The Ruling on Lengthening or Shortening the Friday Sermon
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Question:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. Finally, he asks: What is better, lengthening the Friday sermon or shortening it? And what is the benefit of the sermon if it does not concern the worshippers?
Answer:
The Friday sermon has a great status. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cared for it and urged shortening the sermon and lengthening the prayer. He said (peace and blessings be upon him): "The shortness of a man's sermon and the length of his prayer are a sign of his understanding," meaning a mark of his understanding. So lengthen the prayer and shorten the sermon. But this shortening must be accompanied by comprehensiveness. The sermon should be focused, containing what benefits the listeners, reminds them of Allah, and admonishes them. It should also teach them the rulings of their religion, clarify the mistakes they make, and alert them to errors in their worship, transactions, conduct, and other matters, so that they benefit from it and leave with a benefit. This should be done with brevity, conciseness, and weightiness in the wording, as well as good delivery and raising the voice. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would raise his voice until his eyes would redden (peace and blessings be upon him), and his voice would rise and rise, as if he were a warner to an army, saying: "Woe to you, and woe to you." The sermon must be a living, admonishing, and teaching sermon, containing what the attendees need in terms of guidance, alertness, and education. It should not be mere talk or filler, nor should it lack the character of a Shari'ah sermon. It should not be just a composition topic, but rather a useful scholarly topic. This is what is required of sermons: that they move the hearts, admonish the people, make them love their Lord (Mighty and Majestic), and warn them of His punishment, and that they benefit them in their religious, worldly, and transactional affairs. This is what is required. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. Finally, he asks: What is better, lengthening the Friday sermon or shortening it? And what is the benefit of the sermon if it does not concern the worshippers?
Answer:
The Friday sermon has a great status. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cared for it and urged shortening the sermon and lengthening the prayer. He said (peace and blessings be upon him): "The shortness of a man's sermon and the length of his prayer are a sign of his understanding," meaning a mark of his understanding. So lengthen the prayer and shorten the sermon. But this shortening must be accompanied by comprehensiveness. The sermon should be focused, containing what benefits the listeners, reminds them of Allah, and admonishes them. It should also teach them the rulings of their religion, clarify the mistakes they make, and alert them to errors in their worship, transactions, conduct, and other matters, so that they benefit from it and leave with a benefit. This should be done with brevity, conciseness, and weightiness in the wording, as well as good delivery and raising the voice. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would raise his voice until his eyes would redden (peace and blessings be upon him), and his voice would rise and rise, as if he were a warner to an army, saying: "Woe to you, and woe to you." The sermon must be a living, admonishing, and teaching sermon, containing what the attendees need in terms of guidance, alertness, and education. It should not be mere talk or filler, nor should it lack the character of a Shari'ah sermon. It should not be just a composition topic, but rather a useful scholarly topic. This is what is required of sermons: that they move the hearts, admonish the people, make them love their Lord (Mighty and Majestic), and warn them of His punishment, and that they benefit them in their religious, worldly, and transactional affairs. This is what is required. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل الأفضل إطالة خطبة الجمعة أم قصرها؟ وما فائدة الخطبة إن لم تهم المصلين؟ الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.