Question:
It is known practice that sermons (Khutbah) begin with Hamd (praise) and Salat (blessings on the Prophetﷺ ). This is Sunnah. Why do you and your followers do not say Hamd and Salat in the second Khutbah? Give an explanation based on Quran and Hadith. Also, why do you speak on worldly topics in the second Khutbah?
Answer:
He (the questioner) claims that beginning with Hamd and Salat is the known Sunnah practice. What does Sunnah mean? You must provide evidence. To say it is the practice of the Prophetﷺ , you need to show that the Prophetﷺ began his Khutbah with Hamd and Salat. There is no evidence that he did. There is no requirement to say Salat at all before a speech.
There is one hadith: “Any important matter that does not begin with Alhamdulillah is devoid of blessing.” This is in Ibn Majah (1894). The narrator is a weak narrator. The same hadith in Darqutni is also weak. So, there is no authentic hadith to say that Hamd is obligatory.
There is absolutely no evidence for Salat before Khutbah. There is a hadith in Tirmidhi: “Any Khutbah that does not have the Tashahhud (testimony of faith) is like a chopped-off hand.” This is also weak, as the narrator is weak. Imam Muslim said this hadith is narrated only by Abdul Wahid, implying weakness.
So, there is no requirement for Hamd, Tashahhud, or Salat before Khutbah. You can start the Khutbah directly. You can start with “Dear brothers” etc. There is no problem. You have misunderstood custom as Sunnah. Those who say these are Sunnah are the ones who need to provide evidence.
The second Khutbah is also a speech. A speech is just a speech. Whether five minutes or one hour, it’s a speech. There is no rule against speaking about worldly matters. Does the Quran not speak about worldly matters? Allahﷻ speaks about horses, cattle, rain, the creation of heavens and earth, the camel, the earth. All these are worldly matters.
Therefore, those who say some practices have been Sunnah should produce evidence accordingly.