| | | (Part No. 12; Page No. 410) | |
Shaking hands with other people during the Friday Khutbah  Q: What is the ruling if one extends his hand to shake hands while the Imam (the one who leads congregational Prayer) is delivering the Friday Khutbah (sermon)? A: You are permitted to wave your hand to him as a token of greeting, and you may shake hands with him if he extends his hand to you. However, you should not talk to him. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered his Sahabah (Companions) to listen attentively to the Khatib (preacher). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:  If you (even) ask your companion to be quiet on Friday while the Imam is delivering the sermon, you have in fact talked nonsense. (Agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) In this Hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) equated asking someone to be silent, which is naturally a good act, with idle talk. What would the case be then if one utters other words? The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: The one who distracts himself with pebbles during the Khutbah will not get the reward of Jumu`ah Prayer.The believer has to listen attentively to the Khatib and avoid | | (Part No. 12; Page No. 411) | |
distracting himself with pebbles or other things of the sort. If a person greets you with Salam (Islamic greeting of peace), you may wave your hand as a token of greeting him back. You may shake hands with him if he extends his hands to you, but without a single word spoken between you. It is recommended, after the Khutbah is finished, that you tell him that such a practice should be avoided in the future and that if he enters the Masjid (mosque) while the Imam is delivering the Khutbah, he will have to offer Tahiyyat-ul-Masjid (two-unit Prayer to salute the mosque) and to listen attentively to the Khutbah. If he sneezes, they may say Al-Hamdulillah (Praise be to Allah) subvocally. |
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