Answer regarding the ruling on responding to the mu'adhdhin

The Shaykh : Now, those who narrated to us the previous hadith: are the Companions of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). It was reported in al-Muwatta' of Imam Malik with a valid chain of narration: that the people in the time of 'Umar, while the orator was on the pulpit, were speaking, but when he began the sermon, they stopped speaking. So here we say: If responding to the mu'adhdhin were obligatory, just as silence is, and the orator only preaches on Friday, they would not have started speaking, but rather would have started responding to the mu'adhdhin. When the narrator said: "In the time of 'Umar," and 'Umar was on the pulpit, we were speaking, but when 'Umar began the sermon, we listened. We understand from this: that they did not consider responding to the mu'adhdhin to be obligatory. This is the evidence, and it is sufficient, if Allah wills.
Abu Layla : These are travelers.

The Shaykh : We excuse our brothers who gathered them.

The questioner : These are our brothers coming from the Netherlands, and they have questions that we must finish answering for them.

The Shaykh : Okay, allow him to speak. He says regarding the topic of ... .