Meccans' practice in regard to the Khutba and the Friday service

Meccans' practice in regard to the Khutba and the Friday service including a signal made with the "farqaʿa", a rod with a thin twisted leather cord at the end; ritual blows on the pulpit's steps with a sword and the call to prayer.

وعادتهم في يوم الجمعة أن يلصق المنبر المبارك إلى صفح الكعبة الشريفة فيما بين الحجر الأسود والركن العراقي، ويكون الخطيب مستقبلًا المقام الكريم، فإذا خرج الخطيب أقبل لابسًا ثوب سواد معتمٍّا بعمامة سوداء وعليه طيلسان أسود، كل ذلك من كسوة الملك الناصر، وعليه الوقار والسكينة، وهو يتهادى بين رايتين سوداوين يتمسكهما رجلان من المؤذنين وبين يديه أحد القومة في يده الفرقعة، وهي عود في طرفه جلد رقيق مفتول ينقضه في الهواء، فيُسْمَع له صوتٌ عالٍ يَسْمَعه من بداخل الحرم وخارجه، فيكون إعلامًا بخروج الخطيب، ولا يزال كذلك إلى أن يقرب من المنبر فيُقَبّل الحجر الأسود ويدعو عنده، ثم يقصد المنبر والمؤذن الزمزمي — وهو رئيس المؤذنين — بين يديه لابسًا السواد وعلى عاتقه السيف ممسكًا له بيده. وتُرْكَز الرايتان عن جانبي المنبر، فإذا صعد أول درج من درج المنبر قلده المؤذن السيف فيَضْرِب بنصل السيف ضربة في الدرج يُسْمِع بها الحاضرين، ثم يضرب في الدرج الثاني ضربة ثم في الثالث أخرى، فإذا استوى في عليا الدرجات ضَرَبَ ضربة رابعة ووقف داعيًا بدعاء خفيٍّ مستقبل الكعبة، ثم يُقْبِل على الناس فيسلم عن يمينه وشماله ويرد عليه الناس ثم يقعد، ويؤذن المؤذنون في أعلى قبة زمزم في حين واحد، فإذا فرغ الأذان خطب الخطيب خطبة يكثر بها من الصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ويقول في أثنائها: اللهم صلِّ على محمد وعلى آل محمد ما طاف بهذا البيت طائف، ويشير بإصبعه إلى البيت الكريم، اللهم صلِّ على محمد وعلى آل محمد ما وَقَفَ بعرفة واقف، ويَتَرَضّىعن الخلفاء الأربعة وعن سائر الصحابة وعن عَمّيِ النبيصلى الله عليه وسلمو سبطيه وأمهما وخديجة جدتهما على جميعهم السلام، ثم يدعو للملك الناصر، ثم للسلطان المجاهد نور الدين علي ابن الملك المؤيد داود ابن الملك المظفر يوسف بن علي بن رسول، ثم يدعو للسيدين الشريفين الحسنيين أميري مكة: سيف الدين عطيفة — وهو أصغر الأخوين ويُقَدّم اسمه لِعَدْله — وأسد الدين رميثة ابني أبي نمي بن أبي سعد بن علي بن قتادة، وقد دعا لسلطان العراق مرة ثم قَطَعَ ذلك، فإذا فرغ من خطبته صلى وانصرف، والرايتان عن يمينه وشماله والفرقعة أمامه إشعارًا بانقضاء الصلاة ثم يعاد المنبر إلى مكانه إزاء المقام الكريم. [ص. ١١٤-١١٥]

Their practice on Fridays is as follows. The blessed pulpit is set up against the wall of the illustrious Ka'ba in the space between the Black Stone and the ʿIrāqī angle, so that the preacher is facing the holy Station [of Ibrāhīm]. When the preacher comes out, he advances, dressed in a black robe and wearing a black turban and black hood, all of which are the gift of al-Malik al-Nāṣir, with gravity and dignity, moving at a deliberate pace between two black standards, held by two of the muezzins, and preceded by one of the chief servitors carrying the farqaʿa. This is a rod with a thin twisted leather cord at the end; the holder snaps it in the air and there is heard from it a sharp crack, audible to both those who are within the sanctuary and those outside it, which serves as a signal that the preacher has come out. He continues to advance thus until he is close to the pulpit, when he [turns aside to] kiss the Black Stone and makes an invocation there. Having done so, he moves on towards the pulpit, preceded by the Zamzam muezzin, who is the chief of the muezzins, dressed in black and with the sword across his shoulder and held [only] by his hand. The two banners are planted on either side of the pulpit, and as the preacher ascends the first of the pulpit steps the muezzin girds him with the sword. He then strikes, with the point of the sword, a blow upon the step loud enough to be heard by those present, and subsequently strikes another blow upon the second step and yet another on the third. When he stands erect on the topmost step, he strikes a fourth blow and remains standing as he makes first a private prayer, with face turned to the Kaʿba, and then turns towards the people and gives the word of peace on his right and left. The people return his salutation, and he then sits down. The muezzins now intone the call to prayer, from the top of the pavilion of Zamzam, in unison. As soon as the call is completed, the preacher delivers an allocution, full of repeated blessings upon the Prophet (God bless and give him peace), saying, for example: "O God, bless Muḥammad and the Family of Muḥammad so long as one person makes the circuit of this House' (and he points with his finger to the Holy House), 'O God, bless Muḥammad and the Family of Muḥammad so long as one person makes the stand at ʿArafa". He then prays that God will be well-pleased with the four Caliphs, the other Companions, the two paternal uncles of the Prophet (God bless and give him peace), his two grandsons, their mother [Fatima] and grandmother Khadīja (upon all of them be peace). Next he prays for al-Malik al-Nāṣir, after him for the Sultan, the Champion of the Faith, Nūr al-Dīn ʿAlī son of al-Malik al-Muʾayyad Da'ud son of al-Malik al-Muẓaffar Yūsuf b. ʿAlī b. Rasūl, and after him for the two illustrious Sayyids of the house of al-Ḥasan, the joint-amīrs of Mecca, Sayf al-Dīn ʿUṭayfa (whose name, although he is the younger of the brothers, is put first on account of his fair-dealing) and Asad al-Dīn Rumaytha, sons of Abū Numayy b. Abū Saʿd b. ʿAlī b. Qatāda. He even prayed for the Sultan of al-ʿIrāq formerly, but a stop was put to that. On terminating his khuṭba, he performs the prayer and withdraws, the two standards being [carried] on his right and left and the farqaʿa in front of him, to indicate the conclusion of the service. The pulpit is subsequently moved back to its place opposite the Holy Station.

231-233

1326 circa