Importance of Listening to the Jummah Khutbah

The Jummah Khutbah (Friday Speach) which is conducted before every Friday prayer as per Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) is mandatory on Muslims. Muslims have to avoid acts of carelessness during Khutbah like talking, sleeping, fidgeting etc. Many Ahadith can be narrated to explain virtues of listening to Friday Khutbah carefully.

Attending Friday khutbah carefully is the compensation for the sins which we commit as it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does ghusl then comes to Jumu’ah, and prays as much as Allaah decrees for him, then listens attentively until the khutbah is over, then prays with him (the imam), will be forgiven for (his sins) between that and the next Jumu’ah and three more days.” Narrated by Muslim, 857

Importance:

The importance of listening FridayKhutbah with Silence is so much so that Prophet (s.a.w) said: “If you say to your companion, ‘Listen attentively’ on a Friday, when the imam is delivering the khutbah, then you have engaged in idle speech.”Narrated by al-Bukhaari (934) and Muslim (851). So, we learn from this particular Hadith that reward of Jummah depends upon the alertness of the listener.

This is sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) to clean yourself thoroughly before Friday Khutbah like ghusal, applying perfume, clean clothes etc. So Friday is like a special occasion in a Muslim’s life. Due to this much importance, Allah (s.w.t) gives the reward of Jummah equal to the reward of fasting and praying Qiyam for one year. It was narrated that Aws ibn Aws said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever washes his head and his body (ghusl) on Friday, then sets out early, is present at the beginning of the khutbah and is close (to the imam), then listens attentively, for every step he takes he will have the reward of fasting and praying qiyaam for one year” ( Al-Tirmidhi ,496).
Islam stresses on focused learning of knowledge. Listening carefully is the condition to absorb knowledge and doing action over it. Moreover, sitting closer to the source of knowledge makes understanding better and quicker. Islam teaches many important lessons to its followers through tradition of Jummahkhutbah and prayer. As ‘Ali ibn AbiTaalib delivered a khutbah in Kufah and said in his khutbah:

If a man sits in a place where he can hear and see (the imam) and listens attentively and does not engage in idle speech or fidgeting, he will have two shares of reward. If he stays far away and sits in a place where he cannot hear but he listens attentively and does not engage in idle speech or fidgeting, he will have one share of reward. If he sits in a place where he can hear and see but he engages in idle speech or fidgets and does not listen attentively, then he will have one share of sin.”
And at the end of that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say that.Narrated by Abu Dawood (1051)
Scholars in Islam interpret from Ahadith that expiation of sins from one Friday to the next depends upon following these Sunnahs: Doing ghusal, cleaning yourself and putting on perfume, walking to masjid in dignified manner while wearing ones best clothes, not treading over shoulders of people to go in front row, offering nafal prayer, listening considerately and avoiding indolent speech. Enroll you self in the course of Tafseer of Quran offered by Quran Coaching to get more enlightenment about the Islamic rulings in detail various type of Ibadah.