Watch over prayers and especially the Middle Prayer

(page 171) Question 101: The Al-mighty said: {Watch over prayers and [especially] the Middle Prayer; and stand up devoutly to [worship] God.}[1], what is the ‘Middle prayer’?

Answer: The Middle prayer is the Friday prayer in particular, and its companion in the remaining days, and that is the Zuhr (midday) prayer, and the commandment is to look after the Friday prayer in particular and to strengthen it; because the Muslims gather in it to repair what is impaired in their faith and in their world and also for the religious readings and information from the favour of Allah the Glorified and Al-mighty, this is according to the apparent meaning.

As for the true meaning, the prayer is following the authority of Allah’s guardian and Hujja (proof) upon His servants, and the Middle prayer or the Friday prayer is the work and striving (Jihad) between the hands of the Qa’im (riser (a.s)), and the Qa’im (a.s) prayer is the Friday prayer; because he unites the Islamic nation (Ummah) upon the truth after it has been divided by the misguiding Imams (leaders) and the non-working scholars, thus the Qa’im (a.s) prayer is the middle prayer; because his companions – and they are the prayer and the work and the striving (Jihad) – are the Middle nation (Ummah)[2]: {Thus We have set you up as a Middle nation so you may act as witnesses for mankind, even as the Messenger is a witness for you.}[3]

So from the confirmed is that most of the Muslims are not witnesses for mankind, and how can the drunkard or the fornicator or the disobedient one become a witness for mankind in the divine rule, rather it is those that are the Middle nation – and they are Imams (leaders) too – they are the 313 ones, and they are the witnesses for mankind; because they are the true servants of Allah, thus they are a people worshipping, steadfast, known in the skies, unknown in the earth not even a blame from a reproacher takes them while they are with Allah.

The Almighty said: {Yet We wanted to endow those who were considered inferior on earth, and make them into Imams (leaders) and make them [Our] heirs.}[4]

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[1] The Holy Qur’an: Surat Al-Baqara {2: 238}.
[2] Narrated from Amir Al-Mumineen (a.s) near the end of a Hadith about the separation of the Ummah: (“…then he said: 13 sects from the 73 sects all of them will claim affection and love for me, only one from them will be in Heaven and they are the Middle type, and the 12 (the rest) will be in Hell.”) Al-Amali by Sheikh Al-Tusi: page 524.
[3] The Holy Qur’an: Surat Al-Baqara {2: 143}.
[4] The Holy Qur’an: Surat Al-Qasas {28: 5}.