The Khutba and Friday prayer
14-6-2004 | IslamWeb
Question:
Is the Friday Khutba fard or Sunnah according to Qur'an and Sunnah. If some one intentionally misses the Khutba but attends the prayer has he completed the salat of Jumu'ah?
Answer:
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
Friday Khutba (sermon) is a condition for the validity of Jumu'ah prayer, and the prayer will not be complete if the Imam prays without a Khutba.
Attending the Khutba is Wajib (an obligation) for the people praying behind the Imam. The evidence about the obligation to attend it is the saying of Allah: " O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salât (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allâh [Jumu'ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salât (prayer)] and leave off business (and every other thing), that is better for you if you did but know! (Al-Jumu'ah 62:9)
The meaning of 'Remembrance of Allah' is the Khutba, as Saeed Ibn Al- Mussaib and Saeed Ibn Jubair, and others said.
Whoever misses the Khutba, even deliberately, but arrived on time for the prayer, then his prayer is valid, even if he joins the prayer while in the second Rak'ah; he will make up for the missed Rak'ah and his prayer is complete.
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "Whoever joins the prayer in the last Rak'ah of the Jumu'ah prayer or other prayers, his prayer is indeed complete". Reported by Nasa'i.
However, if someone joins the prayer after the last Ruku he is considered as having missed Jumu'ah so, he has to pray 4 Rakahs as Dhuhr.
You have to know that whoever is late on Friday until the Imam stands on the pulpit, and then he has indeed missed much goodness. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "On Friday, the angels sit at the doors of the mosque and write the names of the people who come to Jumu'ah prayer, and when the Imam stands up for the Khutba, the angels close their registers". Reported by Nasa'i and others.
Allah knows best.