❖ Prohibition of Iḥtibā’ During the Friday Sermon
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
✿ Iḥtibā’ is Prohibited During the Friday Khutbah
Ḥaḍrat Anas (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن الحبوة يوم الجمعة والإمام يخطب
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade sitting in the position of iḥtibā’ (wrapping arms or cloth around the knees while the back touches the ground) on Friday when the Imam is delivering the sermon.”
[Ḥasan: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 982 | Abū Dāwūd: 1110 | Tirmidhī: 514 | Aḥmad: 3/439 | Ibn Khuzaymah: 1815 | Bayhaqī: 3/235]
❖ Definition of Iḥtibā’
Iḥtibā’ refers to sitting in such a posture where:
- One draws the knees toward the chest,
- Wraps the arms around them or binds them with a cloth,
- While the back touches the ground.
“...پیٹھ اور پنڈلیوں کو کسی کپڑے سے باندھ لینے یا گھٹنوں کو اپنے ہاتھوں سے پکڑ لینے کو ’احتباء‘ کہتے ہیں جبکہ پشت زمین پر لگی ہو۔”
[Al-Nihāyah: 1/335]
✿ Wisdom Behind the Prohibition
The prohibition of iḥtibā’ during the khutbah carries several important wisdoms:
✔ It can induce sleep, especially during long sermons.
✔ It may lead to loss of wudū’ unknowingly due to unintentional sleep.
✔ It risks uncovering the ʿawrah (private parts) when one dozes off or shifts position.
“احتباء سے ممانعت اس لیے ہے کیونکہ اس سے نیند آ جاتی ہے ، وضو ٹوٹنے کا اندیشہ ہوتا ہے اور ستر کھلنے کا موجب بن سکتا ہے ۔”
[Maʿālim al-Sunan: 1/248 | Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/538]
❖ Summary
The Sunnah prohibits sitting in the iḥtibā’ position during the Friday khutbah, as this posture contradicts the spirit of attentiveness, may cause physical laxity, and leads to unintentional acts that invalidate worship or violate etiquette. Therefore, one must avoid this sitting posture during the khutbah out of reverence and focus.
