From the numerous authentic hadith from Sahih al-bukhari and elsewhere concerning the khutbah, one can construct the general fashion that it used to take. The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) would ascend the minbar and greet the congregation. His minbar had three steps to it and it was to the right is place of prayer. He would sit and the people would sit around him, Then the adhaan would be given at the front of the mosque. While the adhaan is given, the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) would repeat after the caller and would say, wa ashhad.
And I also [bear witness])," when the caller would say, "Ashhad alaa ilaaha illa Allaah and Ashhadu ana Muhammadar-Rasulullah (I bear witness that there is no God but Allaah," and "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah)." After the adhaan was finished, the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) would then stand and deliver a khutbah. He would begin by praising and glorifying Allaah. After that, he would say, Amma ba'du, "which basically implies, "And now to proceed.
Rulings on the Khutbah
The Status of the Khutbah: There are different opinions concerning the status of the Khutbah. One opinion state that it is a prerequisite for the soundness of the Friday Prayer, that is, the Friday Prayer cannot be performed without it. The second opinion states that the khutbah is obligatory. If someone misses the khutbah, he has missed an obligatory act and he/she is therefore sinful.
At the same time, though, his Friday Prayer is valid and he does not, for example, have to pray Dhuhr instead of the Friday Prayer. According to Shawkaani, this is the opinion of the majority of scholars. From evidences, it appears that the view of the majority is more correct. Khutbah is delivered from the minbar The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to deliver his Khutbah from the minbar. His minbar was to the right to his place of prayer when he would be standing facing the qiblah.
The minbar of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) had three steps to it. It was kept at three steps until Marwaan increased them to six during the time of Muawiyah. It is reported that this was done because the number of people had increased. Therefore, by raising the height of the minbar, more people would be able to see and hear the imam. Khutbah is given while standing All of the hadeeth of the Prophet (salallahualayhi wa sallam) make it clear that he gave the khutbah while standing.
Ibn Umar (RA) stated: The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) would deliver the khutbah while standing and then he would sit, and then stand again as you do nowadays." (Bukhari) Jaabir ibn Samurah (RA) added: Whoever tells you that he (the Prophet) delivered the Khutbah while sitting told a lie. By Allaah, I prayed with him more than two thousand times." (Muslim)
Two Khutbahs are Given and Between them the Imam sits for a Brief Moment
This practice of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) is confirmed in the hadith narrated above concerning standing during the khutbah. According to Imam al-Shafiee, having two khutbahs is one of the conditions for the soundness of the Friday Prayer. AI-Shaukaani wrote, "To stand during the two khutbahs and to sit between them is confirmed from the Messenger of Allaah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and whoever does otherwise has committed an innovation." (Al-Sail) However, other scholars such as Malik, al-Auzai, Ishaaq and others say that one khutbah is sufficient. Hence, for them, there is no harm in performing the khutbah without a sitting.
However, the better opinion is to follow the sunnah. It seems from the hadith describing this sitting that there is nothing to be said at that time. Ibn Hajar however, states that this does not negate the making mention of Allaah or invocation silently. In any case, there is no sunnah or recorded statements that are preferred to be said during the time of sitting. Raising the Voice During the Khutbah Jabir ibn Abdullah said, "When the Messenger of Allaah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) delivered the khutbah, his eyes became red, his voice rose, and his anger increased such that it was like one giving a warning about the enemy and saying, The enemy is making a morning attack on you and an evening one too." (Muslim)
This shows that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) was emotional during the khutbah. In this way, his speech was more likely to affect the listeners. This is a sunnah that is missing from many of the khutbahs today. Many times a khutbah is simply read from a collection of khutbahs and the one reading it has no or little emotion. Hence, the effect upon the listeners, if any, is very little indeed.
