Hadith Five

On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet ﷺ said, “If, on the Day of Friday, while the imam is delivering the sermon, you say to your companion, ‘Be quiet,’ you have lapsed into idle talk.”

Explanation of unusual terms
• laghā: like ghazā (he raided), it denotes speech that is trivial and without benefit. Al-Naḍr ibn Shumayl explained it as: “devoid of reward.”

Overall meaning
The two sermons are among the greatest hallmarks of Friday, and one of the listener’s etiquettes is to remain silent during them so he can ponder the admonitions and say “āmīn” to the supplications. Hence the Prophet ﷺ warned against uttering even the slightest word: whoever tells his neighbor, “Be quiet,” while the imam is preaching has fallen into laghw because he has done something that conflicts with listening to the sermon.

Lessons drawn from the ḥadith
1- It is obligatory to listen silently to the preacher on Friday; Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr reported consensus on this duty.
2- Speaking during the sermon is prohibited, for it opposes the sanctity of the occasion.
3- Exempted is the one who addresses the imam or is addressed by him, as in the incident of the man who entered the mosque without praying and the story of the Bedouin who complained to the Prophet ﷺ about drought.
4- Some scholars made an exception for a person who cannot hear the preacher because of distance: he need not remain silent but may busy himself with recitation or remembrance, and this is a sound view. As for one who cannot hear because of deafness, he should not disturb those around him by reciting aloud; rather, he should do so quietly to himself.

Hadith Six

Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever bathes on Friday and then sets out in the first hour is as though he offered a camel; whoever goes in the second hour is as though he offered a cow; whoever goes in the third hour is as though he offered a horned ram; whoever goes in the fourth hour is as though he offered a chicken; and whoever goes in the fifth hour is as though he offered an egg. Once the imam appears, the angels are present, listening to the remembrance.”