The Friday sermon of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
How the Prophet ﷺ delivered his own Friday sermon: his manner, what he recited, and the words of the sermons themselves.
Here is how the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave his own Friday sermon, so we can learn his way of doing it, and it is good to recite this sermon sometimes, or to use its words in other sermons.
How the Prophet ﷺ gave his khutbah
- When everyone had gathered, he ﷺ would come into the mosque with no fuss or announcement, greet the people, go up the pulpit, face them, greet them again, and start the sermon straight away; there was no gap between the adhan and the sermon.
- During the sermon, he would tell people to come closer to him.
- He gave two sermons, sitting quietly for a short moment in between, without speaking. After the second one, Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) would call the iqamah, and the Prophet ﷺ would lead the prayer.
- In the prayer, he often recited Surah Al-Jumu'ah in the first rak'ah and Surah Al-Munafiqun in the second, or sometimes Sabbih isma Rabbika'l-A'la in the first and Hal ata-ka hadith al-Ghashiyah in the second.
- His sermons were short, but his prayers were long. While he spoke, his voice would rise and his blessed eyes would turn red, as though he were warning people that an enemy was about to attack.
بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهَاتَيْنِ
Buʿithtu ana wa's-sāʿatu ka-hātayn
I and the Hour have been sent like these two fingers.
أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ أَنَا أَوْلَى بِكُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ مِنْ نَفْسِهٖ مَنْ تَرَكَ مَالًا فَلِاهْلِهٖ وَ مَنْ تَرَكَ دَيْنَا أَوْ ضِيَاعًا فَعَلَیَّ
Ammā baʿdu, fa-inna khayra'l-ḥadīthi kitābu'llāh, wa khayra'l-hadyi hadyu Muḥammad, wa sharra'l-umūri muḥdathātuhā, wa kullu bidʿatin ḍalālah. Anā awlā bi-kulli muʾminin min nafsih, man taraka mālan fa-li-ahlih, wa man taraka daynan aw ḍiyāʿan fa-ʿalayy.
The best speech is the Book of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, the worst matters are innovations, and every innovation is misguidance.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ تُوبُوۡا إِلَى اللَّهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَمُوتُوۡا وَبَادِرُوۡا بِالْأَعْمَالِ الصَّالِحَةِ وَصِلُوا الَّذِي بَيْنَكُمْ وَ بَيْنَ رَبِّكُمۡ بِكَثۡرَۃِ ذِكْرِكُمْ لَهٗ وَ كَثَرَةِ الصَّدَقَةِ فِي السِّرِ وَالْعَلَانِيَةِ تُوجَرُوا وَتُحْمَدُوا وَ تُرْزَقُوا وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ فَرَضَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْجُمُعَةَ فَرِيضَةً مَّكْتُوبَةً فِي مَقَامِي هَذَا فِي شَهْرِى هَذَا فِي عَامِي هَذَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ وَجَدَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيۡلاً فَمَنْ تَرَكَهَا فِي حَيَاتِي أَوْ بَعْدِى جُحُودًا بِهَا وَ اسْتِخْفَافًا بِهَا وَ لَهٗ إِمَامٌ جَائِرٌ أَوْ عَادِلٌ فَلَا جَمَعَ اللَّهُ شَمْلَهٗ وَلَا بَارَكَ لَهٗ فِي أَمْرِهٖ أَلَا وَلَا صَلَاةَ لَهٗ. أَلَا وَ لَا صَوْمَ لَهٗ اَلَا وَ لَا زَكَاةَ لَهٗ أَلَا وَ لَا حَجَّ لَهٗ أَلَا وَ لَا بِرَّ لَهٗ حَتّٰى يَتُوبَ. فَإِنْ تَابَ تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ اَلا وَ لَا تَؤُمَّنَّ امْرَاۃٌ رَجُلاً اَ لَا وَ لَا يَؤُمَّنَّ أَعْرَابِيٌّ مُهَاجِرًا أَلَا وَ لَا يَؤُمَّنَّ فَاجِرٌ مُؤْمِنًا إِلَّا أَنْ يَقْهَرَهٗ سُلْطَانٌ يُخَافُ سَيْفُهٗ وَ سَوْطُهٗ