The Khutbah is to be short Jabir ibn Samura narrated, "I used to pray with the Messenger of Allaah and both his prayer and khutbah were of moderate length." (Muslim.) In fact, the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Prolonging the prayer and shortening the khutbah is a sign of ones understanding of the religion. So, prolong the prayer and shorten the khutbah for there is charm in (precise) expression." (Muslim)
Shaykh Ibn Uthaimeen (RAH) points out that there are two important benefits to making the khutbah short: (1) the listeners do not get bored; hence, the affect on their hearts is greater; (2) it is easier for the listeners to grasp and retain the message of the khutbah; if the khutbah becomes long, they may get lost and lose the point the speaker is trying to make. The Congregation Faces the Khateeb during the khutbah Another practice from the time of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) is for the people to face the khateeb, even if this implies sitting around the khateeb.
This makes it easier for them to listen, pay attention and be in tune to the khutbah. Prohibition of al-Ihtiba Sitting Posture During the Khutbah The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) prohibited al-ihtiba sitting posture on Friday while the Imam is delivering the khutbah. (Ahmad, Abu Dawood) Ibn al-Atheer has defined al-ihtiba as sitting in such a way that ones legs are pulled up against onesstomach and chest and ones garment is wrapped tightly over ones legs and the person rests against his back that is supported by his garment. He also says that it could be done by wrapping ones arms around ones knees instead of just having the garment over the legs. According to ibn al-Atheer, this position has been prohibited because it is easy for a person to get drowsy in this position or for him to invalidate his ablution. He also stated that in that position, if the person or his garment moves, the persons private parts might be exposed. (an-Nihaayah fi ghareeb al-Hadeeth)
The Sunnah is for the Khaateeb to Lead the Prayer Ibn Qudaama (RAH) states that the sunnah is for the same person who gave the khutbah to also lead the prayer. This was the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) as well as that of his successors. Only if there is some viable excuse to do otherwise is it considered acceptable for another person to lead the prayer (in the same way that this is acceptable in the midst of a prayer). Imam Ahmad clearly stated that it is not permissible without some valid reason for it. Does the Khutbah have to be in Arabic? Shaykh Abdulaziz ibn Baz has responded to the question concerning the permissibility of saying the khutbah in languages other than Arabic.
He stated that some scholars say it is forbidden. They wish to keep the Arabic language strong in the hearts of the Muslims, follow the same that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) did and also encourage those who do not know Arabic to learn Arabic. Others say that if many of the people in the audience do not speak Arabic, it is permissible to state the khutbah in whatever language they may understand.
This is because the khutbah is meant to guide and exhort the people and this would not be possible if it was stated in a language they did not understand. Ibn Baz added that if some of the listeners know Arabic, then it would be best to give part of the khutbah in Arabic and then translate it into the other language during the khutbah. This way one combines together both views and attain the goals of the khutbah. As supporting evidence for his view, Ibn Baz quotes the verses of the Quran that state that whenever a messenger was sent to any people, he would speak in their language. Similarly, Zaid ibn Thaabit was instructed by the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sailam) to learn Hebrew in order to teach the Jews and establish the "proof against them.
And when the Companions were about to battle any people, they would not fight until they had explained Islam to those people in the language that they understood. If it is difficult for a people to learn Arabic, they must be taught and preached to in the language that they can understand. Therefore, translation, especially today, is a necessity and dawah or calling others to the straight path cannot be made without it.
The Congregation Being Silent During the Khutbah In numerous hadith of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam), he made it abundantly clear that the members of the congregation must remain silent while the khateeb is delivering the khutbah. Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allaah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "When the Imam is delivering the khutbah, and you ask your companion to keep quiet and listen, then no doubt you have done a purposeless act (laghwuh)." (Bukhari)
In the hadith, the one who is asking the other to be quiet is actually "ordering good and eradicating evil". However, the gravity of speaking during the khutbah is so great that even ordering good and eradicating evil is not to be done during the khuthah. (Many scholarsstate that if one must order good or eradicate evil during the khutbah, he may only do so by hand gestures and not by speaking).
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited