do not discuss in it matters that suit this great position such as: enjoining that what is good, forbidding what is evil, warning against the trials of death and the vicissitudes of the Day of Resurrection. This great state should help people look with an ascetic eye towards this world and with awe towards the Hereafter through frequent admonition. It is indeed a forum through which Sunnah should be displayed for its followers and Bid‘ah should be fought. (1)
Al-‘Izz Ibn Abdi Sal?m affirmed this point saying:
‘While delivering the Khutbah, the Khat?b should tackle those issues for which the Khutbah was originally enjoined; namely: praising [All?h ( - عز وجل -) and His Messenger], calling unto All?h ( - عز وجل -) , exciting good in others’ souls and urging muslims to beware of All?h ( - عز وجل -) , reminding them with Hell and Paradise, urging them to do obedience, warning them against all kinds of misdemeanors and urging them to recite the Qur’?n. Indeed, the prophet ( - ) used to recite S?rah Q?f very often (2) in his Khutbah for it includes praising
(1) “Al-B?’ith ‘Al? Ink?ril Bida‘ Wal Haw?dith” (p.85).
(2) It is so strange how most of the Im?ms insist on reciting S?rah “As-Sajdah” in every Fajr Friday Sal?t and none of them recite S?rah “Q?f” [although this was the prophet’s ( - ) Sunnah] as narrated in Muslim’s “Sah?h” (vol. 2 / p. 595) (no. 873), Ab? D?w?d’s “Sunnan” (vol. 1 / p. 288) (no. 1100 and 1102), An-Nas?’?’s “Mujtab?” (vol. 2 / p. 157) traced back to Umm Hish?m Bint H?rithah to have said: ‘Indeed, I learned S?rah “Q?f” directly from the prophet’s ( - ) mouth for he used to recite it every Friday in his Khutbah on the pulpit’.
It is also affirmed that he ( - ) used to read S?rahs “As-Sajdah” and “Dd-Dahr” in the Fajr Friday Sal?t as many Im?ms stated. However, one must not recite them so often lest people think that this Sal?t has more superiority over any other Sal?t due to the Sajdah done in it; this is Ahmad’s view. See: “Al-Mughn?” (vol. 2 / p. 222 - with Ash-Sharhul Kab?r”), “Al-B?‘ith” (p.51), “Fathul B?r?” (vol. 2 / p. 379) and “Sifrus Sa‘?dah” (p. 41).
Al-H?fith affirmed that none of the had?ths’ narrations states that he ( - ) did suj?d when reciting S?rah “As-Sajdah” except two ones; the first of which ‘includes unreliable narrators’ while the other’s chain of narrators is weak.
In “Al-Fur?q” (vol. 2 / p. 191), Al-Qarr?f? said that: ‘It has become a prevalent belief amongst the Egyptian public that the Fajr Sal?t consists of two Rak‘ahs except the one done on Friday, it consists of three. They do so because their Im?ms recite S?rah “As-Sajda” on Friday so often and do Suj?d [when reciting verse no. 15]’. Then he continued: ‘That is why Im?m M?lik condemned such an act [i.e. reciting this particular S?rah in Friday Fajr Sal?t often] severely for blocking ways of evil is of great importance in our religion’. See: “Id?hul Masaliki Il? Qaw?‘idil Im?mi M?lik” (pp. 221 - 2) and “M?l? Yaj?zu F?hil Khil?fu Bainal Muslim?n” (pp. 97 - 8).
Many people nowadays believe that a S?rah which consists of a Sajdah must be recited on Friday, they read two verses preceeding the Sajdah verse, do Suj?d then stand up and read two other verses then do Ruk?‘. When performing the second Rak‘ah, they recite two verses from S?rah “Al-Ins?n” then do Ruk?‘. They do so due to their [false] belief that it is an obligation that one practices the Til?wah Sajdah in Fajr Friday Sal?t!! This, indeed, induced the ‘Ulamah to urge Im?ms not to recite the two aforementioned S?rahs on Friday so often, and if they do, they should do Sajdah Til?wah sometimes and leave it in others.