Keeping Silence During the Friday Sermon
Answered by Ustadh Farid Dingle
Question: How do you tell someone to be quiet while the Friday sermon is being given?
Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Dear questioner, thank you for your question. May Allah increase you in light, knowledge, and practice.
Just tap him on the back, or gesture to him to be silent without talking. This should work, inshaAllah.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, ‘Whoever tells his friend to be quiet while the imam is giving the Friday sermon, has himself said something wrong.’ (Bukhari and Muslim)
In the al-Shafi’i school speaking while sitting down listening to the Friday sermon is offensive, and not haram. (al-Manhaj al-Qawim, Ibn Hajar) As such, telling someone to be quiet would not be forbidden, but it would still be offensive.
The proper thing to do is to just gesture to the person to stop talking. If this doesn’t work, one could utter actual words to make them stop talking. This would not be offensive:
‘All one can do if you wish to stop someone else speaking is to gesture in a manner that lets him know that he should be silent; if it is not understood, he should say as few words as possible to get the point across.’ (Hashiyat al-Tirmisi)
In fact, it could even be obligatory to tell the person to stop talking if it is the only way it could be achieved and if his talking prevents the minimum amount of people needed for a valid Friday prayer (40 people) from hearing the Friday prayer. (Bushra al Karim, Ba Ishin)
I pray this helps.
[Ustadh] Farid Dingle
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language.
