Can We Pray Sunna Prayers during the Friday Sermon?
Answered by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Kharsa
Question
Is it permissible to pray Sunna (voluntary prayers) during the Friday sermon?
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
Friday Sermon
Listening to the Friday sermon is wajib (necessary), as Allah (Most High) says: “When the Quran is recited, listen to it attentively and be silent, so you may be shown mercy.” [Quran, 7:204]
Also, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “If you say to your companion on Friday ‘Be quiet’ while the Imam is giving the sermon, you have engaged in idle talk.”
Therefore, it is necessary for those obligated to perform Friday prayer to listen to the sermon and not engage in other activities.
Praying during the Friday Sermon
As for praying Sunna during the Friday sermon, if a person has started the Sunna prayer before the Imam begins the sermon, they should complete it quickly. However, if one arrives while the Imam is giving the sermon, they should not pray but instead sit and listen.
“When the Imam comes, there should be no prayer or speech until it (sermon) is completed.” [Tumurtashi, Tanwir al-Absar]
“If one is in Sunna prayer or stands for a third rak‘a of a voluntary prayer and the Imam comes in, the most correct opinion is that he should complete it and shorten the recitation.” [Haskafi, Al-Durr al-Mukhtar]
May Allah make us and you among those who preserve the prayer in its time, fully complying with the pure Sunnas. Indeed, He is the Guardian and Able to do that.
[Shaykh] ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Kharsa
Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Kharsa is a Syrian scholar, born in Damascus in 1971. He obtained his degree in the Arabic Language from the University of Damascus. He received his Islamic education from some of the most prominent scholars of Sham, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri, Shaykh Taj al-Din al-Kittani, Shaykh Muhammad Karim Rajeh, Shaykh Bashir al-Bari, Shaykh Ibrahim al-Hindi, Shaykh Hisham al-Salahi, among others.
He memorized the Holy Quran and studied the ten Qira‘at (recitations) through the paths of the Shatibiyya and Durra under Shaykh Muhammad Haytham Minini and Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Kurdi.
Shaykh al-Kharsa has taught at Al-Azhar University in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. He established Quranic centers in several areas in Lebanon and manages a Quranic center in Istanbul, where he is involved in Quran memorization programs and delivers public and private lessons.
He teaches in the Ijaza system at Dar al-Fuqaha in Turkey. His work also includes scholarly research, particularly in verifying texts within the Hanafi school. Notably, he has done the tahqiq of renowned works such as “Tanwir al-Absar” and “Jami‘ al-Bihar” by Imam al-Tumurtashi. May Allah preserve him and continue to make his efforts fruitful.
