364 – Jabir reported that “the Prophet ﷺ was delivering the sermon standing, when a caravan arrived from Syria. The people turned away toward it, until no one was left but twelve men.” Muslim transmitted it (1).

Lexical notes
• ʿīr: a caravan of laden camels; the word is feminine and has no singular form derived from it.
• fanfatala al-nās: they dispersed, leaving the sermon and going out of the mosque to meet the caravan.
• “except twelve men”: the clause is a complete negative sentence, so the word “men” may be read in the nominative, as an apposition to the subject of “remained,” or in the accusative, as an exception.

Points derived from the hadith

1. The two Friday sermons are obligatory, in accordance with Allah’s words, “Hurry to the remembrance of Allah” (Qurʾan 62:9). Most exegetes state that “the remembrance” here means the sermon, and al-Nawawī related a consensus on its obligation.
2. It is recommended for the preacher to stand while delivering the sermon. Allah says, “and they left you standing” (Qurʾan 62:11). This practice is widely attested, and Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr conveyed the consensus of the Muslim scholars that the sermon should be delivered standing by anyone able to do so. Nevertheless, standing is not a condition for its validity.
3. The fact that the people left the Prophet ﷺ while he was preaching and that he proceeded with only twelve men shows that the Friday prayer is valid with such a number.