, blind in old age and led by his son Abd al-Rahman, prayed for As'ad ibn Zurarah at every Friday call; As'ad led them first, before the Prophet ﷺ came from Mecca, at Hazm al-Nabit in the harrah of Banu Bayadah, in Naqi al-Khadimat; they were forty. abudawud:1069 · ibnmajah:1082
Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (Ibn Ishaq) 1/434-435 and 1/494: Mus'ab ibn Umayr sent to Medina and called the Reciter, staying with As'ad; the chain of Ka'b's report through As'ad's grandson Abu Umamah; the first Jumu'ah the Prophet ﷺ led in Medina, among Banu Salim in the valley of Ranuna.
Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq 5144 (Ibn Sirin, mursal) via Ibn Hajar, al-Talkhis al-Habir 2/138-139: the reported account of the Ansar choosing the day and gathering to As'ad; Ibn Hajar's reconciliation (As'ad gathered them, Mus'ab led the prayer); reports differ on their own choice or permission.
Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari 2/353 and Taj al-Arus 3/341: Friday was called al-Arubah before Islam; its meaning and the start of the name al-Jumu'ah are disputed.
Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah 1/294 and Sahih al-Bukhari 3684: Ibn Mas'ud: in Mecca the Muslims long could not pray at the Kaaba; Ibn Rajab, Fath al-Bari 8/62-63 and Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah 4/525-526: no Jumu'ah is reported in Mecca.
Al-Khattabi (via Awn al-Ma'bud 3/281) and al-Samhudi, Wafa' al-Wafa' 4/158: what a naqi is; the hollow about a mile outside Medina, its exact spot no longer known.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3906: the Muslims of Medina waiting each morning on the lava field; the arrival on a Monday. Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat 1/182: the Friday departure from Quba and "a hundred" with him. Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah 4/525-526: perhaps his first Jumu'ah at all, "and Allah knows best".
Al-Tabari, Tarikh 2/394 ("so it is said") and al-Zayla'i, Takhrij al-Kashshaf 4/13: he addressed them with a sermon at Ranuna; the sermon texts that circulate have broken chains, so no sound report preserves its words.
Saudipedia and Visit Madinah: Masjid al-Jumu'ah today, less than a kilometre from Quba Mosque.
Al-Tabari, Tafsir 22/638-639: Umar's explanation of the Arabic fas'aw as "go" (his explanation, not the Qur'an's text). Sahih al-Bukhari 912 and Ibn Kathir, Tafsir 7/277 and 8/147-148: the call when the imam sat on the minbar; the scholars' agreement that trade stops after it. Al-Qurtubi 18/108-109: "disperse" read as a permission.
Sahih Muslim 863 and Sahih al-Bukhari 936: Jabir ibn Abdullah on the food caravan from al-Sham during the Friday sermon; twelve men remained; Abu Bakr and Umar among them. muslim:863a · bukhari:936
Sahih Muslim 864 and 862b: the sermon given standing. Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari 2/423-424 and al-Nawawi, Sharh Muslim 6/150-152: the caravan came during the sermon, not the prayer.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3585, 917, 2569, 497 and Sahih Muslim 544a: the palm-trunk pillars, the tamarisk minbar of three steps made by an Ansari woman's carpenter, lifted into place by the Prophet ﷺ himself, a sheep's width from the qiblah wall.
Sahih al-Bukhari 918, 3584, 2095: the trunk's sound like she-camels and like a child, its quieting, and the Prophet's ﷺ words "It was weeping for the remembrance it used to hear beside it". bukhari:918 · bukhari:3584
Sunan Ibn Majah 1415 (sahih): the Prophet ﷺ said, "Had I not held it close, it would have yearned until the Day of Resurrection." Qadi Iyad and Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari 6/592: more than ten Companions passed the story on. Musnad Abi Ya'la 2756: al-Hasan al-Basri's words. ibnmajah:1415
Sunan an-Nasa'i 1394 and Sahih al-Bukhari 912, 913, 916: Bilal's single Friday call when the Prophet ﷺ sat on the minbar, the iqamah when he came down, the practice under Abu Bakr and Umar, and Uthman's added call from al-Zawra, a place in the market. nasai:1394 · bukhari:912
Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Muntazam 5/7-8 and Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah 7/155: later chroniclers place Uthman's added call in the year 30 AH. Al-Qastallani, Irshad al-Sari 2/584 and Nayl al-Awtar: scholars hold both views on one call or two.
Sahih Muslim 847a and Sahih al-Bukhari 902: Aishah on people coming from the outlying villages in woollen cloaks, and the Prophet's ﷺ words on purifying themselves; Sahih Muslim 847b and Sahih al-Bukhari 903: they were working people with no servants. Sahih al-Bukhari 938: Sahl ibn Sa'd on the chard meal and looking forward to Friday.
