From the manners of a Muslim is facing the speaker; so should the congregation face the khatib on Friday?
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The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : It was mentioned in a weak hadith, the hadith of Jabir:Mishkat al-Masabih 5903 And this should be said: as long as the hadith is weak, it should be said that one should look at the person's condition. If he is humble, is he more present in heart and more attentive to what he hears, or if he is looking at the khatib, does he become more attentive to what is being said? Let him follow that.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : This is for other than Friday, and this is if a khatib stands to give a speech on one of the occasions; the best is for them to be around him. Yes.
The Shaykh : It was mentioned in a weak hadith, the hadith of Jabir:
Jabir said: When the Prophet preached, he leaned on the trunk of a palm-tree which was one of the pillars of the mosque, then when the pulpit was made for him and he went up on it the palm-tree beside which he had preached shouted till it almost split. The Prophet therefore descended, took it, and embraced it, and it began to moan like a boy who is being calmed down till it became quiet. 'He then said, "It wept for the mention of God which it had been accustomed to hear." Bukhari transmitted it.
كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا خطب استقبلناه بوجوهناThe questioner : ...
The Shaykh : This is for other than Friday, and this is if a khatib stands to give a speech on one of the occasions; the best is for them to be around him. Yes.