Is it permissible to recite salawat when the name of the Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned during the Friday sermon, and can…

During the Friday prayer sermon, the congregation should refrain from speaking, listen attentively, not exchange greetings, and avoid engaging in any other activity. Regarding this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “If, during the Friday sermon, you say to your companion, ‘Listen,’ you have engaged in idle and unnecessary talk.” (Bukhari, Jumu‘a, 36 [934]; Muslim, Jumu‘a, 11-12 [851]), thus emphasizing the importance of listening to the sermon.

When the sermon is being delivered, anyone entering the mosque should sit and listen to the sermon instead of performing the initial sunnah prayer. (Kâsânî, Bedâ’i, 1/263-264; Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, 2/158; ‘Alauddin, al-Hadiyyah al-‘Alaiyyah, 96)

Islamic scholars, considering the practice of the Prophet (pbuh), have stated that it is recommended (mandub) for the preacher to seek forgiveness and mercy for the believers and to pray for their well-being during the second sermon. Hanafi scholars, viewing the period from the preacher’s ascent to the pulpit until the end of the prayer as a whole, have established the rule that everything prohibited during prayer is also prohibited during the sermon. Accordingly, they have stated that the preacher should be listened to attentively, the congregation should remain silent, not exchange greetings, and not perform voluntary prayers. However, if a supplication is made during the sermon, it is permissible to say ‘amin’ silently, and if the name of the Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned, it is permissible to silently recite salat and salam. (Kâsânî, Bedâ’i, 1/264; Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, 2/159) However, it is not appropriate to say ‘amin’ aloud. (‘Alauddin, al-Hadiyyah al-‘Alaiyyah, 97)

In conclusion, during the sermon, the congregation should listen to the preacher, refrain from speaking, and not engage in other activities. However, when the name of the Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned, it is permissible to silently recite salawat, and when the preacher makes a supplication, it is also permissible to silently say ‘amin’. (see Kâsânî, Bedâ’i, 1/264; Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, 2/158-159)

Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu