In many parts of Indonesia, it is still common to see a Friday sermon (khutbah) preacher holding a staff while delivering the sermon. Some worshipers regard this practice as a recommended Sunnah because they believed it was the custom of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Others, however, consider it merely a tradition without a strong textual basis.
This difference of opinion often raises an important question: is holding a staff during the Friday sermon a prescribed Sunnah that every preacher should follow, or is it simply a permissible practice when needed?
The Friday sermon is an integral part of the Friday prayer. The Qur’an highlights its significance when it recounts how some Companions left the Prophet while he was delivering the sermon to attend to a passing trade caravan.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَوٰةِ مِن يَوْمِ ٱلْجُمُعَةِ فَٱسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَذَرُوا ٱلْبَيْعَ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةُ فَٱنتَشِرُوا فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱذْكُرُوا ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ وَإِذَا رَأَوْا تِجَٰرَةً أَوْ لَهْوًا ٱنفَضُّوا إِلَيْهَا وَتَرَكُوكَ قَآئِمًا ۚ قُلْ مَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهْوِ وَمِنَ ٱلتِّجَٰرَةِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّازِقِينَ
“O you who believe! When the call is made for prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade aside. That is better for you if only you knew. Then, when the prayer has concluded, disperse throughout the land and seek the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah often so that you may succeed. But when they saw a trade caravan or amusement, they rushed to it and left you standing while delivering the sermon. Say, ‘What is with Allah is better than amusement and trade, and Allah is the Best of Providers.’” (QS. al-Jumu’ah [62]: 9–11).
These verses demonstrate that the sermon is an essential component of Friday worship. Consequently, the manner in which it is delivered is guided by the teachings of the Prophet.
Among the clearest prophetic practices is that the Prophet delivered two sermons, separated by a brief sitting. Jabir ibn Samurah narrated:
عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ قَالَ كَانَتْ لِلنَّبِيِّ خُطْبَتَانِ يَجْلِسُ بَيْنَهُمَا، يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ وَيَذْكُرُ النَّاسَ
“The Prophet delivered two sermons, sitting briefly between them. He recited the Qur’an and admonished the people.” (Sahih Muslim).
According to the Compilation of Tarjih Decisions, the essential elements of the Friday sermon include praising Allah (hamdalah), reciting the testimony of faith (shahadah), invoking blessings upon the Prophet, exhorting the congregation to piety (taqwa), and supplicating for the believers during the second sermon. There is no requirement that the preacher hold a staff while delivering the sermon.
Nevertheless, classical scholars have differed regarding the status of holding a staff during the sermon.
The majority of scholars from the Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali school consider it Sunnah. They rely on a narration from Hakam ibn Hazn:
عَنِ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ حَزْنٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: شَهِدْنَا الْجُمُعَةَ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَامَ مُتَوَكِّئًا عَلَى عَصًا أَوْ قَوْسٍ
“We attended the Friday prayer with the Prophet, and he stood leaning on a staff or a bow.” (Sunan Abu Dawud).
Many scholars understood this narration as evidence that a preacher may (or should) lean on a staff or another object while delivering the sermon.
Imam al-Shafi’i wrote in al-Umm:
وَأُحِبُّ لِكُلِّ مَنْ خَطَبَ أَنْ يَعْتَمِدَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ، وَإِنْ تَرَكَ الِاعْتِمَادَ أَحْبَبْتُ لَهُ أَنْ يَسْكُنَ يَدَيْهِ وَجَمِيعَ بَدَنِهِ، وَلَا يَعْبَثَ بِيَدَيْهِ
“I prefer that every preacher lean on something. If he does not, I prefer that he keep his hands and body still and refrain from unnecessary movements.”
A similar opinion was expressed by Ibn al-Qayyim, who stated that the Prophet would hold a staff while standing on the pulpit, and that the first three Khalifahs continued this practice after him.
By contrast, the Hanafi school takes a different position. Several Hanafi legal texts describe delivering the sermon while leaning on a staff as disliked (makruh).
As stated in Fatawa al-Hindiyyah:
وَيُكْرَهُ أَنْ يَخْطُبَ مُتَّكِئًا عَلَى قَوْسٍ أَوْ عَصًا
“It is disliked for a preacher to deliver the sermon while leaning on a bow or a staff.”
The disagreement indicates that holding a staff has never been unanimously regarded as an essential part of the Friday sermon.
A more contextual interpretation was offered by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-’Uthaymin. According to him, leaning on a staff is recommended only when there is a genuine need.
He explained:
أَنَّ الْاعْتِمَادَ إِنَّمَا يَكُونُ عِنْدَ الْحَاجَةِ، فَإِنِ احْتَاجَ الْخَطِيبُ إِلَى اعْتِمَادٍ… فَهُوَ سُنَّةٌ
“Leaning is only done when there is a need. If the preacher requires support, due to weakness or illness, then leaning on a staff in that situation is Sunnah.”
Historical evidence further reinforces this understanding. The prophet did not use a staff exclusively during sermons. As he grew older and his physical strength declined, he had a pillar placed in his prayer area so that he could lean on it while praying.
Umm Qays binti Mihshan narrated:
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمَّا أَسَنَّ وَحَمَلَ اللَّحْمَ اتَّخَذَ عَمُودًا فِي مُصَلَّاهُ يَعْتَمِدُ عَلَيْهِ
“When the messenger of Allah grew old and his body became heavy, he had a pillar placed in his prayer area to lean upon.” (Sunan Abu Dawud)
Likewise, during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the Companions used a staff while performing lengthy night prayers.
Al-Sa’ib ibn Yazid reported:
حَتَّى كُنَّا نَعْتَمِدُ عَلَى الْعِصِيِّ مِنْ طُولِ الْقِيَامِ
“We leaned on a staff because of the lengths of standing.” (Sunan Malik).
These narrations suggest that the staff primarily functioned as physical aid rather than a ritual symbol. Both the Prophet and his Companions used it whenever they needed support to remain standing comfortably.
Based on these evidences, Muhammadiyah considers holding a staff during the Friday sermon to be a mutaghayyirah matter, that is, an issue subject to contextual circumstances rather than a fixed devotional requirement (ta’abbudi). No authentic hadith commands every preacher to carry a staff nor is a staff listed among the pillars of conditions for the validity of the friday sermon.
Therefore, a frida sermon remains fully valid even if the preacher does not hold a staff. On the other hand, if a preacher is elderly, ill, or otherwise requires support to remain standing during the sermon, using a staff or another object to support is entirely permissible. In contemporary settings, that function may equally be fulfilled by a sturdy pulpit, a handrail, or even a chair when necessary.
Reference:
The Council for Religious Opinion and Reform of the Muhammadiyah Central Board, “Hukum Khatib Memegang Tongkat Ketika Berkhotbah”, Fatwa 30, 2022.