Yā ayyuha'n-nāsu tūbū ila'llāhi qabla an tamūtū, wa bādirū bi'l-aʿmāli'ṣ-ṣāliḥah, wa ṣilū'lladhī baynakum wa bayna rabbikum bi-kathrati dhikrikum lahū wa kathrati'ṣ-ṣadaqati fi's-sirri wa'l-ʿalāniyah, tūjarū wa tuḥmadū wa turzaqū. Wa'ʿlamū anna'llāha qad faraḍa ʿalaykumu'l-jumuʿata farīḍatan maktūbatan fī maqāmī hādhā, fī shahrī hādhā, fī ʿāmī hādhā, ilā yawmi'l-qiyāmah, man wajada ilayhi sabīlā. Fa-man tarakahā fī ḥayātī aw baʿdī, juḥūdan bihā wa'stikhfāfan bihā, wa lahū imāmun jā'irun aw ʿādil, falā jamaʿa'llāhu shamlah, wa lā bāraka lahū fī amrih. Alā wa lā ṣalāta lah, alā wa lā ṣawma lah, alā wa lā zakāta lah, alā wa lā ḥajja lah, alā wa lā birra lahū ḥattā yatūb; fa-in tāba tāba'llāhu ʿalayh. Alā wa lā ta'ummanna'mra'atun rajulā, alā wa lā ya'ummanna aʿrābiyyun muhājirā, alā wa lā ya'ummanna fājirun mu'minan illā an yaqharahū sulṭānun yukhāfu sayfuhū wa sawṭuh.
O people, repent before death overtakes you. Hasten to perform good deeds. Strengthen your relationship with Allah through frequent remembrance and hidden and open charity. If you do so, you will be granted sustenance, helped, and your hardships will be removed. Know that Allah has made Friday obligatory upon you in this place, this month, and this year until the Day of Judgment. Whoever, during my life or after my death, neglects Friday, whether due to carelessness or denial, while having a leader, be he just or oppressive, Allah will not remove his hardships nor bless his affairs. Know that none of his prayers, charity, fasting, Hajj, or good deeds will be accepted unless he repents. If he repents, Allah will accept his repentance.
The Prophet ﷺ often recited Surah Qaf in his sermons, because it contains such powerful reminders and warnings; one of his companions said he learned the whole surah from hearing it so often.
The Prophet's ﷺ own sermon is recorded here so that its style and method can be learned, and because it is appropriate to recite this blessed sermon from time to time, or to weave its words into other sermons, for the guidance and blessing it carries.
The Prophet's ﷺ usual manner
- When everyone had gathered, he ﷺ would enter the mosque without any announcer going ahead of him and without any special attire, greet those present, ascend the minbar, face the people, greet them again, and begin the sermon immediately; there was no gap between the adhan and the khutbah.
- During the sermon he would instruct people to draw closer.
- He delivered two sermons, sitting briefly between them without speaking or supplicating. After the second, Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) would call the iqamah, and the Prophet ﷺ would lead the prayer.
- In the Friday prayer he often recited Surah al-Jumu'ah in the first rak'ah and Surah al-Munafiqun in the second, or sometimes Sabbih isma Rabbika'l-A'la in the first and Hal ataka hadithu'l-Ghashiyah in the second.
- His sermons were concise, his prayers comparatively long. During the sermon his voice would rise and his blessed eyes would redden, his state as though he were warning of an enemy's imminent attack.
بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهَاتَيْنِ
Buʿithtu ana wa's-sāʿatu ka-hātayn
I and the Hour have been sent like these two fingers.
أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ أَنَا أَوْلَى بِكُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ مِنْ نَفْسِهٖ مَنْ تَرَكَ مَالًا فَلِاهْلِهٖ وَ مَنْ تَرَكَ دَيْنَا أَوْ ضِيَاعًا فَعَلَیَّ
Ammā baʿdu, fa-inna khayra'l-ḥadīthi kitābu'llāh, wa khayra'l-hadyi hadyu Muḥammad, wa sharra'l-umūri muḥdathātuhā, wa kullu bidʿatin ḍalālah. Anā awlā bi-kulli muʾminin min nafsih, man taraka mālan fa-li-ahlih, wa man taraka daynan aw ḍiyāʿan fa-ʿalayy.
