Wa ‘alaikum Salam wa RahmatuLlah,
It is recommended to pray two or four rak’ats before and after the Friday prayer. Under the discussion of supererogatory prayers, our jurists state: the sunnah prayers of Jumu’ah are just like the sunnah prayers of duhr (in number). (al-Anwar, 1:161)
Evidence for the sunnah prayers before the Friday prayer:
According to al-Nawawi: the basis for the sunnah prayers before Jumu’ah is the hadith: “Between every two adhans there is a prayer,” and qiyas with the sunnahs performed before duhr. (al-Majmu‘, 3:504)
Some of the commentators of Minhaj al-Talibin appear to draw from the practice of a companion. Imam Al-Shirbini quotes from Imam al-Tirmidhi that: “Ibn Mas’ud used to pray four rak’ats before and after Jumu’ah.” (Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1:335)
Evidence for the sunnah prayers after the Friday prayer:
In Mughni al-Muhtaj, Khatib al-Shirbini states that:
The legal basis (of four rak’ats after Jumu’ah; two rak’ats being emphatically recommended whilst the other two merely recommended) rests in the hadith recorded by Imam Muslim, “When any one of you prays the Friday prayer, he should pray four rak’ats afterward.” (ibid)
Similarly, in al-Majmu‘, Imam al-Nawawi states:
Ibn ‘Umar relates that: “Nabi used to pray two rak’ats after Jumua’h in his house.” In another narration: “ He would not pray after Jumua’h until he departed. Then (after leaving) he would pray two rak’ats in his house.” This hadith was recorded by Imams al-Bukhari and Muslim. (3:504)
In conclusion, the sunnah prayers before the Friday prayer have been established through the well-authenticated hadith: “Between every two adhans there is a prayer,” qiyas with the sunnahs before thuhr, and the practice of a sahabi.
We recommended also reading the following fatwa in Arabic by Shaykh Nuh ‘Ali Salman (rahmatullah ‘alayh) on this topic: click here.
And Allah Knows Best
Shafi’i Institute Fatwa Dept.