Maximising the Benefits of Jumu’ah - Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Khutbah Opening

All praise is due to Allah, and his praise and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his family, his companions, and his followers until the Day of Judgment. I bear witness that Allah is the only one worthy of worship and Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is his last and final messenger.

The Question That Inspired This Khutbah

A few years back, a young man came to me and asked me a very interesting question — and based on that question I developed this khutbah that you're going to hear today. He said, "Sheikh, it's January, and usually in January a lot of people make new year's resolutions. I have a new year's resolution and I need you to help me with it." I said, "What is it?" He said, "Sheikh, how can I maximize my benefit from Jumu'ah? I've been attending Jumu'ah for years and I don't know if I benefit from khutbat al-Jumu'ah so much. I would like to make sure that Jumu'ah is meant to be the most important salah in the week." And he said, "When I ask myself, is this really the case? Is khutbat al-Jumu'ah really changing my week? Is khutbat al-Jumu'ah really something that makes a difference in my week? Does attending khutbat al-Jumu'ah have that impact that I would assume the shari'ah wants to happen to all of us who attend khutbat al-Jumu'ah?" What a great question from this young man.

The Value and Importance of Jumu'ah

There is no doubt there is a whole surah in the Quran — Surah al-Jumu'ah — where Allah told us, after I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan, Allah compares between what you gain by attending khutbat al-Jumu'ah and what can distract you from this dunya:

There is a story behind this verse. The sahabah, radiyallahu anhum, when they heard that a caravan had arrived from al-Sham — and it was a time of drought and shortage of food — so everybody left while the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was giving the khutbah. Only a few remained: Abu Bakr and Umar and maybe a couple of other companions with him, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, but the vast majority, an overwhelming number, just left the masjid to see what the caravan was about.

Ibn Kathir, rahimahullah, and other ulama said — because this is somewhat problematic when people hear this, as khutbat al-Jumu'ah is wajib — that at that time khutbat al-Jumu'ah was not wajib. At that time it was like the khutbat al-Eid: it is recommended for you to attend. And even some narrations in the Sunan indicate that khutbat al-Jumu'ah used to be after the salah, not before it. That is why when the sahabah did that — I'm saying this because a lot of people hear this story and they might have a very big question mark, or even a negative impression about why the sahabah would do that.

But anyway, the point is that Salat al-Jumu'ah is one of the most important prayers. Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayrah, radiyallahu anhuma, said: "We heard the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, standing on his minbar — and he was serious, and even the minbar was shaking — and the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was saying: 'There are some people who keep missing Jumu'ah; if they do not stop, Allah will seal their hearts with the seal of hypocrisy.'" Because this is a major sin. This is a salah that an entire surah was named after. Even the whole day, Yawm al-Jumu'ah, is in relation to Salat al-Jumu'ah.

It's just for you to value Khutbat al-Jumu'ah. And that's something I usually tell my colleagues and those who give the khutbah. I say to them, "Sheikh, just make sure when you stand up on this minbar that you realize the fact that not only the brothers and sisters who come and leave their work and commit this time for you and to listen to you — but there is more than that."

(Sahih Muslim, Book 7, Hadith 28 — narrated by Abu Hurayrah, radiyallahu anhu)

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "The angels, when the imam starts the khutbah, close down their books where they write the names of the people who are attending, and they come in to listen." So I always say to any khateeb and anyone giving the khutbah: realize this — not only humans listen to you, even the angels come to listen to you. So make sure that it is worth attending.

Yawm al-Jumu'ah is the best day of the week. It is the day when Allah created Adam, entered him into Jannah, started this cycle of life for us on this earth by sending him down to earth — and this cycle of life will come to an end on the same day:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 7, Hadith 27 — narrated by Abu Hurayrah, radiyallahu anhu)

It is the best day that the sun rose over. And because of that, there is a whole entire debate among the fuqaha about which day the week starts on. Here we start on Monday, but if you look at the Islamic heritage and what the fuqaha said, you see some of them said actually the first day of the week is Friday, because it has the first and most important salah. And some said no, actually Friday is the last day of the week because it is sealed with the best salah. But it is all about the value of the salah — the importance of this act of worship that we are doing right now.

Aren't you surprised by how interesting Khutbat al-Jumu'ah is? It is something we all come to regardless of our level of education. You will find among the attendees professors and those with the highest degrees, and those who perhaps do not know how to read. You will find the elders and the young, the rich and the poor, the new Muslims and those who have been Muslim all their lives. You will even find the fasiq — the one who commits sins and doesn't care much about religion — but Jumu'ah means a big deal to them.

