cuma

Cuma is the Turkish word for Friday and denotes the fifth day of the week in Turkish calendars. The term derives from the Arabic Jumuʿa, meaning “gathering” or “congregation,” reflecting the day’s religious significance in Islam.

In Islam, Jumuʿah refers to the Friday congregational prayer held around local midday. The service typically includes two parts: the khutbah, or sermon, delivered by the imam, followed by the Jumuʿah prayer, a two-rakʿah ritual performed by attendees. The khutbah emphasizes religious duties, ethical conduct, and social matters for the community. Attendance is generally obligatory for adult Muslim men who are resident and free from genuine exemptions; women, travelers, the ill, and some others may attend according to local custom, but their participation is often voluntary rather than obligatory.

Timings of Jumuʿah vary by location and season, since the prayer time depends on local noon and sunset. In many Muslim-majority countries, Friday is a day of communal worship and social gathering, sometimes accompanied by adjustments to work or school schedules. The practice underscores a weekly community focus and is a prominent aspect of religious life in Turkish-speaking contexts as well as in broader Islamic culture.

Beyond its religious sense, Cuma also appears in Turkish as a common usage for the day itself and can function as a given name in some contexts. The term is distinct in other languages, where similar roots refer to different days or concepts.