What is the ruling on lengthening and shortening the sermon?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Lengthening the sermon, O honorable Shaykh, and shortening it?
The Shaykh : It is prescribed that the sermon be short, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Sahih Muslim 869 However, length and brevity are not a matter of people's preferences.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : Some people prefer that the preacher limit himself to a few words and then leave, while others prefer that he lengthen it. Some people also do not get tired of his speech and prefer that he lengthen it, while others are the opposite. The criterion for length and brevity is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes preached to the people with the surah[Qaf 50:1] So what is like this surah, or close to it, or slightly more than it, is short; short but not boring. However, sometimes the need calls for the preacher to lengthen it more than that, either because he wants to clarify legal rulings that are connected to one another and thus require lengthening, or because he wants to warn people against a matter they have fallen into, which is a great and serious matter, so he repeats phrases and varies the style so that it has a stronger impact.
The important thing is that a person should consider what wisdom requires in his delivery, and in the length and brevity of his sermon.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : It is prescribed that the sermon be short, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
The lengthening of prayer by a man and the shortness of the sermon is the sign of his understanding (of faith).
إن طول صلاة الرجل وقصر خطبته مئنّة من فقههThe questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : Some people prefer that the preacher limit himself to a few words and then leave, while others prefer that he lengthen it. Some people also do not get tired of his speech and prefer that he lengthen it, while others are the opposite. The criterion for length and brevity is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes preached to the people with the surah
Qaf. By the honored Qur'an...
ق والقرأن المجيدThe important thing is that a person should consider what wisdom requires in his delivery, and in the length and brevity of his sermon.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.