And that's also another thing about Jumu'ah — the numbers just keep increasing. When we do some activity as a Muslim organization, we spend so much money on marketing, ads, and trying to reach people, and if you get 300 people to show up to your class, that is a blessing. But all of you came here answering one call — and it is from Rabbil Alameen:

It's very powerful. It's unbelievable. I remember when growing up, a person who was not religious — actually the type of secular man who was anti-religion — he was telling me: "Walid, you active Muslims have something that, if I had it, I would have changed society." He was talking in relation to a Muslim country. He said, "If I had it, I would have changed society." I said, "What is that?" He said, "Khutbat al-Jumu'ah. You force us to listen to you every week — at least 30 minutes. You will spend millions and millions of dollars on newspaper articles, TV ads, whatever — and at the end of the day, people just turn it off, throw it in the trash, and they don't have to listen. But Khutbat al-Jumu'ah? I have to listen to you every week."

That is something so powerful — a tool that is so powerful. Believe it or not, that person told me that when I was at the end of my high school days. Wallahi, since that day Khutbat al-Jumu'ah has meant the world to me. I'm quite comfortable giving any lectures or classes, but when it comes to Khutbat al-Jumu'ah it is something very, very serious that I take seriously — because I remember what he said. You are giving the khateeb your time and your attention. This is an act of worship. This is a taklif from Allah, not a taklif from an organization or from someone.

Ways to Maximise Your Benefit from Jumu'ah

I'm not going to focus on what the khateeb needs to do to maximise your benefit. This is something I want to address to those who attend Khutbat al-Jumu'ah. When I see people sleeping sometimes during the khutbah — tired, choosing the farthest point from the khateeb, laying down right at the door, rushing outside immediately after the khutbah — I ask myself: is it because of me? Is it because they are truly tired? Is it because the khutbah was very boring? What is it exactly that makes the impact of 52 khutbahs a year — 52 khutbahs a year that you hear, roughly 26 hours a year — so little? If you were to even measure how Khutbat al-Jumu'ah has really affected your life, changed something in your life — I would love to see the masajid try to have some type of measurement to see if Khutbat al-Jumu'ah really has a real impact on people's lives.

So here are some points that I would like to share with you that I believe will help you to maximise your benefit from Khutbat al-Jumu'ah and Salat al-Jumu'ah at large.

1. Come Early to Jumu'ah

Try to come to Jumu'ah as early as you can. I know it's a working day, but come as early as you can. Don't drag your feet, don't get distracted, don't check your Facebook or social media, don't socialize — come early to the masjid. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, ordered us:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1108 — narrated by Samurah ibn Jundub, radiyallahu anhu)

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said that those who intentionally come late to Jumu'ah, Allah will delay their entrance to Jannah — even though they deserve to enter Jannah — as Imam al-'Azim Abadi, rahimahullah, explained in his commentary on this hadith.

Also, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in many hadiths said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 881; Sahih Muslim, Book 7, Hadith 19 — narrated by Abu Hurayrah, radiyallahu anhu)

Those who come in the first hour get the reward equivalent to offering a camel; then a cow; then a sheep; then a chicken; then an egg. The point of the hadith is that the earlier you come, the more reward. And the earlier you come, you are psychologically ready — you sit down, you settle, you start to focus, you are ready now to receive the khutbah and the reminder.

It is sad that some people ask me, "Sheikh, when is Salat al-Jumu'ah?" I say, "Inshallah, 12:30." He says, "No no, the salah" — meaning he's planning to come at 1:00. And wallahi, some people ask, "When do you finish the salah?" — planning to come maybe at the tashahhud or something. It is sad when you see people looking at Khutbat al-Jumu'ah that way.

2. Observe the Sunan of Entering the Masjid

When you enter the masjid, make sure that you follow the sunan of entering the masjid, starting with the du'a of entering the masjid:

"O Allah, open for me the gates of Your mercy." What do you think you will receive from the khutbah? What do you think you will receive from the salah? All types of mercy. Versus just somebody coming in without any intention or du'a.

Ask Allah to protect you from al-Shaytan al-Rajim. Send salah and salam upon the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, so Allah will make salah and salam on you ten times — just upon entering. He hasn't even sat down yet.

