Question :
What is the description of the Eid prayer?.
Answer :
Praise be to Allaah.
The Eid prayer is one where the imam attends and leads the people in praying two rak’ahs. ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The prayer of al-Fitr is two rak’ahs and the prayer of al-Adha is two rak’ahs, complete and not shortened, on the tongue of your Prophet, and the one who fabricates lies is doomed.” Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 1420 and Ibn Khuzaymah. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i.
It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed said: The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to come out on the day of al-Fitr and al-Adha to the prayer place, and the first thing he would do was to offer the prayer. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 956
In the first rak’ah he should say Takbeerat al-ihraam (say “Allaahu akbar” to start the prayer), after which he should say six or seven more takbeers, because of the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), “The takbeer of al-Fitr and al-Adha is seven takbeers in the first rak’ah and five takbeers in the second, apart from the takbeer of rukoo’.” Narrated by Abu Dawood and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 639.
Then he should recite al-Faatihah, and recite Soorat Qaf in the first rak’ah. In the second rak’ah he should stand up saying takbeer, and when he has stood up completely he should say takbeer five times, and recite Soorat al-Faatihah then Soorat al-Qamr. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite these two soorahs during the two Eids. Or if he wishes he can recite Soorat al-A’la in the first rak’ah and Soorat al-Ghaashiyah in the second, because it was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite al-A’la and al-Ghaashiyah in the Eid prayer.
The imam should revive the Sunnah be reciting these soorahs so that the Muslims will become familiar with the Sunnah.
After the prayer, the imam should address the people. Part of the khutbah should be addressed specifically to the women, telling them of the things that they should do and warning them against the things that they should avoid, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do.
See Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 398; Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 8/300-316).
The prayer comes before the khutbah
One of the rulings of Eid is that the prayer comes before the khutbah, because of the hadeeth of Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah who said, The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out on the day of al-Fitr and started with the prayer before the khutbah. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 958; Muslim, 885.
Another indication that the khutbah comes after the prayer is the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to come out to the prayer place on the day of al-Fitr and al-Adha, and the first thing he would start with was the prayer, then he would go and stand facing the people, while the people were sitting in their rows, and he would preach to them and advise them and command them. If he wanted to send out a military expedition he would do so and if he wanted to tell the people to do something he would do so, then he would leave.
Abu Sa’eed said: The people continued to do that until I went out with Marwaan – who was the governor of Madeenah – on Eid al-Adha or Eid al-Fitr, and when we came to the prayer-place, there was a minbar that had been built by Katheer ibn al-Salt. When Marwaan wanted to ascend it before he prayed, I grabbed his garment and he pushed me away and climbed up and delivered the khutbah before the prayer. I said, “You have changed it by Allaah.”
He said, “O Abu Sa’eed, what you knew has gone.”
I said, “What I know, by Allaah, is better than what I do not know.”
He said, “The people will not sit and listen to us after the prayer, so we did it before the prayer.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 956.
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Joining the imam during the additional takbeers
Question :
If I join the imam in the Eid prayer after he has started the takbeers after takbeerat al-ihram (the takbeer with which he starts the prayer), should I say the takbeers that I missed after the imam has said takbeer?.
Answer :
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling if I catch up with the imam when he is praying the Eid prayer, and he has said the additional takbeers? Should I make up the takbeers I missed or what should I do?
He replied:
If you join the imam during the takbeers, then you should say takbeerat al-ihraam first (the takbeer to start the prayer) and then follow the imam in the remaining takbeers, and you do not have to make up what you missed.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 16/245. (www.islam-qa.com)
Should Eid prayer be prayer in the Masjid or in the
musalla
We heard that at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the Eid prayer was held in a musalla (prayer-place) outside the built-up area, because his mosque could not accommodate all the people, and that if there is a mosque that can accommodate the people, then it is better for them to pray there because the mosque is better than anywhere else. Is this correct?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The practical Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (i.e., what he did) was to leave his mosque for the Eid prayers and perform these prayers in the musalla that was at the outer gate of Madeenah. See Zaad al-Ma’aad by Ibn al-Qayyim, 1/441.
