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 sermon (khutbah) is not just a nice extra before the Friday prayer; without it, the prayer itself does not count.
Two things about the sermon are obligatory (fard): it must be given after Zuhr time starts and before the prayer, and it must mention Allah, at least by saying something like SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, or Allahu Akbar. Without these, the sermon does not count, so the Jumu'ah prayer does not count either.
What the imam should do (sunnah)
- Have wudu (be pure) before giving the sermon.
- Stand up while giving it.
- Face the congregation.
- Give two separate sermons, not one.
- Sit down for a short pause in between them.
- Quietly say 'I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan' before starting.
- Speak loud enough for people to hear.
- Start with 'Alhamdulillah'.
- In the first sermon: praise Allah, say the two testimonies of faith, send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, encourage the people, and recite some Qur'an.
- In the second sermon: the same, but make du'a for the believers instead of just encouraging them.
- Keep both sermons fairly short, shorter than the prayer itself.
- Give the sermon from the pulpit (minbar).
How to listen to the khutbah
- As soon as the imam heads to the minbar, stop whatever you are doing and pay full attention to him.
- Once he starts speaking, you must listen from start to finish, whether you are near or far, and even if you can't actually hear him.
- Do not eat, drink, walk around, talk, greet people, answer greetings, do dhikr, read Qur'an, pray nafl, or explain a religious point during the sermon; all of this is not allowed, just like in the prayer itself.
- Sit facing the qiblah, and keep your attention on the imam.
- If someone greets the Prophet ﷺ by name, you may send blessings on him quietly in your heart.
The Friday sermon is a condition for the validity of the Friday prayer; without it, the prayer is not valid. It must be delivered before at least three sane, adult, qualified individuals present from start to finish; if fewer are present, this condition is not fulfilled.
There are two obligatory (fard) aspects of the sermon: it must be delivered after the sun has passed its zenith and before the Friday prayer (delivered before Zuhr time or after the prayer, it is invalid) and it must include the mention of Allah, at least to the extent of SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, or Allahu Akbar. Without this, the sermon is not valid.
| # | Sunnah |
|---|---|
| 1 | Delivering it in a state of purity (wudu). |
| 2 | Standing while delivering it. |
| 3 | Facing the congregation, not turned away from the qiblah. |
| 4 | Delivering two sermons, not one. |
| 5 | Sitting briefly between the two, for about the time it takes to recite three verses, or until the preacher settles. |
| 6 | Reciting A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan-ir-rajim silently before beginning. |
| 7 | Speaking loudly enough for the congregation to hear. |
| 8 | Opening with Al-hamdu lillah. |
| 9 | In the first sermon: praising Allah, the two testimonies of faith, sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, exhorting the believers, and reciting three short verses (or one long verse) of the Qur'an. |
| 10 | In the second sermon: the same praise and testimonies, blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, one Qur'anic verse, and du'a for the believers in place of exhortation, since the imam is instructed to keep it shorter. |
| 11 | Keeping both sermons concise, roughly the length of a chapter from the Tiwal al-Mufassal, and shorter than the prayer itself. |
| 12 | Delivering the sermon from the minbar. |
Delivering the sermon in Arabic is a confirmed sunnah, since the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions always delivered it in Arabic, even in the many non-Arabic-speaking lands conquered in the Companions' own time. Including non-Arabic content, or mixing Arabic with another language, is against this confirmed sunnah and disliked (makruh tahrimi).
| Recommended (mustahabb) | Disliked (makruh) |
|---|---|
| Beginning the exhortation, after the praise and testimonies, with Amma ba'd. | Greeting the congregation on ascending the minbar. |
| In the second sermon, mentioning and supplicating for the Prophet's ﷺ family, wives and Companions, especially the four rightly-guided Caliphs, the ten promised Paradise, and his uncles Hamzah and Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them). Supplicating for the Muslim ruler is also permissible. | Delivering the sermon without wudu, or without proper covering. |
| Delivering the second sermon a little more softly than the first. | Delivering the sermon while seated. |
| The preacher wearing a black turban on Friday. | Starting before the second call to prayer is finished; limiting the sermon to only the first one, or skipping the sitting between the two; making it longer than a Tiwal al-Mufassal chapter, or shorter than three verses without a valid reason; and speaking during it except to clarify a legal point or to prevent wrongdoing by gesture. |
Any other sunnah of the sermon left unobserved is likewise disliked.