And when you come and settle in your place, pray Tahiyyat al-Masjid — at least two rak'ah. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was giving the khutbah and he saw a man sit down; he said, "Stand up and pray two rak'ah."

But I will tell you something even at a higher level than that — when you come early, pray as many rak'ah as you can before the khutbah starts. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said to pray two rak'ah, but if you look at the narrations of the salaf:

(Muwatta' Imam Malik, Book 5, Hadith 8)

In the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab, people would keep praying until the imam came out for the khutbah. Abdullah ibn Umar might pray even 12 rak'ah before the imam started the khutbah.

One thing also — when you enter the masjid, make sure that you avoid stepping over people's shoulders. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, when he saw somebody doing that, said to him:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1118; Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 1399 — narrated by Abdullah ibn Busr, radiyallahu anhu)

"Sit down — you have bothered and harmed people." The majority of the scholars, as Ibn al-Mundhir, rahimahullah, states, considered it highly disliked. But in fact, a large number of scholars also said it is haram, even Ibn al-Mundhir himself — who reported the majority view of makruh — came to the conclusion that it is forbidden if you walk over people's shoulders and harm them. This is also the position of Ibn Abd al-Barr, rahimahullah, and a large number of scholars, and they said this applies during Salat al-Jumu'ah and at other times as well, and during the khutbah and otherwise.

The scholars also said that if there is a gap and someone is keeping it open, in that case you just ask the person for permission to pass so you don't harm them. Similar to that, my brothers and sisters — please, when you come and you see a little tiny opening, don't sit in the middle of it if it means stepping on your brother's foot and sitting on his lap. The whole 'illah is adha — bothering and physically harming the person. So when you sit properly and comfortably, that will prepare you to hear.

3. Listen Attentively — Al-Insat, Not Merely Al-Sama'

When you enter to listen to the khutbah, there is a big difference between al-insat and al-sama'. In the Arabic language we have two distinct words: al-insat means listening; al-sama' means hearing. I don't want you to merely hear the khutbah — I want you to listen to the khutbah. There is a big difference. And when you listen to the khutbah, Allah said لِمَنْ أَنْصَتَ — so whoever listens tentatively, focusing on what the imam is saying and what the reminder is about.

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, once was giving the khutbah and he mentioned a verse. So Abu al-Darda' turned to Ubayy ibn Ka'b and asked him, "When was this verse revealed?" During the khutbah. So Abu al-Darda', radiyallahu anhu, did not answer him or talk to him. Ubayy felt something in his heart — why didn't he talk to me? Why did he just ignore me like that? So after the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, finished, they went to him, and Abu al-Darda' told the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, what Ubayy had done. He said:

(Musnad Imam Ahmad, Hadith 21232 — narrated by Abu al-Darda', radiyallahu anhu)

"You said the truth. When the imam is giving the khutbah, be quiet and do not talk until he finishes." That is why, if somebody even offers you salam — says "Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah" — while you are sitting and listening to the khutbah, you do not respond verbally. Shaykh Ibn Baz, rahimahullah, said you can stretch out your hand and let him shake it, but you don't say anything. Similarly, if somebody sneezes, you do not say yarhamukallah to him. You wait until the khutbah finishes, then you can say that.

This is in regard to rules related to the rights of a Muslim — returning the salam, responding to the sneeze. So what do you think about WhatsApp? What do you think about updating your status on social media? What do you think of someone standing up in the middle of the khutbah and taking a selfie with the khateeb? I'm serious — maybe you haven't seen that here, inshallah you don't, but it's strange what we see today in Khutbat al-Jumu'ah.

The only situation in which I allow you to look at your phone and check it is if you are a police officer on call, a surgeon, your wife is expecting to deliver her baby at any moment, some emergency of that nature, or the nature of your job requires it. But other than that, no — put it away and listen. And by the way, when we say listen to the khateeb — that doesn't mean listening in order to pick on the khateeb: "Oh my God, this guy has so many mistakes," "He doesn't speak English well," "Look at his accent," "Why does he look like that?" — that's not listening. You just keep thinking about all these distracting things and you lose the benefit, or you spend the khutbah preparing how you're going to refute most of what he said after it ends.

