Question:
Assalamualaikum ustaz. During the Friday sermon delivered by the khatib, some congregants will utter praise and salutations loudly every time the khatib mentioned the name of Rasullullah PBUH. What is the ruling of raising one’s voice during the Friday sermon? Hope for an explanation.
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wrt. wbt.,
Alhamdulillah, praise and gratitude to Allah SWT for His countless blessings for us all. Praise and salutations to our beloved Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his family, companions, and all those who follow his footsteps until the Final day.
Basically, there are two general matters that makes a person considered as lagha in his Friday prayer. We detailed it as the following:
First: Words
There is a hadith of the Prophet PBUH which states the prohibition against a person from speaking when the khatib is delivering the sermon. From Abu Hurairah RA, the Prophet PBUH said:
إِذَا قُلْتَ لِصَاحِبِكَ يَوْمَ الجُمُعَةِ: أَنْصِتْ، وَالإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ، فَقَدْ لَغَوْتَ
“If you say to your companion to keep quiet, then indeed you have committed a sin (error/something senseless).” [1]
Saidina Ali RA said: “Whoever does any useless matter doesn’t receive any prayer for his Friday.” This means one of the advantages of Friday is that is commanded and the rewards are hoped for. [2]
Scholars have agreed that the prioritized is for those who listen to the sermon of the imam to be quiet and listen. This act is prioritized over him busying himself with dhikr alone, reciting al-Quran or supplicating. [3]
Second: Body movement (actions in prayer)
Any movement of action that is distracting or makes a person lose focus from the sermon delivered results in the person being lagha. This follows a narration from Abu Hurairah RA, where the Prophet PBUH said:
مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ فَأَحْسَنَ الْوُضُوءَ ثُمَّ أَتَى الْجُمُعَةَ فَاسْتَمَعَ وَأَنْصَتَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَزِيَادَةُ ثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ وَمَنْ مَسَّ الْحَصَى فَقَدْ لَغَا
“If anyone performs ablution, doing it well, then comes to the Friday prayer, listens and keeps silent, his sins between that time and the next Friday will be forgiven him, with three days extra; but he who touches pebbles has caused an interruption (lagha).” [4]
According to the above hadith, it can be understood that the act of playing with pebbles when the khatib is delivering the sermon is restricted and the doer is considered to have done lagha. This matter is widened to other actions that are distracting and makes a person lose focus from listening to the sermon. Such actions are playing with one’s phone, sleeping, eating and drinking without reason and others.
The issue of offering praise and salutation loudly during the Friday sermon
Regarding the above question, we state the following:
Scholars differed in this matter and their opinions are divided into three: [5]
- Makruh (discouraged): It is better not to offer praise and salutation. This is the ikhtiyar (chosen) opinion of Imam Ibn al-Mundzir. This is also the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Sufyan al-Thauri.
- Permissible if it is done in a lowered voice. Madhhab Maliki and Hanbali: “It is sunnah for him to offer praise and salutation in a low voice and not raise his voice.” Qadhi Abu Tayyib from Syafieyyah also states that it is makruh to raise one’s voice because it cuts the istima’ (listening to the sermon).
- Permissible even if it uttered in a loud voice: It is even sunnah. This is the rajih opinion in madhhab Syafie. They state that it is permissible to raise one’s voice to offer praise and salutation during the sermon of the khatib when the following statement of Allah SWT is mentioned:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.” [6]
Imam Abu Hussin al-Imrani said: “If the mustahab (sunnah) ruling on a person supplicating to attain blessings when this verse regarding blessings is recited and asking for protection when a verse about punishment is recited, then the same applies in this matter (offering praise and salutations for the Prophet PBUH).” [7]
However, it is prohibited to raise one’s voice too loud. Imam al-Azraie said: “It doesn’t mean that one raises his voice excessively, like what is done by some people. Furthermore, the act of raising one’s voice too loud is a bid’ah that should be rejected!” [8]
Syeikh al-Jamal in his Hasyiah (2/32) stated: “This is the rajih opinion, which means that when he offers praise and salutations it is only heard by people near him. Imam al-Ramli said: Excessively raising one’s voice done by some people is a bid’ah that should be contradicted.”
According to Imam al-Nawawi, the ruling is just permissible. This is according to his clear statement in Raudhah al-Talibin (2/48). Moreover, it is prioritized to listen to the sermon. [9]
According to the above statement, we are inclined to the opinion that praise and salutation for the Prophet PBUH and raising one’s voice to do so during the Friday sermon and mentioning the name of the Prophet PBUH is permissible, which is the norm in our society. However, raising one’s voice too loud should be avoided, even more so if it disturbs others, for this has been agreed to be prohibited by scholars.
Wallahu a’lam.
[1] Narrated by al-Bukhari (934)
[5] See al-Majmu` Syarh al-Muhazzab, 4/592
[8] See Asna al-Matalib, 1/270
[9] See Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/573