When the imam moves towards the minbar for the khutbah, all dhikr, tasbih and conversation should stop, and full attention should be given to the khatib.
Once the khutbah begins, listening to it from start to finish is obligatory on everyone present, whether they are near or far from the khatib and whether or not they can actually hear him. This obligation extends to any khutbah, not only Jumu'ah's, including the Eid sermon and the marriage sermon.
During the khutbah
- Eating, drinking, walking, talking, greeting, responding to greetings, dhikr, Qur'an recitation, nafl prayer, or explaining a religious issue are all impermissible during the khutbah, exactly as in the prayer itself.
- Someone who sneezes and says Alhamdulillah, or who enters and offers greetings during the khutbah, need not be answered.
- Someone already praying sunnah prayers when the khutbah begins should complete them quickly.
- Listeners should sit facing the qiblah, attentive to the khatib; sitting as in the prayer (on the knees) is recommended, though not obligatory, since the sermon is not itself a prayer, even though it carries the reward of half the Jumu'ah prayer.
- If the khutbah cannot be heard, attention should still be fixed on it, without turning to dhikr, tasbih or conversation instead.
- Do not verbally silence someone talking or reading during the khutbah, since that too counts as talking; a silent gesture is permitted instead, and speech is permitted only where a gesture will not do, to prevent real harm.
- When the Prophet's ﷺ name is mentioned, blessings may be sent on him silently, in the heart; when the verse commanding blessings on him is recited, silent salutations may likewise be sent.
- Saying "radiyallahu 'anhu" aloud for a Companion or Caliph mentioned, or a phrase like "khallada'llahu mulkahu" for a ruler mentioned, is disliked for everyone present, including the mu'adhdhin.
- Walking over people's shoulders to reach the front rows during the khutbah is not permitted, and standing for the prayer before the second khutbah has fully ended is not to be done.
The khutbah is a shart (condition) of Jumu'ah's validity, not merely an accompaniment to it; it must be delivered before at least three sane, adult, qualified individuals present from its beginning to its end; where fewer are present, this condition fails, regardless of everything else about the sermon being correct.
Two elements of the khutbah are fard: delivery after zawal and before the prayer (delivery before Zuhr time, or after the prayer, invalidates it), and the mention of Allah, at minimum to the extent of SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah or Allahu Akbar, without which the khutbah itself is invalid.
| # | Sunnah |
|---|---|
| 1 | Delivering it in a state of tahara (both the khatib and, it is meant, the discourse being free of what is objectionable). |
| 2 | Standing while delivering it. |
| 3 | Facing the congregation, the body not turned away from the qiblah. |
| 4 | Delivering two separate khutbahs. |
| 5 | A brief julus (sitting) between the two, for the duration of reciting three ayat, or until the khatib's body settles. |
| 6 | Reciting the isti'adhah (A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan-ir-rajim) silently before beginning. |
| 7 | Raising the voice sufficiently for the congregation to hear. |
| 8 | Opening with al-hamdu lillah. |
| 9 | In the first khutbah: hamd, the two shahadatayn, salutations on the Prophet ﷺ, exhortation (wa'z) of the believers, and recitation of three short ayat, or one long ayah, of the Qur'an. |
| 10 | In the second khutbah: the same hamd and shahadatayn, salutations on the Prophet ﷺ, one Qur'anic ayah (from Surah al-Hujurat onward is termed Mufassal) and du'a for the believers in place of wa'z, since the imam is directed to shorten it. |
| 11 | Brevity in both khutbahs, on the order of a chapter from the Tiwal al-Mufassal, and shorter than the prayer that follows. |
| 12 | Delivery from the minbar. |
Delivering the khutbah in Arabic is sunnah mu'akkadah. The Prophet ﷺ and the Companions delivered it invariably in Arabic, even across the many non-Arabic-speaking lands conquered in the Companions' own era, where the majority of hearers did not know the language; examination of the khutbahs of the Prophet ﷺ, his Caliphs and their successors (as recorded in the Musaffa's commentary on the Muwatta) consistently shows hamd, the two shahadatayn, salutations, exhortation to taqwa, Qur'anic recitation, du'a for the Muslims, and delivery in Arabic, without exception from East to West. Introducing non-Arabic content (Urdu, Persian, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada or any other language) or mixing Arabic with another language, whether in verse or prose, departs from this confirmed sunnah and is makruh tahrimi.
