held that it is not one of the conditions of the prayer; the remaining debate, therefore, is simply whether this sermon is obligatory or not, since it belongs to the regular category of sermons.
Some scholars argued for its obligation on the basis of the Almighty’s words, “So hasten to the remembrance of Allah” (Q 62:9), claiming that the “remembrance” here means the Friday sermon.
Second Issue
Those who deemed it obligatory disagreed over the minimum that fulfils the requirement. Ibn al-Qāsim said: it is the least amount of composed speech to which the Arabs would apply the name “khutbah,” provided it begins with praise of Allah.
Al-Shāfiʿī, however, maintained that the minimum consists of two sermons. In each one the preacher must stand, separating the two with a brief sitting, praise Allah at the beginning of each, invoke blessings upon the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—exhort the congregation to fear Allah, recite a portion of the Qur’an in the first sermon, and offer supplication in the second.
The reason for their disagreement is whether the minimum is determined by the purely linguistic usage of the term or by its technical, legal usage. Whoever held that the linguistic usage suffices placed no further conditions on the content transmitted from the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him. Whoever held that the legal usage is decisive required the essential elements that have been preserved from his regular sermons (that is, the fixed, unvarying phrases).
A second cause of dispute is that the reports of his sermons contain both fixed and non-fixed statements. Those who focused on the non-fixed statements and allowed them to predominate said that any speech meeting the linguistic definition of “khutbah”—that is, what Arabs would call a sermon—is adequate. Those who focused on the fixed statements and allowed them to predominate said that nothing suffices except what meets the name “khutbah” in the usage and understanding of the Law.
Sitting between the two sermons is not a condition according to Mālik, whereas it is a condition according to al-Shāfiʿī. The difference lies in their purposes: whoever regards the sitting merely as a rest for the preacher does not make it a condition; whoever regards it as an act of worship does.
Third Issue
They also disagreed about listening attentively while the imām is delivering the Friday sermon. There are three opinions:
- Attentive silence is obligatory in every circumstance and is a binding ruling of the khutbah. This is the view of the majority—Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī, Abū Ḥanīfah, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, and all the jurists of the major centers. These scholars themselves form three sub-groups:
a. Some allowed responding to a sneeze (tashmīt) and returning greetings during the sermon; this was said by al-Thawrī, al-Awzāʿī, and others.
b. Some allowed neither returning the greeting nor tashmīt.
c. Some distinguished between the two, permitting the return of greetings but not tashmīt. - The second opinion, opposite to the first, holds that speaking during the sermon is permissible except while the Qur’an is being recited. This is narrated from al-Shaʿbī.