Jummah
/ˈdʒʊm.ə/noun
The congregational Friday prayer and gathering observed by Muslims.
Did you know?The name comes from the same Arabic root meaning “to gather,” and the Qur’an contains an entire chapter titled Al-Jumuʿah, “The Congregation.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*g-m-ʿ
“To gather or bring together; the reconstructed root underlying later Semitic forms.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
جَمَعَ (jamaʿa)
“He gathered, collected, or assembled.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
جُمْعَة (jumʿa)
“A gathering or congregation; specifically the Friday gathering.”
7th Century
Qur'anic Arabic
الْجُمُعَة (al-Jumuʿah)
“The Congregation; the Friday communal prayer and the name of Qur’an chapter 62.”
Medieval Persian and Urdu
Persian/Urdu
جمعہ (jumʿa/jumma)
“Friday, especially the Friday congregational prayer.”
19th–20th Century
English
jummah
“An English transliteration referring to the Friday congregational prayer or gathering.”