| Mustahabb | Makruh |
|---|---|
| Opening the exhortation, after hamd and the shahadatayn, with Amma ba'd. | Greeting the congregation on ascending the minbar. |
| In the second khutbah, mentioning and supplicating for the Prophet's ﷺ ahl al-bayt, his wives, the Sahabah, especially the four Khulafa' Rashidun and the 'Asharah Mubasharah, and his uncles Hamzah and 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them). Du'a for the Muslim ruler is likewise permissible, provided no inaccurate description of him is used. | Delivering the khutbah without tahara (as with praying in a state of impurity, this is not permitted) or without appropriate covering. |
| Delivering the second khutbah in a somewhat softer voice than the first. | Delivering it seated. |
| The khatib wearing a black turban on Friday. | Beginning before the second adhan is completed; confining the khutbah to a single address or omitting the julus between the two; exceeding the length of a Tiwal al-Mufassal chapter, or falling short of three ayat without valid reason (as in especially cold weather); and speaking during it, except to clarify a shar'i matter or to prevent a wrong by gesture. |
Departure from any other sunnah of the khutbah not listed here is likewise makruh.
As the imam proceeds toward the minbar for the khutbah, all dhikr, tasbih and conversation are to cease, and attention is to be given wholly to the khatib.
Once the khutbah begins, listening to it in full is obligatory on every person present, regardless of proximity to the khatib or audibility. The same obligation attaches to any khutbah, not Jumu'ah's alone, the Eid khutbah and the marriage khutbah included.
During the khutbah
- Eating, drinking, walking, talking, greeting, returning a greeting, dhikr, Qur'an recitation, nafl prayer, or explaining a shar'i matter are all impermissible during the khutbah, exactly as within the prayer itself.
- One who sneezes and says Alhamdulillah, or who enters and offers a greeting during the khutbah, need not be responded to; it is preferable, in the case of a sneeze, to say Alhamdulillah silently rather than aloud.
- Someone already engaged in sunnah prayer when the khutbah begins should complete it swiftly.
- Listeners should sit facing the qiblah, attentive to the khatib; sitting as in prayer (jalsah) is mustahabb but not fard, the khutbah being neither itself a prayer nor a substitute for the two rak'ahs of Zuhr, though it carries the reward of half the Jumu'ah prayer.
- Where the khutbah's voice cannot be heard, attention is nonetheless to remain fixed on it, without turning to dhikr, tasbih or conversation.
- Verbally silencing someone talking or reading during the khutbah is itself counted as talking during it and is therefore avoided; a gesture suffices, and speech is permitted only where a gesture cannot serve, as when warning someone of an immediate physical danger such as a fall or a sting.
- On the Prophet's ﷺ name being mentioned, blessings may be sent silently, in the heart; on recitation of the ayah commanding blessings upon him, silent salutations may likewise be offered.
- Saying radiyallahu 'anhu aloud for a Companion or Caliph named, or a phrase such as khallada'llahu mulkahu for a ruler named, is makruh for everyone present, including the mu'adhdhin or the muballigh.
- Stepping over people's shoulders to reach the front rows during the khutbah is not permitted, nor is standing for the prayer before the second khutbah has entirely concluded.
Terms on this page
Related
- 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.
- 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 conditions for the Friday prayer to be valid The six conditions without which Jumu'ah does not count at all, how each is defined, why they differ from the conditions of obligation, and praying it in more than one mosque.
- The rules of the adhan for Friday Why Friday has two calls to prayer, when each is given, and why trading is not allowed once the first one is heard.