The best speech is the Book of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, the worst matters are innovations, and every innovation is misguidance.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ تُوبُوۡا إِلَى اللَّهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَمُوتُوۡا وَبَادِرُوۡا بِالْأَعْمَالِ الصَّالِحَةِ وَصِلُوا الَّذِي بَيْنَكُمْ وَ بَيْنَ رَبِّكُمۡ بِكَثۡرَۃِ ذِكْرِكُمْ لَهٗ وَ كَثَرَةِ الصَّدَقَةِ فِي السِّرِ وَالْعَلَانِيَةِ تُوجَرُوا وَتُحْمَدُوا وَ تُرْزَقُوا وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ فَرَضَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْجُمُعَةَ فَرِيضَةً مَّكْتُوبَةً فِي مَقَامِي هَذَا فِي شَهْرِى هَذَا فِي عَامِي هَذَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ وَجَدَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيۡلاً فَمَنْ تَرَكَهَا فِي حَيَاتِي أَوْ بَعْدِى جُحُودًا بِهَا وَ اسْتِخْفَافًا بِهَا وَ لَهٗ إِمَامٌ جَائِرٌ أَوْ عَادِلٌ فَلَا جَمَعَ اللَّهُ شَمْلَهٗ وَلَا بَارَكَ لَهٗ فِي أَمْرِهٖ أَلَا وَلَا صَلَاةَ لَهٗ. أَلَا وَ لَا صَوْمَ لَهٗ اَلَا وَ لَا زَكَاةَ لَهٗ أَلَا وَ لَا حَجَّ لَهٗ أَلَا وَ لَا بِرَّ لَهٗ حَتّٰى يَتُوبَ. فَإِنْ تَابَ تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ اَلا وَ لَا تَؤُمَّنَّ امْرَاۃٌ رَجُلاً اَ لَا وَ لَا يَؤُمَّنَّ أَعْرَابِيٌّ مُهَاجِرًا أَلَا وَ لَا يَؤُمَّنَّ فَاجِرٌ مُؤْمِنًا إِلَّا أَنْ يَقْهَرَهٗ سُلْطَانٌ يُخَافُ سَيْفُهٗ وَ سَوْطُهٗ
Yā ayyuha'n-nāsu tūbū ila'llāhi qabla an tamūtū, wa bādirū bi'l-aʿmāli'ṣ-ṣāliḥah, wa ṣilū'lladhī baynakum wa bayna rabbikum bi-kathrati dhikrikum lahū wa kathrati'ṣ-ṣadaqati fi's-sirri wa'l-ʿalāniyah, tūjarū wa tuḥmadū wa turzaqū. Wa'ʿlamū anna'llāha qad faraḍa ʿalaykumu'l-jumuʿata farīḍatan maktūbatan fī maqāmī hādhā, fī shahrī hādhā, fī ʿāmī hādhā, ilā yawmi'l-qiyāmah, man wajada ilayhi sabīlā. Fa-man tarakahā fī ḥayātī aw baʿdī, juḥūdan bihā wa'stikhfāfan bihā, wa lahū imāmun jā'irun aw ʿādil, falā jamaʿa'llāhu shamlah, wa lā bāraka lahū fī amrih. Alā wa lā ṣalāta lah, alā wa lā ṣawma lah, alā wa lā zakāta lah, alā wa lā ḥajja lah, alā wa lā birra lahū ḥattā yatūb; fa-in tāba tāba'llāhu ʿalayh. Alā wa lā ta'ummanna'mra'atun rajulā, alā wa lā ya'ummanna aʿrābiyyun muhājirā, alā wa lā ya'ummanna fājirun mu'minan illā an yaqharahū sulṭānun yukhāfu sayfuhū wa sawṭuh.
O people, repent before death overtakes you. Hasten to perform good deeds. Strengthen your relationship with Allah through frequent remembrance and hidden and open charity. If you do so, you will be granted sustenance, helped, and your hardships will be removed. Know that Allah has made Friday obligatory upon you in this place, this month, and this year until the Day of Judgment. Whoever, during my life or after his death, neglects Friday, whether due to carelessness or denial, while having a leader, be he just or oppressive, Allah will not remove his hardships nor bless his affairs. Know that none of his prayers, charity, fasting, Hajj, or good deeds will be accepted unless he repents. If he repents, Allah will accept his repentance.
