What is the ruling on the the imam using a long staff to lean on, and is it permissible to deliver the sermon without it?

The scholars have deduced from the Hadith of Al-Hakim ibn Hizam that it is desirable for the Khatib (preacher) to lean on a staff, a bow, or the minbar's wood during the sermon. However, this is not obligatory, and the sermon is not invalidated by its omission.