the second sermon (1). When he finished, Bilāl would begin the call to commence the prayer. He would instruct the people to draw near to him and listen silently, telling them that anyone who said to his companion, “Listen,” had engaged in idle talk. He would say: “Whoever engages in idle talk has no Friday prayer.” He would also say: “Whoever speaks on Friday while the imam is delivering the sermon is like a donkey carrying books. And whoever says, ‘Listen,’ has no Friday prayer.” This was narrated by Imam Ahmad (2).
Ubayy ibn Ka‘b said: “On Friday, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, recited (Tabārak, ‘Blessed is He’) while standing, reminding us of the days of Allah. Abū al-Dardā’ or Abū Dharr was signalling to me and asked, ‘When was this surah revealed? I have never heard it until now.’” Ubayy signalled to him to remain silent. When they left, the man said: “I asked you when this surah was revealed, but you did not tell me.” Ubayy (3) replied: “All you have gained from your prayer today is your idle talk.” The man went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, mentioned what had happened, and told him what Ubayy had said. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Ubayy spoke the truth.” This was recorded by Ibn Mājah and Sa‘īd ibn Mansūr (4), and its underlying report appears in Musnad Ahmad (5).
(1) Reported by al-Bukhārī (920) and Muslim (861), from ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Umar, and by Muslim (862), from Samura ibn Jundub. However, the duration of the sitting between the two sermons is reported by Abū Dāwūd in al-Marāsīl (55), in a mursal report from Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī.
(2) No. 2033, from Ibn ‘Abbās. Its chain includes Mujālid. The sources for this report and the preceding one have already been given.
(3) The printed editions read “’nh”; this may be a scribal corruption.
(4) Al-Sunan wa-l-Ahkām, by al-Maqdisī (2247). Reported by Ibn Mājah (1111), through ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Muhammad al-Darāwardī, from Sharīk ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Abī Namir, from ‘Atā’ ibn Yasār, from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b. Its chain is hasan (fair), although whether ‘Atā’ ibn Yasār heard directly from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b is open to question, as al-Dhahabī indicates in Talkhīs al-Mustadrak and al-Hāfiz in Ithāf al-Mahara (14:172–173). See also the source discussion below.
(5) No. 21287, among the supplementary reports added by ‘Abd Allāh ibn Ahmad, through ‘Abd al-‘Azīr ibn Muhammad, with the same chain. Also reported by Ibn Khuzayma (1807, 1808), al-Hākim (1:287–288; 2:229–230), and al-Bayhaqī (3:219–220), through several routes from Sharīk ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Abī Namir, from ‘Atā’ ibn Yasār, from Abū Dharr. Perhaps Sharīk ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Abī Namir al-Laythī—who is truthful but makes mistakes—was responsible for the inconsistency, attributing the report to Abū Dharr rather than Ubayy ibn Ka‘b. See Nasb al-Rāya (2:202) and the comments of the editors of al-Musnad.