Question

Can you pray sunnah while the Jummah khutbah is taking place? If not, what if the khutbah takes place right after the adhan, leaving no time for sunnah? Can you pray 4 rakah and 2 rakah sunnah after the jummah pray then?

Answer

According to the Hanafi legal school, sunnah salaahs should not be performed once the khutbah starts. It is necessary to attentively listen to the khutbah; praying during the khutbah is contrary to that. The Shaafi'ee and Hanbali legal schools advise that sunnah should be performed even if the khutbah had started. A person is advised to follow the legal rulings of his madhab. If a Hanafi comes late and finds that the khutbah has started, then he may perform qadhaa of the missed pre-Jumu'ah sunnahs after the Jumu'ah salaah along with the post-Jumu'ah sunnahs, i.e., a total of ten rak'ahs of sunnahs. It should be noted that generally two adhaans are given for Jumu'ah. The khutbah starts after the second adhaan. One should try to come to the masjid before that.

And Allaah Ta'aala knows best.

Mufti Muajul I. Chowdhury