Sahih al-Bukhari 892: Ibn Abbas on the first Jumu'ah after the Prophet's ﷺ mosque, at Juwatha in al-Bahrayn. Yaqut, Mu'jam al-Buldan 2/174-175 and al-Ayni, Umdat al-Qari 6/187: Juwatha of Abd al-Qays, near today's al-Ahsa. Saudipedia: today's restored and rebuilt Jawatha mosque. bukhari:892
Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Musannaf (mawquf, sahih chain): Umar's letter to Abu Hurayrah in al-Bahrayn, "Hold Jumu'ah wherever you are".
Sahih al-Bukhari 876 and Sahih Muslim 856a: the Prophet ﷺ said that Allah guided us to Friday; the order Friday, Saturday, Sunday. bukhari:876 · muslim:856a
Al-Suhayli via al-Sakhawi, al-Ajwibah al-Mardiyyah 2/703-704: the Ansar's gathering as guidance from Allah before they were commanded.
Al-Dhahabi, Siyar 1/299-300 and Ibn Abd al-Barr, al-Isti'ab: As'ad ibn Zurarah died within a year of the Hijra; al-Isti'ab 3/1323-1324: Ka'b ibn Malik lived on into old age.
Sunan al-Tirmidhi 503 and Sahih al-Bukhari 904: Jumu'ah is prayed in place of Dhuhr; most scholars hold it is prayed after the sun passes its height (the Hanbalis allow it shortly before).

Out of respect, the Prophet ﷺ and the other prophets, peace be upon them, are never depicted, and people are shown only from behind. The Friday call heard in the film is a CC0 recording of a Friday second adhan (Asim Javed, Internet Archive), used in full phrases only, never under narration.

Made with

Narration: Google Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS (voice “Algieba”), directed and edited for this film.
Illustrations: Google Gemini 3.1 Flash Image (backgrounds) and OpenAI GPT Image 2.5 (cut-outs), art-directed and reviewed frame by frame.
Typefaces (SIL Open Font License): Caveat Brush, Caveat, Patrick Hand, Aref Ruqaa.
Animation engine, sound design and mix: written for this series.

Sound

No music is used. All sound effects are CC0 unless noted.

amb_creek_flowing — WATRFlow-Ext_Small FLowing Creek_HvD_OwSFX_Loop (Freesound) by Hano_van_Dalen, CC0 1.0. Edits: source 10.0-70.0 s; highpass=f=60:poles=2; small flowing creek (the full wadi river); 40 s seamless loop, -24 LUFS; 48k/16-bit
amb_creek_sand — Small Creek Runs over Sand Bank (Freesound) by BenHarmSound, CC0 1.0. Edits: source 2.0-46.0 s; highpass=f=70:poles=2; small creek over a sand bank (gathered water); 36 s seamless loop, -24 LUFS; 48k/16-bit
amb_desert_wind_gentle — Looping Gentle Wind Ambience on an Open Desert Plain.wav (Freesound) by dhallcomposer, CC0 1.0. Edits: source 2.0-38.0 s; highpass=f=50:poles=2; gentle dry wind on an open desert plain (Hijaz wadi, dusk); 30 s seamless loop, -24 LUFS; 48k/16-bit
amb_dune_atmosphere — Desert sand - Dune atmosphere (Freesound) by Vrymaa, CC0 1.0. Edits: source 20.0-70.0 s; highpass=f=50:poles=2; desert dune atmosphere, light sand wind; 40 s seamless loop, -26 LUFS; 48k/16-bit
amb_harrah_noon_wind — #457159 "Desert binaural Wind.WAV" by Benbojangles, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 692.00-756.00 s (steadiest stretch); HPF 60 Hz + 130 Hz (removes traffic-like mic rumble); -26 LUFS, 2 s fade-in/3 s fade-out (not a seamless loop)
amb_jm_hollow_wind — #843069 "A light breeze, the rustle of reeds. The rustle of dry grass" by ReflektWave, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 12.0-36.0 s; HPF 120 Hz x2, spike limiter; 22 s seamless loop (2 s crossfade), -24 LUFS
amb_jm_insects_noon — desert insects.wav (Freesound) by bruno.auzet, CC0 1.0. Edits: source 260.0-297.0 s (no close fly in this window); highpass=f=150:poles=2 x2, lowpass=f=7000:poles=2 x2, a soft limiter on rare spikes; dry-country insects at noon, a thin steady layer under the lava hollow, the harrah edge and the market; 34 s seamless loop, -26 LUFS; 48k/16-bit
