366 – Jābir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to deliver the sermon standing, then he would sit, then he would stand and deliver it again while standing. Whoever tells you that he preached sitting has indeed lied.” Related by Muslim (1).

Vocabulary of the ḥadīth
• anbaʾaka: a past-tense verb from inbāʾ (to inform) in the ifʿāl pattern; meaning: “who informed you.”
• kadhib: yakdhibu kadhiban (to lie). Kadhib is to convey information contrary to reality, whether intentionally or by mistake; according to Ahl al-Sunnah there is no middle state between truth and falsehood.

Points derived from the ḥadīth

1. It is recommended for the khaṭīb to stand during the two Friday sermons, as Allah says: “and they left you standing” (Sūrat al-Jumuʿah 62:11). Ibn al-Mundhir recorded the consensus of the scholars of the major centers on this point.
2. Standing while preaching offers many benefits: it displays strength and vitality, heightens the preacher’s fervor, ensures the audience can hear and comprehend, fulfills the Sunnah, and obeys the Qur’an.
3. It is recommended to sit briefly between the two sermons to separate them, to rest, and to follow the Sunnah. A group of scholars stated that this sitting should last roughly the time needed to recite Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ.
4. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, never delivered a sermon sitting at all, for the noble Companion Jābir ibn Samurah—