بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The sunnah is to make the khutbah (sermon) short and the salāh (prayer) long
قَالَ أَبُو وَائِلٍ خَطَبَنَا عَمَّارٌ فَأَوْجَزَ وَأَبْلَغَ فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ قُلْنَا يَا أَبَا الْيَقْظَانِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتَ وَأَوْجَزْتَ فَلَوْ كُنْتَ تَنَفَّسْتَ . فَقَالَ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ “ إِنَّ طُولَ صَلاَةِ الرَّجُلِ وَقِصَرَ خُطْبَتِهِ مَئِنَّةٌ مِنْ فِقْهِهِ فَأَطِيلُوا الصَّلاَةَ وَاقْصُرُوا الْخُطْبَةَ
From Abū Wā’il, he said: ‘Ammār delivered a khutbah to us, and he was concise and eloquent. When he came down, we said to him: “Oh Abā al-Yaqdhān you have indeed been eloquent and concise. If only you had lengthened (the speech somewhat)?!” He said: “I heard the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) say: ‘The length of a man’s prayer and the brevity of his khutbah (sermon) are a sign of his fiqh (understanding), so lengthen the salāh and shorten the khutbah (sermon).” (Sahīh Muslim 869)
Al-Muhaddīth al-Qurtubī said: “And his saying: “Lengthen the salāh (prayer) and shorten the khutbah (sermon)” is not contradictory to his saying: “His prayer was moderate (qasdan) and his sermon was moderate (qasdan)” (Sahīh Muslim 898) because each one is qasd – meaning balanced/moderate – in its own category. However, the prayer should be longer than the sermon, with moderation (qasd) in each one of them.” (Al-Mufhim 2/504)
Al-Nawawī said: “… what is intended by this hadīth is that the prayer should be long in relation to the sermon…” (Sharh Sahīh Muslim 3/386)
Hāfidh Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr said: “As for shortening the khutbah, it is a Sunnah masnūnah (i.e. a prescribed sunnah to be followed); The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) used to command (with) that and do it (himself).
And in the hadīth of ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir: “The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) commanded us to shorten the sermon” (Abū Dawūd 1106, declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī in his checking), and he would deliver sermons with words which were good and a few. He disliked tashadduq (i.e. elaborate/pretentious speech to impress others) and tafayhuq (pompous/inflated speech).
The people of knowledge dislike from the sermons/exhortation (that) what makes some of it cause other (parts of it) to be forgotten due to its length. They prefer sermons where the listener who is being admonished can grasp and reflect upon them after memorising them – and this only occurs with brevity.” (Al-Istidhkār 4/490-491)
Signs of the last hour: long khutbahs and short prayers
‘Abdullāh ibn Masūd (رضي الله عنه) said to a person:
إِنَّكَ فِي زَمَانٍ كَثِيرٌ فُقَهَاؤُهُ قَلِيلٌ قُرَّاؤُهُ تُحْفَظُ فِيهِ حُدُودُ الْقُرْآنِ وَتُضَيَّعُ حُرُوفُهُ قَلِيلٌ مَنْ يَسْأَلُ كَثِيرٌ مَنْ يُعْطِي يُطِيلُونَ فِيهِ الصَّلاَةَ وَيَقْصُرُونَ الْخُطْبَةَ يُبَدُّونَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ قَبْلَ أَهْوَائِهِمْ وَسَيَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ قَلِيلٌ فُقَهَاؤُهُ كَثِيرٌ قُرَّاؤُهُ يُحْفَظُ فِيهِ حُرُوفُ الْقُرْآنِ وَتُضَيَّعُ حُدُودُهُ كَثِيرٌ مَنْ يَسْأَلُ قَلِيلٌ مَنْ يُعْطِي يُطِيلُونَ فِيهِ الْخُطْبَةَ وَيَقْصُرُونَ الصَّلاَةَ يُبَدُّونَ فِيهِ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ قَبْلَ أَعْمَالِهِمْ
“Indeed, you are in a time when its fuqahā’ – scholars/people of knowledge – are many, its qurrā’ – Qurān reciters – are few. In it, the hudūd – boundaries/limits – of the Qur’ān are preserved, while its hurūf – letters/recitation – are neglected. Few are those who ask, many are those who give. In it they lengthen the salāh (prayer) and shorten the khutbah (sermon). They put their a’māl – actions – before their ahwā’ – desires.
And there will come upon people a time when its fuqahā’ are few, its qurrā’ are many. In it, the hurūf of the Qur’ān will be preserved while its hudūd are neglected. Many will be those who ask, few will be those who give. In it they will lengthen the khutbah and shorten the salāh. In it they will put their ahwā’ before their a’māl.”
(Sahīh Muwattā of Imām Mālik of al-Hilālī pg. 137, who declared it Sahīh Mawqūf – authentic as a statement of a companion. Who further said:
It was narrated as marfū’ – attributed to the Prophet – but it is not authentic. See: “As-Sahīhah” (3189). However, the mawqūf – statement attributed to a Companion – has the ruling of marfū’, because something like this is not said based on personal opinion. It has a shāhid – supporting witness – from the hadīth of Abū Dharr as marfū’. See “As-Sahīhah” (2510))
Hāfidh Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr said: “This narration has indeed been narrated from Ibn Mas’ūd through connected, good, and mutawātirah chains (of narration).” (Al-Istidhkār 4/488)
Shaykh ‘Abdul-Karīm al-Khudayr said: “… in it they will lengthen the khutbah – this is evident today. Some of them give sermons for half an hour, rather even a full hour, And they shorten the prayer – this contradicts the sunnah…
What Ibn Mas’ūd (رضي الله عنه) informed about (in this narration) is a description of a reality we see today. He reported about a future that he didn’t speak about from his own opinion, because while it was possible for him to speak about his time, it wouldn’t be feasible for him to speak about future times. Therefore, this report of his has the ruling of marfū’ (attributed to the Prophet).” (Sharh Muwattā 2/220)
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