Is it permissible to hold a lesson before Jumu'ah? And what should one do if ordered to do so?

The questioner : What is the ruling on delivering a lesson or sermon before the Jumu'ah khutbah? Knowing that the people in our area in Algeria cannot attend this sermon except on Friday... a great day?

The Shaykh : That is not prescribed; due to the hadith of 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb from his father from his grandfather: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade gathering in circles on Friday. This is the first point.
And secondly: This lesson that is delivered spoils the worship of the people in the mosque; because it is established in the Sunnah that whoever comes to the mosque on Friday, he must occupy himself with one of the prescribed acts of worship. For example, he prays whatever he wishes or whatever Allah has written for him, praying at least two rak'ahs as the greeting of the mosque. If he adds more, Allah adds more for him, then he sits. If he has memorized Surat al-Kahf, he reads it; because whoever reads Surat al-Kahf on Friday, he will have light between him and the next Friday, or between him and the Sacred House. If he does not have Surat al-Kahf memorized, but he is good at reading from the mushaf in person, he takes the mushaf and reads Surat al-Kahf. If he is not good at reading and is illiterate, let him remember Allah as he can, even if it is just Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah, and Allahu Akbar. For he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No matter how dull a person's mind is, or how tired and weary he is, how easy it is for him to memorize these four phrases: Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah, and Allahu Akbar. And he should increase in sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This is an opportunity that presents itself to him in the mosque, due to his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: And in another wording: They said: How is that when you have perished? Meaning, you have ended, been afflicted, and become dust, as is the case with all people. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This is a special attribute of all the prophets, foremost among them being our Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him). So, whoever comes to the mosque on Friday is either a worshipper, a reciter, a remembrancer, or one sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In this case, when the teacher stands up to teach, he annoys these people and disturbs them. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: Therefore, due to the hadith mentioned above, gathering in circles on Friday is forbidden, and due to this set of evidence, it is not permissible for a teacher to teach people before the Jumu'ah prayer. If teaching is absolutely necessary, let it be after the prayer. And I know that many people argue that if we do not teach before the prayer, the people will disperse after the prayer, and no one will remain with us. So we say to them: Then you want to force people to listen to your lessons against their will.

The questioner : ...it has become obligatory.

The Shaykh : And this is not permissible. And this reminds me of an Umayyad innovation. Perhaps you know that the Sunnah in the 'Id prayer is the khutbah after the prayer, unlike Jumu'ah. The 'Id prayer is performed, and then the khutbah follows. So one of the Umayyad caliphs, Marwan ibn al-Hakam, reversed it. He gave the khutbah before the prayer. So Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up to him and said to him: "You have contradicted the Sunnah, O Marwan." He said to him: "What is there is gone." He does not care, meaning, this is gone with the death of the Messenger. What is this poor man's argument? He said: Because if he follows the Sunnah, prays the 'Id prayer, and then gives the khutbah, no one sits and listens to him. Why? Because he did not give a khutbah from which they would benefit.Those present : Do you see how it is? And thus do the rulers who follow their desires, and thus do the preachers and teachers who follow their desires. So you, O teacher, if you truly want to benefit people, you do not force people to listen to you. Rather, our Lord chose for them regarding what is greater than that, regarding faith: Do you force people to be believers? No. So, this preaching teacher, if he truly wants benefit for people, at the end of the khutbah he says: "O people, I have a sermon, I have a word, I have a lesson I will deliver to you after the next Jumu'ah. Whoever wishes, let him sit and listen, and whoever wishes, let him leave." This is how the matter should be.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, what is the position of the imams and preachers who are ordered to do this as a mandatory requirement to give a lesson?

The Shaykh : This becomes a matter of accountability that goes back to the top, or this person resigns from his job, and arranges his affairs if he is able, yes.