Shaykh Ahmad Shaakir (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The views of the scholars concerning that are closely connected:
In Sharh al-Bukhaari, the Hanafi scholar al-‘Ayni discussed the following hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed [al-Khudri]: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to go out to the prayer-place on the day of al-Fitr and al-Adha. The first thing that he did was to pray, then he would move away and stand facing the people, when the people were (still) sitting in their rows, and he would exhort them and advise them and issue commands to them. If he wanted to dispatch an army he would do so, and if he wanted to issue some command, he would do so. Then he would leave.” Abu Sa’eed said: The people continued to do that until I came out with Marwaan when he was the governor of Madeenah, on (the day of) al-Ahda or al-Fitr. When we came to the prayer place, there was the minbar that had been built by Katheer ibn al-Salt. Marwaan wanted to ascend the minbar; I grabbed his clothes but he pulled away, and he ascended and delivered the khutbah before the prayer. I said to him: “You have changed it, by Allaah.” He said: “O Abu Sa’eed, gone is that which you know.” I said: “By Allaah, what I know is better than that which I do not know.” He said: “The people will not sit and listen to us after the prayer so I did it before the prayer.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 956; Muslim, 889.
Al-‘Ayni said: This shows that we should go out to the prayer-place and not offer the Eid prayer in the mosque except in case of necessity. Ibn Ziyaad narrated that Maalik said: The Sunnah is to go out to the prayer-place except for the people of Makkah, who should pray in the mosque.
In al-Fataawa al-Hindiyyah (vol. 1, p. 118) it says: Going out to the prayer-place for Eid prayer is Sunnah, even if the Jaami’ Mosque is large enough to accommodate them. This is the view of the majority of shaykhs and it is the correct view.
In al-Mudawwanah al-Marwiyah ‘an Maalik (vol. 1, p. 171), Maalik said: The Eid prayer should not be offered in two places, and they should not pray in their mosques, rather they should all go out as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out. And Ibn Wahb narrated from Yoonus that Ibn Shihaab said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to go out to the prayer-place, then the people of the regions followed that Sunnah.
Ibn Qudaamah al-Hanbali said in al-Mughni (vol. 2, no. 229-230): The Sunnah is to offer the Eid prayer in the prayer-place. This was enjoined by ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) and was regarded as good by al-Awzaa’i and Ashaab al-Ra’i. This is also the view of Ibn al-Mundhir.
It was narrated from al-Shaafa’i that if the mosque of a city is spacious, then it is better to pray there, because it is the best and purest place. Hence the people of Makkah pray (Eid) in al-Masjid al-Haraam.
Then Ibn Qudaamah quoted evidence to support his view, and said: Our evidence shows that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to go out to the prayer-place and leave his mosque, as did the caliphs after him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would not forsake the better thing even though it was closer and take the trouble to go to an imperfect place that was further away, and he did not prescribe for his ummah that they should forsake that which is good and virtuous. We have been commanded to follow the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and take him as our example. It cannot be the case that the thing that is enjoined is imperfect and the thing that is forbidden is perfect. There is no report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) offered the Eid prayer in his mosque except when there was a reason or excuse. This is also the consensus of the Muslims. The people in all ages and in all places have gone out to the prayer-place and offered the Eid prayer there, regardless of whether the mosque is spacious or otherwise. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to offer the Eid prayer in the prayer-place even though his mosque is such a venerable place.
And I – Ahmad Shaakir is speaking – say that words of Ibn Qudaamah, “There is no report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) offered the Eid prayer in his mosque except when there was a reason or excuse”, is a reference to the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah which is narrated by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (vol. 1, p. 295): “Rain fell on the day of Eid, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed in the mosque.” This was classed as saheeh by him (al-Haakim) and al-Dhahabi. [And Ibn al-Qayyim said of it: If the hadeeth is proven, it is also narrated in Sunan Abi Dawood and Ibn Maajah. Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/441. But it was classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in Risaalat Salaat al-Eidayn fi’l-Musalla hiya al-Sunnah, and he narrated the view of al-Haakim and al-Dhahabi].
