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.
The Prophet's way of giving the Friday sermon is the sunnah: two sermons with a short quiet sit between them, no gap between the call to prayer and the sermon, telling people to come closer, and keeping the sermon short while the prayer is longer. In the prayer he read Surah al-Jumu'ah and Surah al-Munafiqun, or Sabbih and al-Ghashiyah.
1234567بُعِثْتُ 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.
It is good to recite this sermon of the Prophet ﷺ from time to time, or to use its words in other Friday sermons, because of the guidance and blessing in it.
1The 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.
Reading Surah Qaf in the Friday sermon is the Prophet's ﷺ sunnah; he read it so often that one of his companions learned the whole surah just from hearing him.
1The 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.
The Prophet's ﷺ manner of delivering the Friday sermon is the sunnah for every khutbah: two sermons with a brief silent sitting between them, no gap between the adhan and the sermon, instructing the people to draw closer, and a concise sermon with a comparatively long prayer, in which Surah al-Jumu'ah and Surah al-Munafiqun, or Sabbih and al-Ghashiyah, are recited.
1234567بُعِثْتُ 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.
It is recommended to recite this blessed sermon of the Prophet ﷺ from time to time, or to weave its words into other Friday sermons, for the guidance and blessing it carries.
1In 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.
Reciting Surah Qaf in the Friday sermon is a sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, who recited it so frequently from the minbar that a companion memorised the whole surah from hearing him.
1The 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.
The Prophet's ﷺ manner of delivering the khutbah is the sunnah in it: two khutbahs separated by a brief silent sitting (jalsah), no interval between the adhan and the khutbah, instructing the congregation to draw nearer, and a concise khutbah with a comparatively long prayer in which al-Jumu'ah and al-Munafiqun, or Sabbih and al-Ghashiyah, are recited. Before the minbar was made he ﷺ leaned on a staff or the palm trunk.
1234567بُعِثْتُ 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.
It is mustahabb to recite this transmitted khutbah of the Prophet ﷺ from time to time, or to incorporate its wording into other khutbahs, on account of the guidance and barakah it carries.
1He 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.
Reciting Surah Qaf in the khutbah is a sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, established by his reciting it every Friday from the minbar, so often that a companion committed the whole surah to memory from him.
1This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 654 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
The Friday Sermon of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
The sermon of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is mentioned here to understand its style and method. It is also appropriate to occasionally recite this blessed sermon for the guidance and blessing of Muslims or include its sacred words in other sermons.
The usual practice was that when everyone gathered, the Prophet ﷺ would enter the mosque without any announcer calling ahead or wearing any special attire. He would greet the attendees, then ascend the pulpit, face the people [Before the pulpit (minbar) was made, the Prophet (ﷺ) would support himself with a bow or stick, and sometimes lean against the column made of date palms near the pulpit.], greet them again [The practice of returning the Salaam (greeting) was one of the Prophet's (ﷺ) distinctive practices.], and immediately start the sermon. (There was no gap between the adhan and the sermon). During the sermon, he would instruct people to come closer.
He would deliver two sermons, sitting briefly in between without speaking or supplicating. After completing the second sermon, Bilal رضي الله عنه 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 سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلٰى in the first and هَلْ أَتٰكَ حَدِيْثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ in the second.
His sermons were concise [It is narrated in a Hadith that reading a brief sermon and offering a long prayer is a sign of wisdom and deep understanding.], while the prayers were lengthy [This means that the prayer was longer compared to the sermon.]. During the sermon, his voice would rise, and his blessed eyes would turn red. It is narrated that his state during the sermon was as if warning of an enemy's imminent attack.
In many sermons, he would join his middle and index fingers, Saying: بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهَاتَيْنِ ("I and the Hour have been sent like these two fingers").
He would continue, Saying:
"أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ أَنَا أَوْلَى بِكُلِّ مُؤْ مِنٍ مِنْ نَفْسِهٖ مَنْ تَرَكَ مَالًا فَلِاهْلِهٖ وَ مَنْ تَرَكَ دَيْنَا أَوْ ضِيَاعًا فَعَلَیَّ
("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.")
He would sometimes recite this sermon:
" 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 امْرَاۃٌرَجُلاً اَ لَا وَ لَا يَؤُمَّنَّ أَعْرَابِيٌّ مُهَاجِرًا أَلَا وَ لَا يَؤُمَّنَّ فَاجِرٌ مُؤْمِنًا إِلَّا أَنْ يَقْهَرَهٗ سُلْطَانٌ يُخَافُ سَيْفُهٗ وَ سَوْطُهٗ"
In the second sermon, he would say:
"اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهٗ وَنَسْتَعِينُهٗ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهٗ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَ مِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهٗ وَ مَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهٗ وَ اَشْهَدُ أَنْ لا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهٗ وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهٗ وَرَسُولُهٗ أَرْسَلَهٗ بِالْحَقِّ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ السَّاعَةِ مَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَ رَسُولَهٗ فَقَدْ رَشَدَ وَ اهْتَدٰى وَ مَنْ يَعْصِهِمَا فَإِنَّهٗ لَا يَضُرُّ إِلَّا نَفْسَهٗ وَ لَا يَضُرُّ اللَّهَ شَيْئًا "
He often recited Surah Qaf in the sermon [Because this Surah contains very effective advice, strong reprimands, and warnings.]. The narrator said, "I memorized Surah Qaf from the Prophet ﷺ because he frequently recited it in his sermons."
Related
- The emphasis on the Friday prayer, and the warning against abandoning it The Qur'an's command to hasten to the Friday prayer (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 units (rak'ahs) of the Friday prayer (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 Friday sermon (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 sermon (khutbah) follows the Friday sermon's rules with three exceptions: no sitting first, an opening and closing takbir, and its own subject matter.