What is your opinion of those who criticize some of the imams of the congregational mosques who enter before the Friday adhan by ten minutes?
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The questioner:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: What is your opinion of those who criticize some of the imams of the congregational mosques who enter before the Friday adhan by ten minutes so as not to burden the worshippers?
The Shaykh:
How do they burden the worshippers? What is the burden on the worshippers from their entering? I mean, do they not step over the necks of the worshippers? I do not see a reason for hardship on the worshippers. But entering before, I mean, ten minutes or more before, is contrary to the Sunnah. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would come and ascend the pulpit, and he did not come and sit, but rather he would come and ascend the pulpit; this is the Sunnah. However, one does not criticize the one who came and sat; one does not criticize him in the sense that he did something forbidden or a sin. Rather, one says to him: this is contrary to what is best, contrary to what is preferable. Yes.
The questioner:
It seems he wants [the imam] to enter ten minutes before the time.
The Shaykh:
He means he would deliver the sermon.
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
No, it is not permissible to deliver the sermon except when the time enters. The sermon and the prayer are when the sun has passed its zenith; this is the position on which the Muslims have consensus. As for the sermon or the prayer before the zenith, this is a matter of disagreement, but the consensus is established that it is after the zenith, and there is consensus on it. A person should not go to the matter in which there is disagreement and leave the matter on which there is consensus.
And the Permanent Committee has issued fatwas prohibiting the Friday prayer or the sermon before the zenith, because it was mentioned that there are imams who go out to deliver the sermon or pray before the zenith. So the Committee issued a fatwa during the life of Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) prohibiting this matter, acting in accordance with the Sunnah.
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: What is your opinion of those who criticize some of the imams of the congregational mosques who enter before the Friday adhan by ten minutes so as not to burden the worshippers?
The Shaykh:
How do they burden the worshippers? What is the burden on the worshippers from their entering? I mean, do they not step over the necks of the worshippers? I do not see a reason for hardship on the worshippers. But entering before, I mean, ten minutes or more before, is contrary to the Sunnah. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would come and ascend the pulpit, and he did not come and sit, but rather he would come and ascend the pulpit; this is the Sunnah. However, one does not criticize the one who came and sat; one does not criticize him in the sense that he did something forbidden or a sin. Rather, one says to him: this is contrary to what is best, contrary to what is preferable. Yes.
The questioner:
It seems he wants [the imam] to enter ten minutes before the time.
The Shaykh:
He means he would deliver the sermon.
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
No, it is not permissible to deliver the sermon except when the time enters. The sermon and the prayer are when the sun has passed its zenith; this is the position on which the Muslims have consensus. As for the sermon or the prayer before the zenith, this is a matter of disagreement, but the consensus is established that it is after the zenith, and there is consensus on it. A person should not go to the matter in which there is disagreement and leave the matter on which there is consensus.
And the Permanent Committee has issued fatwas prohibiting the Friday prayer or the sermon before the zenith, because it was mentioned that there are imams who go out to deliver the sermon or pray before the zenith. So the Committee issued a fatwa during the life of Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) prohibiting this matter, acting in accordance with the Sunnah.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [120 -560] ما رأيكم فيمن ينكر على بعض أئمة الجوامع الذين يدخلون قبل أذان الجمعة بعشر دقائق؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.