Imam al-Shaafa’i said in al-Umm (vol. 1, p. 207): “We have heard that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to go out on the two Eids to the prayer-place in Madeenah, as did those who came after him, and most of the people in all countries, except Makkah (concerning which) we have not heard that any of the salaf led them in offering the Eid prayer except in their mosque. I think that this – and Allaah knows best – is because al-Masjid al-Haraam is the best spot on earth, so they did not like to pray anywhere else if possible.
“If there is a town and the mosque of its people is big enough to accommodate them, I do not think that they should go out of it, but if they do go out, there is nothing wrong with that. If it is big enough and their imam leads them in prayer there, I regard that as makrooh but they do not have to repeat it. If there is an excuse such as rain etc, I would tell them to pray in the mosque and not go out to the desert.”
The scholar Ibn al-Haaj said in al-Madkhal (vol. 2, 283): The proven Sunnah with regard to the Eid prayer is that it should be offered in the prayer-place, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A prayer offered in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers offered elsewhere, except in al-Masjid al-Haraam.” (al-Bukhaari, 1190; Muslim, 1394). Then despite that great virtue he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to the prayer-place and left the mosque. This clearly indicates that the command to go out to the prayer-place for Eid prayer is confirmed, so this is the Sunnah. According to the madhhab of Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him), offering the Eid prayer in the mosque is bid’ah (an innovation), unless there is some reason why it is necessary to do that, in which case it is not bid’ah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do it and neither did any of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs after him. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded the women to come out to the Eid prayer, and he told the menstruating women and women in seclusion to come out. One of them said, O Messenger of Allaah, one of us does not have a jilbaab.” He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Let her sister lends her a jilbaab so that she may witness goodness and attend the gathering of the Muslims.” (See Saheeh al-Bukhari, 324; Saheeh Muslim, 890).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded the women to go out and he prescribed the prayer out in the open so that the symbols of Islam might be manifested.
The Prophet’s Sunnah that is narrated in the saheeh hadeeths indicates that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to offer the Eid prayer in the desert outside the city. This is how it continued during the early days of Islam, and they did not offer the Eid prayer inside the city unless there was a reason that made it necessary to do so, such as rain.
This is the view of the four imams and other scholars and imams – may Allaah be pleased with them all. I do not know of anyone who held a different opinion, apart from the view of al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) who preferred that the prayer be offered in the mosque if it was big enough to hold all the people of the city. Despite that he did not see anything wrong with praying in the desert even if the mosque was big enough. And he clearly stated that he regarded it as makrooh to offer the Eid prayer in the mosque if it was not big enough to hold all the people.
These saheeh ahaadeeth and others, and the fact that this is how they continued to do it during the early days of Islam, and the views of the scholars, all indicate that offering the Eid prayers in the mosques now is a bid’ah (innovation), even according to the view of al-Shaafa’i, because there is no one mosque in our cities that can accommodate all the people of the city where it is located.
Moreover, this is the Sunnah, to gather all the people of the city, men, women and children, so that their hearts may turn to Allaah as one and they may be united, praying behind one imam, saying “Allaahu akbar” and “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah”, praying to Allaah with sincerity, as if they are one, rejoicing in the blessing that Allaah has bestowed upon them, so that the Eid will be a true Eid.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded the women to go out to the Eid prayer with the people, and he did not exclude anyone from that. He did not even excuse those who had nothing to wear from going out, rather he commanded them to borrow something from someone else. He even commanded those who had an excuse for not praying to go out to the prayer-place, “to witness goodness and attend the gathering of the Muslims.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the caliphs after him, and the governors whom they appointed in the various cities, used to led the people in offering the Eid prayer, then they would address them, exhorting them and teaching them things that would benefit them in their religious and worldly concerns. They would command them to give in charity in that blessed gathering, upon which descended divine mercy and blessing.
May the Muslims follow the Sunnah of their Prophet and revive the symbols of their religion, which is the source of their pride and success.
“O you who believe! Answer Allaah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life”
[al-Anfaal 8:24]
From his commentary on Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2/421-424.
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No Athan for Eid prayer
Praise be to Allaah.
Muslim (885) narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: I attended the prayer on the day of Eid with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He started with the prayer before the khutbah, with no adhaan or iqaamah.