In the second sermon, he ﷺ would open with praise of Allah, the two testimonies of faith, and salutations upon himself ﷺ: the Arabic wording the source gives for this opening has no English translation in it, but its content is the same shape every second khutbah follows, set out in the section on the rules of the Friday sermon.
He ﷺ often recited Surah Qaf in his sermons, for the effective advice, strong reprimand and warning it contains; one narrator reported that he memorised the whole surah from the Prophet ﷺ simply through hearing him recite it so frequently in his khutbahs.
The Prophet's ﷺ own khutbah is set out here so that its style and method may be learned; it is appropriate, too, to recite this blessed sermon from time to time, or to incorporate its wording into other sermons.
The Prophet's ﷺ usual manner
- When the people had assembled, he ﷺ would enter the mosque without a herald announcing him and without distinctive attire, offer salam, ascend the minbar, face the congregation, offer salam a second time, returning the greeting in this way was among his distinctive practices, and begin the khutbah immediately, with no interval between the adhan and the sermon. Before the minbar was made, he ﷺ would support himself on a bow or staff, or lean against the date-palm column near where the minbar later stood.
- During the khutbah he would instruct the congregation to draw nearer.
- He delivered two khutbahs, sitting briefly between them in silence, without speech or supplication. Following the second, Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) called the iqamah, and the Prophet ﷺ led the prayer.
- In the Jumu'ah prayer he most often recited Surah al-Jumu'ah in the first rak'ah and Surah al-Munafiqun in the second, or, on occasion, Sabbih isma Rabbika'l-A'la in the first and Hal ataka hadithu'l-Ghashiyah in the second.
- His khutbahs were brief and his prayers comparatively long, brevity in the sermon together with length in the prayer being reported as a mark of a preacher's fiqh and depth of understanding. During the khutbah his voice would rise and his blessed eyes redden, his state likened to one warning of an enemy's imminent onslaught.
بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهَاتَيْنِ
Buʿithtu ana wa's-sāʿatu ka-hātayn
I and the Hour have been sent like these two fingers.
أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ أَنَا أَوْلَى بِكُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ مِنْ نَفْسِهٖ مَنْ تَرَكَ مَالًا فَلِاهْلِهٖ وَ مَنْ تَرَكَ دَيْنَا أَوْ ضِيَاعًا فَعَلَیَّ
Ammā baʿdu, fa-inna khayra'l-ḥadīthi kitābu'llāh, wa khayra'l-hadyi hadyu Muḥammad, wa sharra'l-umūri muḥdathātuhā, wa kullu bidʿatin ḍalālah. Anā awlā bi-kulli muʾminin min nafsih, man taraka mālan fa-li-ahlih, wa man taraka daynan aw ḍiyāʿan fa-ʿalayy.
