Using the Miswak, Fiddling, and Returning the Greeting During the Friday Sermon
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A questioner asks Your Eminence: What is the ruling on using the miswak, fiddling with the beard, responding to the salam, and saying "may Allah have mercy on you" to the one who sneezes, while the preacher is delivering the sermon on Friday?
Answer:
All of this is not permissible during the sermon. Using the miswak is a recommended practice (sunnah), but it is not permissible during the sermon because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded listening and not moving, and commanded listening to the sermon. As for fiddling with the beard, drawing in the ground, or anything else, all of it is more severe than performing a recommended practice during the sermon. Yes.
It is obligatory for him to devote himself to listening to the sermon, to stop moving, to stop making noise, to turn to the preacher, and to listen to what he says. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Jumu'ah 62:9] And the remembrance of Allah is the sermon; he listens to it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan an-Nasa'i 1401Sahih (Darussalam) and whoever talks, his Friday [prayer] is void. Even if someone makes a mistake or someone opposes [the ruling], do not admonish him during the sermon; be silent. When the sermon ends, then you advise him and clarify that to him. Yes.
A questioner asks Your Eminence: What is the ruling on using the miswak, fiddling with the beard, responding to the salam, and saying "may Allah have mercy on you" to the one who sneezes, while the preacher is delivering the sermon on Friday?
Answer:
All of this is not permissible during the sermon. Using the miswak is a recommended practice (sunnah), but it is not permissible during the sermon because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded listening and not moving, and commanded listening to the sermon. As for fiddling with the beard, drawing in the ground, or anything else, all of it is more severe than performing a recommended practice during the sermon. Yes.
It is obligatory for him to devote himself to listening to the sermon, to stop moving, to stop making noise, to turn to the preacher, and to listen to what he says. Allah the Exalted said:
O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِWhoever says to his companion on Friday, when the imam is delivering the khutbah: 'Listen attentively,' has
من قال لصاحبه يوم الجمعة والإمام يخطب أنصت فقد
Source
75-لقاءات مع الشيخ صالح الفوزان - 09-5-2-1433 — archive.org (39:22)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.