4. Dress Well and Prepare Your Appearance

One of the things that the sunnah teaches us, and which helps us greatly, is that our physiology impacts our psychology. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, recommended us to dress nicely for Khutbat al-Jumu'ah:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1096; Al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman)

He had a special robe — a type of garment — that he would only wear on Jumu'ah and Eid. It really hurts me when I see somebody just pop open the boot of his car, find a thob, stretch it out, put it on, and come to the masjid — no, ya habibi, come with your regular trousers rather than a stinky thob thrown in the boot. So come dressed nicely, taking care of your appearance.

And from the sunnah, for men, is to put on perfume before coming to Khutbat al-Jumu'ah. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, ordered us to take a shower, and the scholars debated whether it is wajib or highly recommended — the majority said it is highly recommended, and you can do it before you go to work. So the point of all of this — taking a shower, dressing nicely, smelling nice, looking fresh — is for what? So you can prepare yourself to receive the message of Allah, rather than treating it like any other ordinary activity in your day.

5. Change Your Spot in the Masjid

One of the things the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said — in a hadith in Musnad Imam Ahmad and Sunan Abi Dawud from the hadith of Abd al-Rahman ibn Shibl — is that a man should not always keep a specific place in the masjid as the camel keeps its spot. When a camel has a spot, it travels all day long — or for days — and comes back to the same spot, and it will fight over that spot.

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1079; Musnad Imam Ahmad, Hadith 15611 — narrated by Abd al-Rahman ibn Shibl, radiyallahu anhu)

Part of the sunnah is to actually change your spot in the masjid. And I do believe this has an impact — I've tried this with several people. When I close my eyes in a masjid, I know exactly where brother so-and-so sits. I tell them: how about changing your spot a little bit? It may bring a new dimension, a new angle, something that makes it more interesting and helps you focus more.

6. Come Closer to the Imam

One of the things the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said is to come closer to the imam — even though we have microphones. Coming closer to the imam is beneficial because communication is not only about words; it is about body language as well. When you sit near the imam, you are impacted by the way he speaks, by his facial expressions. Coming near the imam also gives you a sense of being present — you don't need to rush, you don't need to keep sticking yourself at the far end where you can't even see him.

7. Contribute to the Preparation of the Khutbah

One of the things I advise you to do — and that I advised this young man to do — is to try to contribute to preparing the khutbah. The masjid will be more than happy, and the imams will be willing to hear suggestions: "I want the khutbah to be about this topic." "I think these three points, this hadith, these stories should be included." Sometimes the imam can even say, "Hey, I want to talk about this topic — if you have some points you want me to address, let me know." This is where we come to engage. Khutbat al-Jumu'ah needs to change from just one message coming in one direction to something that goes both ways — so we are all engaged in it. That is how we maximise our benefit from Khutbat al-Jumu'ah.

Also let the imam know about the impact of the khutbah. I still remember I once talked about how to organise your day and balance your priorities in life, and it really inspired me when many people came to me — and even months after this khutbah, many people contacted me and said, "Sheikh, some of these points really helped me." When you tell the imam that, he gets excited to deliver an even better khutbah, and you yourself feel more engaged.

8. Share What You Learn

Every time you hear Khutbat al-Jumu'ah, make sure you benefit from something — something worth sharing — and share it with the world: on your social media, in the car on the way back, when you get home at dinner. Tell your daughters, your sons, your wife, your husband — whoever — "Hey, I learned something today. Do you know what the khutbah was about?" I know one brother who said, "Sheikh, in my masjid all my colleagues are non-Muslims. Literally, every week this became a habit: when I leave the masjid and we do our coffee break, they ask me, 'What was the khutbah about?' and I give them a summary of the khutbah every single week." That will maximise your benefit enormously.

9. Write Down What You Will Act Upon

And the final point — if there is anything in this khutbah that you heard and you think you can work on more, or commit to more — maybe coming early to the masjid, committing to praying more rak'ah, reading Quran more — whatever it is that inspired you, write it down. Put it in your notes, in your phone. Say to yourself: "I'm going to work on this a little bit more." Write down the things you need to work on, the things you need to improve, and the things you are already doing correctly and want to do more of. That will tremendously help you to grow. Positive reinforcement is an amazing tool for growth, an amazing method in education.

Closing

There is so much more to be said, but in the end of the day it is all about honouring this — honouring this ritual — because Allah Himself has honoured it, has ordained it for us, has ordered the angels to attend it, and has given us a great reward for doing it.

So I ask Allah by His names and attributes to accept from all of us our Salat al-Jumu'ah, our Jumu'ah, and our prayers.