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« on: March 27, 2018, 12:13:42 PM »
I was pondering over verse 7:163 about the people who broke the Sabbath to fish and who were subsequently punished for this transgression.
According to Google, the Sabbath is a day on which trade and work is to be abstained from. From my understanding this is to be strictly observed by believers. I do not know the Quranic definition so please correct me if I am wrong on this.
In 62:9 God calls believers to abstain from trade and assemble for prayer. The wording used for this verse is somewhat variable, for example:
Translation by Monotheist Group: "O you who believe, if the contact-method is called to on the day of assembly, then you shall hasten towards the remembrance of God, and cease all selling. This is better for you, if you only knew."
The use of the word 'shall' suggests a strong command to leave off trade and assemble for prayer.
, and yet the translation by...
Mohamed Sarwar: "Believers, on Friday when the call for prayer is made, try to attend prayer (remembering God) and leave off all business. This would be better for you if only you knew it."
...which sounds more like a recommendation.
Most translations do not use 'shall' or 'try', which implies to me that the order to assemble is a command, but the latter "This would be better for you if only you knew it" suggests that, like the giving of charity, it devolves to a status of being a strong recommendation.
So my question is this: Is this command to abstain from trade, though shorter in time period, similar to the command to observe the Sabbath?
In some places I have lived I have observed many Muslim traders continue business during Jummah prayers with reduced staff perhaps, and those who remain pray the noon (zuhar) prayers instead. Do these people wrong themselves through a misunderstanding of the Quranic command to assemble for prayer?