the sermon anew, so that a single act of worship is not performed by two persons.

Question: Is it a condition that the number of people present for the two sermons be the same number present for the prayer?

For example, if he delivers the sermon to forty people, then those forty leave and another forty come and pray the Friday prayer.

The answer is that this is indeed a condition, because they must be present for both sermons and the prayer.

Question: The author of the text did not mention what invalidates the two sermons, but the commentator mentioned in al-Rawd that they are invalidated by prohibited speech. That is, if the preacher says something prohibited during the sermon, such as slander, cursing, or the like, the sermon is invalidated, because this conflicts with the purpose of the sermon.

The purpose of the sermon is to admonish people and restrain them from what is prohibited. Thus, if the preacher himself commits what is prohibited, the sermon is invalidated.

Question: The author also did not mention whether it is a condition for the two sermons to be delivered in Arabic.

The answer is that if he is preaching to Arabs, they must be in Arabic. If he is preaching to non-Arabs, some scholars say that he must first deliver the sermon in Arabic, then deliver it in the language of the people before him.

Others say that it is not a condition for the sermon to be delivered in Arabic; rather, he must deliver it in the language of the people to whom he is preaching. This is the correct view, due to the saying of Allah Most High: “And We did not send any messenger except in the language of his people, so that he might make the message clear to them.” [Ibrahim: 4]

People cannot benefit from an admonition when they do not know what the preacher has said. Moreover, the two sermons are not acts of worship whose exact wording is itself prescribed.