What should be said when the imam sits down between the two khutbahs at Jumu’ah prayer?

It is proven that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to deliver two
khutbahs on Friday and he separated them by sitting down briefly on the
minbar. 

It was narrated that
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to give two khutbahs
and sit down between them. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (928). 

It is not narrated that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the Sahaabah, as
far as we know, said any specific du’aa’ or dhikr between the two khutbahs
of Jumu’ah. Rather some of the scholars said that it is mustahabb to say
du’aa’ between the two khutbahs, seeking the time when du’aa’ is answered on
Friday. One of the strongest opinions about that time is that it is from
when the imam first comes out to give the khutbah until the end of the
prayer. This has been discussed in the answer to question no.
112165. 

But because this du’aa’ was
not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) or the noble Sahaabah, we should not affirm it or take it as a binding
Sunnah; it is also not permissible to raise one’s voice when saying it and
disturb the others who are present. Some scholars have warned against that. 

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami
narrated that al-Qaadi said: Du’aa’ during this sitting (between the two
khutbahs) will be answered. Then Ibn Hajar said: 

It may be understood from
what al-Qaadi said that the Sunnah is for the people present to make use of
the time when the imam sits to say du’aa’, because it is affirmed that it is
answered at that time. If they say du’aa’ then it is better for it to be
silent, because by saying it out loud they may disturb others, and because
saying it silently is better in the case of du’aa’, unless it is for a
reason. End quote.  

Al-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah
al-Kubra by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar al-Haytami
(1/251-252). 

Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd
al-Rahmaan Abu Bateen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Du’aa’ whilst
sitting between the two khutbahs – I do not know anything about it, and the
one who does that seeking the time mentioned on Friday (when du’aa’ may be
answered) should not be objected to. End quote. 

Rasaa’il wa Fataawa
al-Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah Abu Bateen (p. 163) 

Shaykh Muhammad Rasheed
Rida (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

As for raising the hands
and the voice in du’aa’ when the khateeb sits down between the two khutabhs,
we do not know of any Sunnah to support that; there would be nothing wrong
with it were it not for the fact that it disturbs others and because they
regarded it as a Sunnah to be followed without any evidence. 

What is narrated is to ask
for silence when the imam ascends the minbar, but the silence is for the
purpose of listening. Hence we say that there is nothing wrong with saying
du’aa’ at times other than when listening is required, but one should say
du’aa’ quietly and not disturb others with one’s du’aa’. Not all the people
should raise their hands so that this becomes one of the rituals of Jumu’ah
for which there is no teaching in the Sunnah. Rather they are going against
the clear Sunnah, if when the imam stands up and begins the second khutbah
they continue with their du’aa’s. It is better for them to listen and ponder
at the time of the khutbah, and think and reflect at the time when the imam
is resting. The least that can be said about this action of theirs is that
it is an inappropriate innovation. End quote. 

Majallat al-Manaar
(6/792). 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may
Allaah have mercy on him) was asked whether there is a specific du’aa’ or
dhikr that the worshipper may say between the two Jumu’ah khutbahs? Is it
narrated that the khateeb should say du’aa’ between the two khutbahs or
not? 

He replied: 

There is no specific dhikr
or du’aa’, rather a person may say whatever supplication he wants, because
this is a time when du’aa’s are answered. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “On Friday there is a time when no
Muslim slave asks Allaah for something when he is standing and praying but
He will give it to him.” 

In Saheeh Muslim it
is narrated from the hadeeth of Abu Moosa: “It is between the time when the
imam comes out – i.e., enters the mosque – until the prayer ends.” 

This is a time when du’aa’s
are answered, so one should make the most of this opportunity and say du’aa’
between the two khutbahs, asking for whatever he wants of the good things of
this world and the Hereafter. 

The same may also be said
of the imam; he should say du’aa’ between the two khutbahs but it should be
silent, asking for whatever he wants of things in this world and in the
Hereafter. 

The same may also be said
concerning prostration during Jumu’ah prayer, after reciting the adhkaar
that were narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), one may say du’aa’ as one wishes. 

And after the tashahhud and
before the salaam, one may say du’aa’ for whatever one wants, after saying
du’aa’ for that which it is narrated one should say du’aa’ for. End quote. 

He also said (may Allaah
have mercy on him): 

Du’aa’ during this time is
good and is mustahabb, because this time is a time when it is hoped prayers
will be answered. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) told us that on Friday there is a time when no Muslim slave asks Allaah
for something when he is standing and praying but He will answer him.  

The time of prayer is the
most likely to be the time when du’aa’s are answered, because of the report
narrated by Muslim from Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari (may Allaah be pleased with
him), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “It is between the time when the imam comes out until the
prayer ends.” 

Based on this, one should
make the most of this opportunity and say du’aa’ between the two khutbahs. 

With regard to raising the
hands, I do not think there is anything wrong with it, because the basic
principle with regard to du’aa’ is that its etiquette includes raising the
hands. So if a person raises his hands there is nothing wrong with it, and
if he says du’aa’ without raising his hands there is nothing wrong with it.
This has to do with du’aa’ between the two khutbahs. End quote. 

Fataawa
Noor ‘ala al-Darb (Fataawa al-Salaah/Salaat al-Jumu’ah)

Thirdly: 

Some fuqaha’ said that it
is mustahabb to recite Qur’aan when the imam sits down between the two
khutbahs, and some of them mentioned Soorat al-Ikhlaas in particular, based
on the hadeeth of Jaabir ibn Samurah (may Allaah be pleased with him) who
said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
give two khutbahs, sitting in between them. He would recite Qur’aan and
remind the people. Narrated by Muslim (862). A similar version was narrated
by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh (7/42), which he included in a chapter
entitled “Mention of what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) used to say when he sat down between the two khutbahs.” End
quote. 

Al-Khateeb al-Sharbeeni
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

His sitting between the two
khutbahs was about the length of Soorat al-Ikhlaas. 

Should he recite Qur’aan or
dhikr therein, or remain silent? 

They did not discuss it,
but in Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan it says that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite Qur’aan therein. End quote. 

Mughni al-Muhtaaj
(1/557). 

The correct view is that
the words of Jaabir ibn Samurah in the hadeeth, “he would recite Qur’aan and
remind the people” do not refer to the sitting between the two khutbahs,
rather they refer to what is mentioned at the beginning of the hadeeth, “The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to give two
khutbahs”, i.e., he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would
deliver two khutbahs on the minbar, which both included recitation of
Qur’aan and exhortation and reminders to the people. 

Hence al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi
said in Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’ (16/102), in his biography of Ibn
Hibbaan, in an important discussion of mistakes made by Ibn Hibbaan in his
Saheeh: One of the things which al-Dhahabi regarded as a mistake on
his part was his categorizing of this hadeeth, when he – Ibn Hibbaan – said:
Mention of what [the Prophet] (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to recite when he sat down between the two khutbahs. And he did
not mention anything. End quote. Meaning that the hadeeth does not indicate
what he mentioned in the chapter heading. 

The more correct view –and
Allaah knows best – is that there is no binding Sunnah from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning this matter. The one
who wants to use this brief moment of silence to say du’aa’ or dhikr or
recite Qur’aan may do so, so long as he does not disturb others. 

And Allaah knows best.