He also said, peace and blessings be upon him: “Three kinds of people attend the Friday prayer: a man who attends but engages in idle talk, and that is all he gains from it; a man who attends and supplicates to Allah, Mighty and Majestic—if He wills, He grants his request, and if He wills, He withholds it; and a man who attends, listens attentively and remains silent, neither stepping over a Muslim’s neck nor harming anyone. For him, it is an expiation until the following Friday, with three additional days. This is because Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says: ‘Whoever comes with a good deed will be rewarded tenfold’ [al-An‘ām: 160].” This was recorded by Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd (1).

When Bilāl finished the call to prayer, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would begin the sermon. No one would stand to pray two units of prayer at all, and there was only one call to prayer. This indicates that Friday prayer, like Eid prayer, has no sunnah prayer before it. This is the sounder of the scholars’ two views, and the Sunnah supports it. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would leave his house, and when he ascended the pulpit, Bilāl would begin the call to Friday prayer. Once he finished, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would begin the sermon without any interval. It is as though (2) we were seeing this with our own eyes. When, then, would they have prayed the sunnah prayer? Whoever supposes that, when Bilāl finished the call to prayer, they all stood up,