Al-Bukhaari (960) and Muslim (886) narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas and Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Ansaari said: No adhaan was given on the day of al-Fitr or the day of al-Adha (i.e., for the Eid prayer). Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Ansaari said: There is no adhaan for the prayer on the day of al-Fitr when the imam comes out, or after he comes out; no iqaamah, no call, nothing. There is no call on that day and no iqaamah.
This hadeeth indicates that there is no adhaan or iqaamah for the Eid prayer and that no call is given for it.
Some of the scholars are of the view that a call should be given for it by saying “al-salaatu jaami’ah (prayer is about to begin)” by analogy with the eclipse prayer.
This is an analogy which contradicts the hadeeth of Jaabir quoted above, so no attention should be paid to it.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Some of our companions said that a call should be given for it, i.e., “al-salaatu jaami’ah (prayer is about to begin)”. This is the view of al-Shaafa’i. But the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is more deserving of being followed.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
There is no call for the Eid prayer or prayers for rain (al-istisqa’). This is the view of a number of our companions. This was quoted from him in al-Insaaf, 1/428.
Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zaad al-Ma’aad:
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) reached the prayer-place he would commence the prayer – i.e., the Eid prayer – with no adhaan or iqaamah, and he did not say “al-salaatu jaami’ah (prayer is about to begin)”. The Sunnah is not to do any of those things.
Al-San’aani said in Subul al-Salaam, concerning the view that it is nustahabb to call people to the Eid prayer by saying “al-salaatu jaami’ah (prayer is about to begin)”:
This view is not correct, because there is no evidence that it is mustahabb. If it were mustahabb the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would not have failed to do it, and neither would the Rightly-Guided Caliphs who came after him. That is proven with regard to the eclipse prayer, not for any other, and it is not correct to draw an analogy between them, because if there was a reason for doing something during his lifetime but he did not do it, doing it after he is gone is a bid’ah (innovation), so it cannot be proven by analogy or otherwise.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked: Is there any adhaan or iqaamah for the Eid prayer?
He replied:
There is no adhaan or iqaamah for the Eid prayer, as was proven in the Sunnah, but some scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) said that a call may be given for it by saying “al-salaatu jaami’ah (prayer is about to begin)”. But there is no evidence for this view, so it is weak (da’eef). It is not correct to draw an analogy with the eclipse prayer, because an eclipse may come without people realizing it, unlike the Eid prayer. So the Sunnah is not to give any adhaan or iqaamah to call people by saying “al-salaatu jaami’ah (prayer is about to begin)”. Rather the people should come out, and when the imam arrives they should pray without any adhaan or iqaamah, then after that comes the khutbah.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 16/237.
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Should two khutbahs be given on Eid or only one?
Question :
What is the correct view concerning the Eid khutbah – should it be one khutbah or two? What is the evidence for that?
Answer :
Praise be to Allaah.
The majority of scholars, of the four madhhabs and others, are of the view that two khutbahs should be given on Eid, and the imam should sit briefly between them, as is done in the Jumu’ah (Friday) khutbah.
It says in al-Mudawwanah 1/231: Maalik said: In all khutbahs – the khutbah of the imam when praying for rain (istisqa’), the two Eids, the day of ‘Arafah and on Fridays – the imam should separate between the two khutbahs by sitting briefly. End quote.
Al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Umm (1/272): It was narrated that ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Utbah said: The Sunnah on Eid is for the imam to deliver two khutbahs, sitting briefly in between. Al-Shaafa’i said: that applies to the prayers for rain, the khutbah given during the eclipse prayer, the khutbah of Hajj, and every khutbah given to a congregation. End quote.
See Badaa’i’ al-Sanaa’i’, 1/276; al-Mughni, 2/121
Al-Shawkaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting on the report quoted above: The second hadeeth makes it more likely to be correct when we draw an analogy with Jumu’ah. ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd-Allaah is a Taabi’i, as is well known, so his saying, “It is Sunnah” cannot be taken as evidence that it is the Sunnah of the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as is stated in the usool. There is a marfoo’ hadeeth narrated by Ibn Maajah which speaks of sitting in between the two khutbahs of Eid, but its isnaad includes Isma’eel ibn Muslim, who is da’eef (weak). End quote from Nayl al-Awtaar, 3/323
The hadeeth of Ibn Maajah (1279) was narrated from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah, who said: The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out on the day of Fitr or Adha and delivered a khutbah standing, then he sat for a while, then he stood up. This hadeeth was narrated by al-Albaani in Da’eef Ibn Maajah, where he said it is munkar.
