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Will a man be rewarded in the Friday sermon for listening to it?

2 min readAlso available in العربية

Listening attentively to the preacher on Friday is obligatory, and it is not permissible to be careless about it by fidgeting, talking, or being preoccupied. The following hadiths have been narrated regarding the virtues of attentive listening:

1. Expiation of sins between two Fridays: On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: (Whoever performs ghusl then comes to the Friday prayer, prays what is decreed for him, then listens attentively until the preacher finishes his sermon, then prays with him, his sins between that Friday and the next, and an additional three days, will be forgiven.) Narrated by Muslim.

2. Reward of a year of fasting and prayer for every step: On the authority of Aws ibn Aws, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: (Whoever performs ghusl on Friday, and cleanses thoroughly, and comes early, and comes first, and draws near, and listens, and remains silent, for every step he takes, he will have the reward of a year of fasting and prayer.) Narrated by At-Tirmidhi.

3. The reward of Friday prayer is contingent upon attentive listening: On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: (If you say to your companion on Friday, 'Be quiet!' while the Imam is delivering the sermon, you have engaged in idle talk.) Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

4. Whoever listens attentively receives a double portion of reward: Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, delivered a sermon in Kufa: (If a man sits in a place where he can listen and see clearly, and he listens attentively and does not engage in idle talk, he will have two portions of reward. If he sits far away where he cannot hear, but he listens attentively and does not engage in idle talk, he will have one portion of reward. And if he sits in a place where he can listen and see clearly, but he engages in idle talk and does not listen attentively, he will have one portion of sin.) Then he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say that." Narrated by Abu Dawud.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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