blessing for the one who sneezes [while the Khutbah is being delivered]’.

Since asking one’s mate to keep quiet is considered as Laghw, although it is originally of enjoining that which is good [Amrun Bil Ma‘r?f] and forbidding that which is evil [Nahyun ‘An Al-Munkar], which is a great principle [in Isl?m], but doing that which has more importance [in this situation] -that is listening to the Khutbah- is preferred to doing that which is less important -i.e. enjoining what is good-. Accordingly, any act of enjoining that which is good and forbidding that which is evil such as: sending blessings on the one who sneezes, returning Sal?m, repeating after the Khat?b while reciting Athk?r, sending Sal?t on the prophet ( - ) and other such acts share the same ruling. And the more worth it, every speech that lies out side the circle of enjoining that which is good.

The aforementioned Aws’s had?th -which states: ‘ ... then comes close to the Im?m, listens and speaks not’- indicates that one should listen deeply and carefully to the Khutbah; that is, one should be all ears: following and understanding the Khat?b’s words.

Accordingly, it is a mistake to:

[8/ 58] sleep while the Im?m is delivering his speech.

Ibn ‘Awn related that Ibn S?r?n said that the Sah?bah strongly detested sleeping while the Im?m is delivering his speech and condemned it severely.

Ibn ‘Awn then continued that Ibn S?r?n met him afterwards and said: ‘Do you know what the Sah?bah say about that? They say that their like [i.e. the people who sleep while the Im?m is delivering the Khutbah] is the like of a detachment that failed in its mission’. Then he said: ‘Do you know what this means? It means that they have gained nothing’’. (1)