Is the reward mentioned in the Hadith: "Whoever bathes on Friday and washes [his clothes], and comes early and is early, and draws near, listens, and is silent, will have for every step he takes the reward of a year's fasting and praying" specific to married men, and what should one who does not possess the means to marry do to compensate for that?

The word "ghassala" (غسّل) appears in the hadith, "Whoever performed ghusl on Friday and washed (ghassala)..." with both shaddah (intensification) and without it (lightened form). Scholars have differed on its meaning:

The first opinion: It means that he had intercourse with his wife, thus obligating her to perform ghusl, or that he encouraged others to perform ghusl.

The second opinion: It means that he washed his head or was thorough in his cleansing, or that he performed wudu and ghusl.

The most preponderant view is that the intended meaning is to be meticulous in cleansing oneself and to perform a complete ghusl, similar to the ghusl for janabah (major ritual impurity), and it is not specific to married individuals.