Is it necessary to listen when the sermon (on Friday) is read and not to say amin? They say it is necessary not to utter salawat even if the name of the Prophet is mentioned. Is it true?

In Friday sermon (khutbah), some imams say prayers silently while others say aloud. Which one is appropriate? What should the congregation do when the prayer is said aloud? Some people do not find it appropriate to open hands and say amin. Is it true that we should only listen and not even utter salawat during the Friday sermon? Would you explain it? 

Dear Brother / Sister,

One of the conditions of the validity of the Friday prayer is the sermon to be read before the fard of the Friday prayer. It is necessary for the imam to read a sermon after the time for the Friday prayer starts and in the presence of the congregation. Therefore, if there is nobody in the mosque when the imam reads the sermon and if the congregation comes after the sermon is read, their prayer is not valid.

It is not a condition for the congregation to hear the sermon. It is enough for them to be present there. It is enough for one male sane person who has reached the age of puberty to be present during the sermon even if he is a traveler.

According to Abu Hanifa, the condition of the Friday sermon is to mention Allah. Therefore, it is enough to say "Alhamdu lillah" or "Subhanallah" or "La ilaha illalah" with the intention of sermon. According to Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad, it consists of a longish mentioning of Allah. The shortest one is praising Allah, salawat and praying for Muslims at least as long as the length of tahiyyat.

The wajibs of the sermon are the imam having wudu, covering his awrah places and reading the sermon while standing.

The sunnahs of the sermon are to divide the sermon into two and to sit between them at least long enough to utter a tasbih or read three verses. Therefore, it is called two sermons. Each of these sermons needs to include praising Allah, kalima ash-shahada, salawat and greetings. The first sermon needs to include a verse and advice to people; the second sermon needs to include prayer for Muslims.

In addition, the voice of the imam needs to be less loud in the second sermon than in the first one. They are the sunnahs of the sermon.

It is sunnah not to lengthen the sermons. It is makruh to read a chapter between the chapter of "al-Hujurat" and "al-Buruj", especially in winter. It is not appropriate to sicken the congregation. The people in the congregation might have some urgent things to do. To keep them in the mosque for a long time might cause them not to come to the mosque in the following weeks; therefore, it will be something inappropriate. The imam reading the sermon should think about these issues. His sermon should not be too long to cause the end of his words to make people forget the beginning of his words and to decrease the value of his words. Preparing a short sermon that will be useful for the congregation shows the competence and virtue of the imam. A hadith regarding the issue is as follows: 

"The lengthening of prayer by an imam and the shortness of the sermon is the sign of his understanding of faith. So, lengthen the prayer and shorten the sermon; for, there is charm in precise expression." (Muslim, Jumua 47)

Thus, the sermons need to be good enough to win hearts in terms of rhetoric and meaning.

According to what is reported from Jabir bin Samura, one of the Companions, both the prayer and sermons of the Prophet (pbuh) were of medium length. They were not very short or very long. (see Nasai, Jumua 31)

The imam sits on the pulpit until the adhan is completed. Then, he stands up. After that, he says “auduhu billahi…” silently and praises Allah aloud. He reads the sermon to the congregation. When the sermon ends, iqamah is read. They are the sunnahs of the sermon. It is makruh for the imam not to be careful about the sunnahs of the sermon or to talk about worldly affairs. 

The imam (orator) can say the prayers aloud or silently. However, when he says the prayers aloud, the congregation will probably say amin; therefore, he had better say the prayers silently. For, it is makruh for the people who listen to the sermon to speak, to say tasbihat, to say "yarhamukallah" to a person who sneezes and says "alhamdulillah" and to answer a person’s greeting.

It is also makruh to utter salawat to the Prophet (pbuh) and to say amin after a prayer while the sermon is being read.

If it is necessary to utter salawat and to say amin, they are said through the heart; they are not pronounced. 

It is sunnah to say prayers in the sermon but it is more appropriate for the congregation to keep silent during the prayers in the sermon.

To Keep Silent during the Sermon

Abu Hurayra (ra) narrates that the Prophet (pbuh) said,

“If you say ‘keep silent’ to your friend while the sermon is being delivered on Friday, you will do something useless.” (Bukhari, Jumua 36; Muslim, Jumua 11)

Abu Hurayra (ra) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“If a person who cleans his clothes and makes ghusl goes to the mosque early, sits near the imam and listens to the imam, his sins between two Fridays, and three more days, are forgiven. A person who touches a stone will do something useless." (Abu Dawud, Jumua 1050)

It is narrated that Hz. Ali addressed people as follows on the pulpit in the mosque of Kufah:

"When Friday comes, the devils go to the markets with their flags, and involve people in their needs and prevent them from the Friday prayer. The angels come early in the morning, sit at the door of the mosque, and record that so-and-so came at the first hour, and so-and-so came at the second hour until the imam ascends the pulpit. When a man sits in a place where he can listen to the sermon and see the imam, where he remains silent and does not talk idly, he will receive a double reward. If he sits in a place where he can listen to the sermon and see the imam and does not remain silent but talks idly, he will receive a sin. If anyone says to his companion sitting beside him to be silent (while the imam is reading the sermon), he will talk idly. Anyone who talks idly will receive nothing (no reward) on that Friday.

Hz. Ali finished his statement with the following sentence:

"I heard the Messenger of Allah say so." (Abu Dawud, Jumua 1051)

When a person goes to the mosque on Friday if the sermon has not started yet, he can proceed to a place near the orator without disturbing others; otherwise, he sits any place where he can find. However, if he cannot find a place to sit and if there is a place in the ranks at the front, he can go there due to the necessity.

When the orator ascends to the pulpit, the congregation has to keep silent, stop greeting and performing nafilah prayers. Even if the blessed name of the Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned in the sermon, it is better to keep silent. According to a narration from Imam Abu Yusuf, one can say salawat silently in that case.

Accordingly:

Evaluating listening to the orator very carefully as a whole "from the moment the orator ascends to the pulpit to the end of the prayer" and regarding that what is haram in prayer is haram also in the sermon, Hanafis say that the congregation has to keep silent, must not greet and answer greetings, must not perform nafilah prayers, that amin and salawat can be said silently when the name of the Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned and when the orator says a prayer. (Alauddin Ibn Abidin, al-Hadiyyatul-Alaiyya, 155-156)

Therefore, there is no drawback to saying “amin” silently in a way that the person can hear only himself.

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