Going to the Friday prayer early
23-9-2004 | IslamWeb
Question:
Allaah commands the believers to come for Friday prayer once the call for the prayer is made. I read many Hadeeth which says that there is a huge reward to come to the mosque before the Athan for the Friday prayer is made. I couldn't able to reconcile the two things. Qur'aan says that we should rush to the prayer once the Athan is given but Hadeeth say that we should be in mosque even before Athan is given.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
There is no contradiction between the verse which orders us to go to Friday prayer when the call to the prayer is proclaimed and the narrations of the Prophet 
which encourage us to go to the prayer early. The verse means that if the call to the prayer is proclaimed, it is obligatory to go to the prayer and it is not permissible for a Muslim to delay after this. While the narrations of the Prophet mean that it is desirable to go to the prayer early. But if the call to the prayer is proclaimed, then the order shifts from desirability to obligation. For instance if you say to your son: "you have to go to school at 7.00 a.m. but if you go before 7.00 a.m. I will give you a present", is there any contradiction between the two statements?