His statement, “until he has prayed two rak'ahs, which he should keep brief”: The evidence for this is as follows:

1. The Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you enters the mosque, he should not sit down until he has prayed two rak'ahs.” (1) This is general in meaning.

2. The Prophet ﷺ saw a man enter the mosque and sit down while he was delivering the sermon. He said, “Have you prayed?” The man replied, “No.” He said, “Then get up and pray two rak'ahs.” (2) Another narration adds: “And keep them brief.”

3. The Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you comes on Friday after the imam has come out, let him pray two rak'ahs and keep them brief.” (3) Thus, the sunnah in this matter is clear.

Some scholars have inferred from this that the mosque greeting prayer is obligatory. Their reasoning is that listening to the sermon is obligatory, while engaging in prayer distracts one from listening to it; and one does not turn away from an obligation except for another obligation. Many scholars have adopted this view. However, after considering several cases, it has become clear to us that it is an emphatically recommended sunnah, not obligatory. The argument that one is distracted can be answered by saying that he may be distracted, yet still hear some of it while praying. A person can hear and understand while praying. This is why the Messenger ﷺ would lead the people in prayer, and when he heard a child crying, he would shorten his prayer. (4) This is evidence that