Abu Dawud

1095. Commentary:
➊ From all the hadiths regarding the sermon, this ruling is derived that the intended purpose of this act is to admonish and remind the listeners. Therefore, if the listeners are non-Arabs and do not understand Arabic, then they should be admonished in their own language. The objection should not be raised that, in that case, the translation should also be done in the prayer, because the sermon, along with being an act of worship, is also admonition and advice, whereas prayer is pure worship. In it, the remembrance (dhikr) and recitation of the Qur’an are specifically prescribed. There is a difference between remembrance (dhikr) and admonition (tadhkir). Just as the translation of the Qur’an is not the Qur’an itself; it is merely an interpretation. Therefore, it is not permissible to make an analogy between prayer and the sermon. The astonishing thing is that these people—according to one narration—have permitted prayer in a non-Arabic language, but could not find such allowance for the sermon.

➋ The Friday and Eid sermons of the Ahl al-Hadith, by the grace of Allah, are exactly in accordance with the Sunnah, consisting of the Arabic words of the Prophetic sermons. The verses of the Noble Qur’an and most of the hadiths are also recited in Arabic, and along with this, the meanings and concepts are explained in the language of the listeners.