True Implications
\r\n Al-Jumua (The Congregation) - Chapter 62: Verses 9-10
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\"O you who believe, when you are called to prayer on the Friday (lit. the "day of congregation"), hurry to the remembrance of prayer and cease all business. That is better for you if you only knew. Then when the prayer is finished, disperse throughout the land and seek the bounty of God and remember God frequently so that you will prosper."
In this passage, the verbs "hurry," "cease," "disperse," and "seek" are all in the imperative form. However, scholars understand only "hurry" and "cease" to create an obligation (farida), while "disperse" and "seek" imply permission (nadb), not obligation. That is, believers must make a sincere effort to get to the Friday prayer on time and must not engage in business after the call to prayer is made. On the other hand, believers are not required to leave the mosque and go to work when the prayer is finished. If they like they can go home for a nap, have lunch, stay in the mosque and study, etc.
\r\nThe question arises, how do scholars distinguish which verbs imply obligation and which imply permission if all of them are expressed in the imperative form? Clearly, it is only by bringing some other factors to the text that it is possible to make such a distinction. The Sunna of the Prophet, the consensus of the scholars, and other considerations are brought in to the interpretive process to help understand the true implications of any Quranic verse. Given that so many variables are considered relevant to the analysis of any Quranic passage, it is not surprising that scholars will arrive at different conclusions.
\r\nCompiled From:
\r\n \"The Story of The Quran: Its History and Place in Muslim Life\" - Ingrid Mattson, pp. 189, 190