Is it required that the Friday sermon be delivered in Arabic?

Question : He also did not mention whether it is required that the two sermons be in the Arabic language.

Answer : The answer to this is that if the one delivering the sermon is an Arab, it must be in the Arabic language, and there is no issue with this. If the one delivering the sermon is not an Arab, some scholars said that he must first deliver the sermon in Arabic, and then deliver it in the language of the people present. Others said, no, it is not required that he deliver the sermon in Arabic; rather, it is permissible, indeed it is obligatory, for him to deliver the sermon in the language of the people among whom he is preaching. This is the correct view, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: It is not possible for people to leave a sermon without knowing what the preacher said. The two sermons are not something in which worship is performed through their specific words, such that we would say it must be in Arabic. However, if he passes by a verse, it must be in Arabic, because the Qur'an is not permissible to alter; it must be in the Arabic language.