Are the two rak'ahs mentioned in the hadith (When one of you comes on Friday while the imam is delivering the sermon, let him pray two rak'ahs and be brief in them) the greeting of the mosque or a recommended practice?

The Shaykh : From Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Narrated by Muslim. Question: Are the two rak'ahs mentioned in the hadith the greeting of the mosque or a recommended practice of the Friday prayer? And how many rak'ahs are the pre-Friday and post-Friday recommended practices?

The Shaykh : There is absolutely no pre-Friday recommended practice. Rather, there is a general voluntary prayer. Whoever enters the mosque on Friday should pray whatever is easy for him, as came in some hadiths: or as he (peace be upon him) said. The point is that the duty of the one who enters the mosque on Friday, whether he enters a long time or a short time before the adhan, is to pray whatever is easy for him: two, four, six, or eight rak'ahs of voluntary prayer. When the preacher ascends the pulpit, he should end his prayer and prepare to listen to the sermon. As for a regular two-rak'ah prayer being the pre-Friday recommended practice, this has absolutely no basis. This is because the practice in the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him) was that the Friday prayer had only one adhan. This adhan was called while the Messenger (peace be upon him) was on the pulpit, so there was no time sufficient for praying two rak'ahs, let alone four. This was in the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him). As for what came after, a second adhan was added, and the mosque was entered, and the time between the two adhans was extended so that it was sufficient for praying four rak'ahs. This was not in the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him), so it is a religious innovation. As for the hadith, it has no connection to the pre-Friday recommended practice; rather, it is the greeting of the mosque. The jurisprudence of the hadith is that the greeting of the mosque is not dropped while the preacher is delivering the sermon on Friday. So whoever enters the mosque on Friday while the imam is delivering the sermon, as stated in this hadith, let him pray two rak'ahs and be brief in them. From Zayd ibn Arqam.

The questioner: And what about the post-prayer sunnah?

The Shaykh : The post-Friday recommended practice. Yes, the post-Friday recommended practice is a confirmed practice on Friday, authentic from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). It is established that he used to pray two rak'ahs after the Friday prayer in his house. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said with his own tongue: For both the two and the four rak'ahs, it is better to pray them in the house. For both the two and the four, it is better to pray them in the house. But if he prays them in the mosque, it is permissible. The disagreement is only about what is better. There is no difference between the two and the four rak'ahs in the matter of preference.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : This is by choice, and it is better to separate them. In the name of Allah.