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Rulings of the Friday Khutbah

Question

Could you explain the conditions, pillars, wajibaat and sunan of giving khutbah? also, is it from the sunnah for the khateeb to tell people to send Peace and Blessings on the Prophet in the second khutbah?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

The Friday Khutbah is a condition for the validity of the Friday prayer, and among the conditions of the validity of the Khutbah – with some differences of opinion among the jurists about some of these conditions – is that it includes praising Allaah, exalting the mention of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) reciting one verse of the Quran and admonishing the people to fear Allaah. In addition to this, a stipulated number of people [40 persons] should be present. But it is not a condition for the validity of the first and second Friday Khutbah that the Khateeb (the person who is delivering the Khutbah) be in a state of purity or that the two Khutbahs should be delivered by the Imaam who leads the prayer. These conditions may be called conditions or pillars. Nevertheless, some jurists  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  them stated that there is only one pillar for the Friday Khutbah, which is the general mention of Allaah be it much or little.

As regards the Sunan (recommended acts) of Friday Khutbah, then among these Sunan is that one should deliver the Khutbah on the pulpit, or a high place, greet the audience with Salaam when he comes to them, then he should sit until the end of the Athaan, and again he should sit between the two Khutbahs, and that he should deliver the Khutbah in a standing position while leaning on a sword, arc, stick, and he should look ahead and he should not turn left or right, and he should shorten the Khutbah and supplicate for the Muslims.

As regards whether or not it is a Sunnah for the Khateeb to ask the praying people to exalt the mention of the Prophet Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) then the view that we adopt here in Islamweb is that this is permissible as this is considered as enjoining good and there is a preponderant benefit in it. Indeed, there is evidence that a Khateeb is permitted to address some of the praying people, as the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) ordered Sulayk Al-Ghatafaani  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him during the Khutbah to perform the prayer of the salutation to the mosque and so forth. Therefore, asking the praying people to do such a thing is permissible, Allaah willing, but one should not do this very often.

Allaah Knows best.

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