It says in ‘Awn al-Ma’bood (4/4): al-Nawawi said in al-Khulaasah: the report narrated from Ibn Mas’ood, according to which he said, The Sunnah is for two khutbahs to be delivered on Eid, in between which the imam sits briefly, is da’eef and its isnaad is not uninterrupted. There is no proven report about giving more than one khutbah, and the evidence is analogy with Jumu’ah. End quote.
We may conclude from this the evidence which supports the idea of giving two khutbahs is as follows:
1 – The hadeeth of Ibn Maajah and the report of Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him), both of which are da’eef, as stated above.
2 – The report of ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Utbah, who is a Taabi’i.
3 –Analogy with Jumu’ah
4 – Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah be pleased with him) mentioned a fourth thing that may be quoted as evidence. He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The phrase ‘two khutbahs’ reflects the view of the fuqaha’ (may Allaah have mercy on him), that there should be two khutbahs on Eid, because that was mentioned in a hadeeth narrated by Ibn Maajah with his isnaad, which requires further examination. The apparent meaning is that two khutbahs should be given, but whoever examines the Sunnah in agreed-upon reports in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere will see that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) only gave one khutbah, but after he had finished the first khutbah, he went to the women and exhorted them. If we take this as the basic principle concerning it being prescribed to give two khutbahs, then it is possible, although it is unlikely, because he went to the women and addressed them because they could not hear the khutbah. This is possible. And it may be possible that they could hear his words, but he wanted to address them specifically, hence he reminded them and exhorted them concerning matters that pertained specifically to them. End quote from al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 5/191.
The Standing Committee was asked: Should the imam sit between the two khutbahs of Eid?
They replied: The two khutbahs of Eid are Sunnah and come after the Eid prayer, because of the report narrated by al-Nasaa’i, Ibn Maajah and Abu Dawood, from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Saa’ib (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: I attended Eid prayer with the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). When he had finished praying he said: “We will deliver a khutbah; whoever wishes to sit and listen to the khutbah, let him do so, and whoever wants to leave, let him do so.” Al-Shawkaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Nayl: al-Musannif (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This shows that the khutbah is Sunnah; it is were obligatory, it would be obligatory to sit and listen to it.
It is prescribed for the one who delivers two khutbahs on Eid to separate them by sitting briefly, by analogy with the two khutbahs of Jumu’ah, and because of the report narrated by al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) from ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Utbah (may Allaah have mercy on him) who said: The Sunnah is for the Imam to deliver two khutbahs on Eid, sitting briefly in between them.
Some scholars are of the view that there is only one khutbah for Eid prayer, because the saheeh ahaadeeth from the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) speak of only one khutbah. And Allaah knows best.
End quote from Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/425
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Should the imam deliver one khutbah or two on Eid?
He replied: The well known view among the fuqaha’ (may Allaah have mercy on him) is that there should be two khutbahs on Eid, because of a da’eef hadeeth which was narrated concerning that, but in the hadeeth whose authenticity is agreed upon, it says that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) only delivered one khutbah. I hope that the matter is flexible. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 16/246
He also said (16/248):
The Sunnah is for there to be one khutbah, but if two khutbahs are given that is fine, because it was narrated that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also did that. But the imam should not forget to exhort the women in particular, because the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that.
If he is speaking via a microphone and the women can hear him, he should devote the end of his khutbah to exhorting the women in particular. If he is not using a microphone and the women cannot hear him, then he should go to them, accompanied by one or two other men, and say a few words to them. End quote.
In conclusion: This is a matter that is subject to ijtihaad, and it is flexible. There is no definitive text in the Sunnah concerning this matter, although it seems that it should be one khutbah. Let the imam do whatever he thinks is closest to the Sunnah.
And Allaah knows best.
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