This excerpt is taken from the book Tuhfa Juma by Sheikh al-Hadith Maulana Muhammad Yusuf (Founder of Dar al-Hadith Jamia Kamalia).
Etiquettes of Sitting for Jumu'ah:
① For Friday prayer, those who come early should try to sit close to the Imam. Leaving space near the Imam and sitting far behind is against the Sunnah. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
أدنوا من الإمام
"Sit close to the Imam."
Reference: (Sunan Abi Dawood, Hadith: 1108)
② Those who come later should not try to reach the front by climbing over people's necks.
③ Do not try to squeeze in between two people sitting together.
④ Do not lift someone else and sit in their place; rather, sit wherever you find space.
⑤ During the Friday sermon, remain completely silent and keep your tongue locked.
⑥ Also control the rest of your body parts and avoid unnecessary movements.
Authentic hadiths show that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave such importance to this that sometimes he conditioned the reward on observing proper etiquette.
For example, Hazrat Salman Farsi (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من اغتسل يوم الجمعة وتطهر بما استطاع من طهر ثم ادهن أو مس من طيب ثم راح فلم يفرق بين اثنين، فصلى ما كتب له، ثم إذا خرج الإمام أنصت، غفر له ما بينه وبين الجمعة الأخرى
"Whoever takes a bath on the day of Friday, cleans himself, applies oil or perfume, then goes to Friday prayer without squeezing between two people, prays as much as is destined for him, and remains silent when the Imam arrives, the sins of that person until the next Friday are forgiven."
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari, Book of Friday Prayer, Chapter: Do not separate between two on Friday, Hadith: 910)
Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar says:
نھى النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يقيم الرجل الرجل من مقعده ويجلس فيه، قلت: لنافع الجمعة ؟ قال الجمعة و غيرها
"The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ forbade that a person should lift another and sit in his place. The narrator Ibn Jurayj says: I asked Nafi, is this ruling only for Friday? He replied: This ruling is for Friday as well as for other days."
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari, Book of Friday Prayer, Chapter: A man should not make his brother stand on Friday and sit in his place, Hadith: 146)
During the sermon, all followers should sit facing the Imam attentively:
Scholars among the Companions, such as Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) and Hazrat Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), when they came for Friday prayer, would sit facing the Imam attentively.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Friday Prayer, Chapter: People facing the Imam when he delivers the sermon)
If this is the ruling for scholars listening to the sermon, then how much more attentively and focused should the general public sit.
Shaking hands, inquiring about one's condition, or any other conversation during the sermon is a useless act.
It has become clear from the previous hadiths that full attention should be directed towards the preacher during the Friday sermon. The Friday sermon is so important that even the angels of Allah close their registers and attentively listen to the sermon with respect. The scholars and companions also listened carefully to the sermon. When angels and scholars are so committed, then the general public shaking hands with each other or engaging in such frivolous actions during the sermon will waste the reward of Friday.
May Allah grant understanding to all. Preachers should also make thorough preparations for their sermons and make them interesting.
Do not sit on both knees during the Friday sermon:
During the Friday sermon, a person is being trained. Satan wants to instill laziness in him. Therefore, do not sit in any manner that suggests laziness. For example, sitting leaning against the wall with legs stretched out, holding both knees and resting the head between them in a relaxed manner, etc. This may cause sleepiness and also hurt the feelings of the preacher. It is mentioned in a Hadith:
إن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن الحبوة يوم الجمعة والإمام يخطب
"The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) forbade sitting on Friday during the sermon with both hands or by using cloth to tie the knees."
Reference: (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Book of Friday, Chapter on the dislike of resting and the Imam delivering the sermon, Hadith: 514. This Hadith is Hasan)
Sheikh Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) also classified it as Hasan.
Reference: (Sahih Sunan at-Tirmidhi: 424)
What should a person do if they feel drowsy during the sermon?
If a person feels drowsy during the Friday sermon, he should change his place. Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
إذا نعس أحدكم يوم الجمعة فليتحول عن مجلسه ذلك
"When any one of you feels drowsy on Friday, he should change his place."
Reference: (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book of Friday Prayer, Chapter: Whoever feels sleepy on Friday should change his place, Hadith: 526)
Imam Tirmidhi says: This hadith is Hasan Sahih.
Ruling on performing two rak'ahs for one who arrives during the sermon:
Whoever arrives during the sermon must perform two rak'ahs, because the Master of Madinah (peace be upon him) said:
إذا جاء أحدكم يوم الجمعة والإمام يخطب فليركع ركعتين وليتخفف فيهما
"When someone comes to the mosque on Friday while the Imam is delivering the sermon, he should pray two very light rak'ahs."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 59, 875)
The latecomer should not disturb those who arrived earlier:
If a person comes later and people are already sitting in the mosque before his arrival, he should not try to jump over their necks to go forward, nor should he try to sit in between those who are already seated, because the Master of the Worlds, peace be upon him, saw a person doing this and said:
اجلس فقد آذيت
"Sit down, you have caused trouble."
Reference: (Abu Dawood)
And he said:
ولا يفرق بين اثنين
"Do not create separation between two people."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari)
Making Dua on Friday:
One should pray abundantly on Friday because there is a blessed hour on this day during which prayers are accepted.
The guide of the Ummah, peace be upon him, said:
إن فى يوم الجمعة لساعة لا يوافقها عبد مسلم يسأل الله عز وجل فيها خيرا إلا أعطاه إياه
"Indeed, on Friday there is an hour during which any Muslim who prays to his Lord for the good of this world and the Hereafter, Allah grants it to him."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No: 14, 852)
If one has correct belief, adheres to the Sunnah of the Prophet, and consumes lawful sustenance, then his prayer is not rejected.
Which hour on Friday is the hour of acceptance of prayers? Regarding this, Sayyiduna Hazrat Abu Musimah bin Abdur Rahman, may Allah be pleased with him, states that some companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, gathered in one place and began discussing the blessed hour of Friday. They all stood up without any disagreement, and their unanimous decision was that it is the last hour of Friday.
Reference: (Zad al-Ma'ad, 391, Vol. 1)
Thus, this matter is established by the consensus of the companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
Hazrat Imran bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, used to stand at the door of the mosque after finishing the Friday prayer and recite this prayer:
اللهم إني أجبت دعوتك وصليت فريضتك وانتشرت كما أمرتني فارزقني من فضلك وأنت خير الرازقين
O Allah! I have responded to Your call and performed Your obligatory prayer, then I have left this gathering as You commanded. Now bestow upon me Your grace. You are the best provider of sustenance.
Reference: (Ibn Kathir Urdu, 417, Vol. 5, 2003 edition, Maktaba Qudusiya; Tafsir Qurtubi 18/108; Forty sayings about the hour of acceptance are mentioned in Fath al-Bari, omitted here to avoid length.)