amb_jm_lane_quiet — #653946 "Quiet breeze with bird singing softly, insect noises, a horse neighs far sometimes" by felix.blume, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 25.0-49.0 s (no horse/insect buzz in this window); HPF 150 Hz x2; 22 s seamless loop (2 s crossfade), -24 LUFS
amb_jm_palm_rustle — #423800 "Wind through Palm Trees.wav" by klangfabrik, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 8.0-30.5 s; HPF 100 Hz; 20 s seamless loop (2 s crossfade), -24 LUFS
amb_jm_today_noon — ResidentialDay.wav (Freesound) by tsvetka, CC0 1.0. Edits: source 20.0-62.0 s (after a dog at 10-18 s; no voices, horns, bells or call to prayer in this window, blind judge); highpass=f=80:poles=2, lowpass=f=10000:poles=2, a soft limiter on rare spikes; a present-day street by day: distant traffic hush, a few far birds and a dove (the noon relay, Masjid al-Jumu'ah and Jawatha today); 39 s seamless loop, -26 LUFS; 48k/16-bit
amb_oasis_palms — #640526 "Dried_Banana_Leaves.wav" by gokalp_gonen, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 55.00-79.20 s (bird-free stretch); HPF 120 Hz; -26 LUFS, 1.5 s fade-in/2 s fade-out
amb_palm_orchard_breeze — #423800 "Wind through Palm Trees.wav" by klangfabrik, CC0 1.0; #517526 "dove calling with out other side noise" by idreesbari, CC0 1.0. Edits: palm wind src 4.0-78.5 s, HPF 120 Hz, LPF ~4.2 kHz, -3 dB high shelf, -4 dB at 560 Hz; 72 s seamless loop (2.5 s crossfade) with slow loop-periodic ±4 dB swells that darken in the lulls; 3 laughing-dove phrases (src 0.60-1.75, 6.15-7.60, 17.50-18.90 s; band-limited 250 Hz-3 kHz, short diffuse echo) placed at 11.0 / 34.5 / 55.0 s; -24 LUFS. Made for fasting-monday-thursday (Madinah palm orchard, late morning)
amb_quiet_room_day — #837996 "windy roomtone ile callot" by bruno.auzet, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 190.0-216.0 s; HPF 40 Hz, LPF 14 kHz; 24 s seamless loop (2 s crossfade), -26 LUFS
athan_2 — ICR Friday Prayer 2nd Adhan 17th May 2024 (9th Dhul Qadah 1445) by Asim Javed (Internet Archive), CC0 1.0. Edits: full file; trimmed (final t = source t - 0.000 s), 70 Hz high-pass, -16 LUFS, fades, 48k/16-bit stereo
sfx_card_thud — #824385 "Softcover book hitting table" by nyxlitten, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 3.80-4.25 s; HPF 60 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_clay_knock — #513775 "putting coffee mug to table.wav" by lartti, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.70-1.15 s; HPF 60 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_cloth_drop — #844390 "Cloth flaps" by Maraboop, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.02-0.72 s (soft double flap); HPF 80 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_cloth_swish_1 — #391448 "Shirt Whoosh 1.wav" by saturdaysoundguy, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 6.70-7.40 s; HPF 80 Hz,FFT denoise 10 dB (floor -72); trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_cloth_swish_2 — #391448 "Shirt Whoosh 1.wav" by saturdaysoundguy, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 9.60-10.30 s; HPF 80 Hz,FFT denoise 10 dB (floor -72); trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_cloth_swish_3 — #320144 "Blanket Movement 6" by OwlStorm, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.00-1.16 s; HPF 80 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_dream_shimmer_short — synthesized for this series: Same engine, 1.6 s dense sparkle sting.