The best speech is the Book of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, the worst matters are innovations, and every innovation is misguidance.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ تُوبُوۡا إِلَى اللَّهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَمُوتُوۡا وَبَادِرُوۡا بِالْأَعْمَالِ الصَّالِحَةِ وَصِلُوا الَّذِي بَيْنَكُمْ وَ بَيْنَ رَبِّكُمۡ بِكَثۡرَۃِ ذِكْرِكُمْ لَهٗ وَ كَثَرَةِ الصَّدَقَةِ فِي السِّرِ وَالْعَلَانِيَةِ تُوجَرُوا وَتُحْمَدُوا وَ تُرْزَقُوا وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ فَرَضَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْجُمُعَةَ فَرِيضَةً مَّكْتُوبَةً فِي مَقَامِي هَذَا فِي شَهْرِى هَذَا فِي عَامِي هَذَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ وَجَدَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيۡلاً فَمَنْ تَرَكَهَا فِي حَيَاتِي أَوْ بَعْدِى جُحُودًا بِهَا وَ اسْتِخْفَافًا بِهَا وَ لَهٗ إِمَامٌ جَائِرٌ أَوْ عَادِلٌ فَلَا جَمَعَ اللَّهُ شَمْلَهٗ وَلَا بَارَكَ لَهٗ فِي أَمْرِهٖ أَلَا وَلَا صَلَاةَ لَهٗ. أَلَا وَ لَا صَوْمَ لَهٗ اَلَا وَ لَا زَكَاةَ لَهٗ أَلَا وَ لَا حَجَّ لَهٗ أَلَا وَ لَا بِرَّ لَهٗ حَتّٰى يَتُوبَ. فَإِنْ تَابَ تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ اَلا وَ لَا تَؤُمَّنَّ امْرَاۃٌ رَجُلاً اَ لَا وَ لَا يَؤُمَّنَّ أَعْرَابِيٌّ مُهَاجِرًا أَلَا وَ لَا يَؤُمَّنَّ فَاجِرٌ مُؤْمِنًا إِلَّا أَنْ يَقْهَرَهٗ سُلْطَانٌ يُخَافُ سَيْفُهٗ وَ سَوْطُهٗ
Yā ayyuha'n-nāsu tūbū ila'llāhi qabla an tamūtū, wa bādirū bi'l-aʿmāli'ṣ-ṣāliḥah, wa ṣilū'lladhī baynakum wa bayna rabbikum bi-kathrati dhikrikum lahū wa kathrati'ṣ-ṣadaqati fi's-sirri wa'l-ʿalāniyah, tūjarū wa tuḥmadū wa turzaqū. Wa'ʿlamū anna'llāha qad faraḍa ʿalaykumu'l-jumuʿata farīḍatan maktūbatan fī maqāmī hādhā, fī shahrī hādhā, fī ʿāmī hādhā, ilā yawmi'l-qiyāmah, man wajada ilayhi sabīlā. Fa-man tarakahā fī ḥayātī aw baʿdī, juḥūdan bihā wa'stikhfāfan bihā, wa lahū imāmun jā'irun aw ʿādil, falā jamaʿa'llāhu shamlah, wa lā bāraka lahū fī amrih. Alā wa lā ṣalāta lah, alā wa lā ṣawma lah, alā wa lā zakāta lah, alā wa lā ḥajja lah, alā wa lā birra lahū ḥattā yatūb; fa-in tāba tāba'llāhu ʿalayh. Alā wa lā ta'ummanna'mra'atun rajulā, alā wa lā ya'ummanna aʿrābiyyun muhājirā, alā wa lā ya'ummanna fājirun mu'minan illā an yaqharahū sulṭānun yukhāfu sayfuhū wa sawṭuh.
O people, repent before death overtakes you. Hasten to perform good deeds. Strengthen your relationship with Allah through frequent remembrance and hidden and open charity. If you do so, you will be granted sustenance, helped, and your hardships will be removed. Know that Allah has made Friday obligatory upon you in this place, this month, and this year until the Day of Judgment. Whoever, during my life or after my death, neglects Friday, whether due to carelessness or denial, while having a leader, be he just or oppressive, Allah will not remove his hardships nor bless his affairs. Know that none of his prayers, charity, fasting, Hajj, or good deeds will be accepted unless he repents. If he repents, Allah will accept his repentance.
He ﷺ frequently recited Surah Qaf in his khutbahs, on account of the forceful admonition, reprimand and warning it contains. One narrator reported committing the whole surah to memory purely from having heard the Prophet ﷺ recite it so often in his sermons.
Related
- The emphasis on the Friday prayer, and the warning against abandoning it The Qur'an's command to hasten to Jumu'ah, the reward for attending it properly, and the hadith that warn severely against missing it.
- The method of offering the Friday sermon and prayer The rak'ahs of Jumu'ah in order, the intention to use, who may lead, and step by step how the imam moves from the sermon into the prayer.
- The rules of the Friday sermon, and the etiquette of listening to it The two obligatory parts of the khutbah, its twelve sunnahs, what is disliked in it, why it stays in Arabic, and how the congregation should listen.
- The rulings of the Eid sermon The Eid khutbah follows the Friday sermon's rules with three exceptions: no sitting first, an opening and closing takbir, and its own subject matter.