Replying to Salām During Friday Khutbah: 4 Evidences from Hadith and Athar
Source: Fatawa ‘Ilmiyyah, Volume 1, Kitab al-Salah, Page 444
Question:
When the Khatib is delivering the Friday sermon, if someone enters and offers salām, is it permissible to reply to the salutation during the Khutbah? Is this practice proven from Hadith or not? Kindly provide clarification.
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
➊ Salām and Its Reply During Prayer:
It is authentically established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that replying to salām during the state of prayer is permissible.
Likewise, after the demise of the Prophet ﷺ, this practice is also proven from the Companions (رضي الله عنهم).
Refer to the following sources:
◈ Sahih Muslim (Hadith No. 540)
◈ Sunan Abi Dawood (Hadith No. 927)
◈ Al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi (Vol. 2, Page 259)
◈ Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah (Vol. 2, Page 74), etc.
➋ Ruling on Replying to Salām During the Khutbah:
If replying to salām is permissible and established during an act as significant as Salah,
then, a fortiori (biṭarīq al-ūlā), replying to salām during the Friday Khutbah is also permissible.
Reference: Shahadat, June 2001
➌ Conclusion:
Replying to salām during the Friday Khutbah is permissible in light of authentic Hadiths and the narrations of the Companions.
Since replying during prayer is already established, responding to salām during the Khutbah is not without evidence.
هٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
