that which brings no benefit—then it does not demonstrate a ban on making remembrance, supplication, or following the imam in invoking blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ.

Shaykh Muhammad Nasir al-Din sums up the issue by saying:

“The stronger of the two possibilities is the first, on account of the Prophet’s words: ‘If, while the imam is delivering the Friday sermon, you say to your companion, “Be quiet,” you have engaged in idle talk.’ This was recorded by al-Bukhari, Muslim, and others.

Saying ‘Be quiet’ is not, linguistically speaking, idle talk, for it constitutes enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Yet the Prophet ﷺ still called it idle talk and declared it impermissible, because the higher priority is to listen attentively to the preacher’s admonition, whereas commanding the good during the sermon is of lesser priority. If that is the case, then anything equal to enjoining the good—let alone something of lower rank—is even more deserving of prohibition, and is therefore deemed legally idle talk.”