| 178- Raising Hands in Supplication During The Sermon Question: During the Friday sermon, the Imam supplicates the Almighty Allah and raises his hands to the heavens and the worshippers in the mosque say: Amen (i.e. O Allah Accept) after each statement of his supplication. However, we have learned through your program that saying Amen (i.e. O Allah Accept) after the Imam's supplication is not reported in the Sunnah and so is not permitted.My question is: What should the audience do when the Imam raises his voice in supplication? Should they follow him and raise their hands, or what should they do? We also appreciate | | (Part No. 30; Page No. 245) | |
if you could provide us with the correct view regarding the ideal length of the sermon? Which is better for the Imam: to make it short or long? What are the preferable subjects that he should tackle? Should he merely narrate stories of past generations, explain juristic rulings, or should he focus on the tenets of faith? Please provide us with the correct view! May Allah reward you greatly for guiding us.  The Imam should preferably make his sermon short and not lengthy. In the authentic Hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated:  Elongating the prayer and shortening the sermon is a sign of a man's deep understanding of Islam. So extend the prayer and shorten the sermon, for there is charm in precise expression. Reported by Imam Muslim in his Sahih from the Hadith narrated on the authority of `Ammar ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him). This clearly indicates that according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), it is recommended for the Imam to lengthen his prayer and shorten the sermon. He should also select subjects which awaken the hearts of Muslims and bring the worshippers near to Allah and distance them from incurring His Wrath. He should include in his sermon the juristic rulings that people should have knowledge about them, explain what Allah has prescribed and what He has prohibited for people. Awakening the hearts may also be achieved by giving ethical lessons through narrating useful stories, recitation of Qur'anic verses which include admonition, remembrance of Allah, as well as hope | | (Part No. 30; Page No. 246) | |
and fear. He should not raise his hands when making supplication during the sermon, unless he is asking Allah for Istisqa' (i.e. invoking Allah for sending rain), in which he may raise his hands asking Allah for rain as did the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he invoked Allah for rain during the Friday sermon. As for the regular sermon in which there is no supplication for rain, the Imam should not raise his hands. He should invoke Allah without raising his hands, following the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). If the worshippers say Amen (i.e. O Allah Accept) inaudibly, then, Allah willing, there is no sin in this. Similarly, worshippers may not raise their hands in supplication except during invocation for rain when the Imam raises his hands. As for regular Friday sermon and 'Eid sermon, the hands should not be raised during supplication, by the Imam and the worshippers. Raising the hands is approved in the supplication for rain as stated above, which is reported in the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). |
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