sfx_jm_basket — #288943 "suitcase-down-4.aif" (wicker case set down) by toefur, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.00-0.85 s; HPF 60 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_jm_leather_thump — #435534 "Leather bag being dropped and picked up" by vintage2005, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.70-1.60 s (first drop; spoken slate at 13 s not used); HPF 40 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_jm_sparrow — #543827 "FXSaSc Sparrows Close Chirp Exterior Birds.wav" by Profispiesser, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 12.95-14.05 s (two chirps); HPF 300 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_jm_steps_sandals — #637558 "footsteps walking flip flops sandals dirt.flac" by kyles, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 1.75-5.35 s (6 steps); HPF 60 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_jm_wood_thunk — #669467 "SFX_wood_stone_floor_axe_handling_drop.wav" by EricsSoundschmiede, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.05-1.50 s; HPF 40 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_needle_punch_1 — #188178 "Sewing/stitching up some fabric" by pfranzen, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.05-0.30 s; HPF 150 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_needle_punch_2 — #188178 "Sewing/stitching up some fabric" by pfranzen, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 1.85-2.12 s; HPF 150 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_needle_punch_3 — #188178 "Sewing/stitching up some fabric" by pfranzen, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 2.20-2.44 s; HPF 150 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_page_turn_1 — #136778 "Page Turn" by davidbain, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.00-1.98 s; HPF 80 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_page_turn_2 — #397548 "Page Turn 01" by LilMati, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.00-0.50 s; HPF 80 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_palm_stalk_rasp — #403653 "Wood_Sliding_Various-Objects.wav" by LamaMakesMusic, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 10.20-11.95 s; HPF 80 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_paper_rustle_1 — #181774 "rustling paper.wav" by keweldog, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.30-2.55 s; HPF 80 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_paper_rustle_2 — #181774 "rustling paper.wav" by keweldog, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 2.50-4.45 s; HPF 80 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_paper_rustle_3 — #449127 "Rustling Paper" by HarpyHarpHarp, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 1.45-2.15 s; HPF 80 Hz,FFT denoise 10 dB (floor -60); trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_paper_rustle_4 — #449127 "Rustling Paper" by HarpyHarpHarp, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 5.70-6.41 s; HPF 80 Hz,FFT denoise 10 dB (floor -60); trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_paper_rustle_5 — #211246 "PageRustle" by Tomoyo Ichijouji, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.10-1.90 s; HPF 80 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_paper_slide_1 — #464302 "PaperSlide.wav" by eyesonlegs, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.00-1.64 s; HPF 60 Hz,FFT denoise 10 dB (floor -55); trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_paper_slide_2 — #444431 "Sliding Envelope.wav" by MTJohnson, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.20-1.10 s; HPF 80 Hz; trim, fades, peak -3 dBFS
sfx_paper_tear_1 — #272028 "Ripping Paper" by aldenroth2, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.00-1.96 s; HPF 60 Hz,FFT denoise 8 dB (floor -60); trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_paper_tear_2 — #342541 "Fast Paper Rip" by sgrowe, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.00-0.89 s; HPF 60 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_paper_tear_3 — #170311 "Tearing paper" by ludde44, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.20-1.52 s; HPF 60 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_pen_tick_1 — #85703 "Pencil_scibble.aif" (via house `sfx_pencil_scribble_2.wav`) by tmkappelt, CC0 1.0. Edits: one tick cut from sfx_pencil_scribble_2 at 0.545-0.785 s; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_pen_tick_2 — #85703 "Pencil_scibble.aif" (via house `sfx_pencil_scribble_2.wav`) by tmkappelt, CC0 1.0. Edits: one tick cut from sfx_pencil_scribble_2 at 1.245-1.505 s; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_pencil_scribble_1 — #257518 "Scribble_short.wav" by waldram, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.00-1.27 s; HPF 150 Hz,FFT denoise 12 dB (floor -50); trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_pencil_scribble_2 — #85703 "Pencil_scibble.aif" by tmkappelt, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.00-3.20 s; HPF 150 Hz,FFT denoise 12 dB (floor -62); trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_stone_clack — #319226 "Single rock hitting wood.wav" by worthahep88, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 0.10-0.38 s; HPF 80 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_thread_creak — #862995 "26.07.04- Creaky Playground Swing - Rope Friction 1" by Valerie-Vivegnis, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 24.50-25.05 s (one creak); HPF 300 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_thread_pull — #408578 "27.Needle_thread.wav" by miguelab1998, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 1.24-1.76 s; HPF 150 Hz; trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_thread_pull_1 — #646586 "Sewing cloth.wav" by heifabaisi, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 92.55-93.30 s; HPF 100 Hz,FFT denoise 10 dB (floor -60); trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_thread_pull_2 — #646586 "Sewing cloth.wav" by heifabaisi, CC0 1.0. Edits: cut 29.15-30.10 s; HPF 100 Hz,FFT denoise 10 dB (floor -60); trim, fades, peak -1 dBFS
sfx_tick — synthesized for this series: A short synthesized key click for typing in the Qaf app screen (made for this series). Non-instrumental.
sfx_water_trickle_start — Small Creek Runs over Sand Bank (Freesound) by BenHarmSound, CC0 1.0. Edits: source 6.0-10.0 s; highpass=f=90:poles=2; a small creek running over a sand bank, 4 s, used as a trickle starting; 48k/16-bit
sfx_whoosh_soft_synth — synthesized for this series: White noise through a time-varying log-Gaussian band-pass sweeping 300 Hz -> 2.2 kHz, swell envelope, slow L->R pan.