Is speech permissible during the short sitting (jalsah) between the two sermons (khutbahs)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Friday Prayer
Primary text
Speech during the sitting between the two sermons is permissible. This view is attributed to Al-Hasan. The reasoning is that the Imam is neither delivering a sermon nor actively speaking during this brief pause, thus rendering it similar in status to the time before the first sermon or after the second.
Supporting text
It is prohibited to speak during the sitting between the two sermons. This position is held by Malik, Al-Shafi'i, Al-Awza'i, and Ishaq. They consider it a brief silence within the sermons themselves, analogous to the silence taken for necessary breathing, which should not be interrupted by speech.