Friday, the Islamic rest day

Friday,according to the Moslems is a day of rest. However, traditionally, Friday was a day of congregating for prayer, not a day of rest! The whole idea of Friday as Sabbath is alien to the vehemently monotheistic spirit of Islam, bringing into play the notion of God needing a day of rest. The Quran instructs Moslems to "leave off business" only while praying; once finished, they should "disperse through the land and seek God's bounty"- in other words,engage in commerce. In the olden days, Moslems were discouraged to take Fridays off and were asked to work, save only for interruptions during prayer and community service.
In modern times, by keeping Friday as a day of rest, Muslim States are mirroring the Judeo-Christian practices by adopting the weekly day of rest. Jews observe Saturday as their Shabbat and the Christians and by association, the European calendar, denotes Sunday as a rest day.