Q 1: I want to know the ruling on an Imam (the one who leads congregational Prayer) of a Masjid Jami‘ (a large mosque wherein Jumu‘ah [Friday] Prayers are held) who forgot to deliver the second Friday Khutbah (sermon). He did not remember nor did any of the Ma’mums (persons being led by an Imam in Prayer) remind him until people left the Masjid. However, in the Khutbah of the next Friday he delivered a second Khutbah. What should he do? Or what is required from him?2- There are two Hadiths concerning the descent of ‘Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him) reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying: The son of Maryam (Mary) is about to descend among you as a just ruler. Also, it is reported on the authority of Ka‘b Al-Ahbar that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: How can an Ummah (nation) perish, having me in its first age and ‘Isa (Jesus) in its last (age)? Also, it is reported on the authority of `Umarah ibn Ghuzziyyah from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman that Fatimah bint Husayn ibn `Aly told him that Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) entered while I was with `Aishah and he told me something secretly, so I wept. Then, he told me another thing secretly, so I laughed. `Aishah asked me about that. I said, ‘You have hurried in asking about that? I would not inform you of a secret of the Messenger of Allah.’ Upon that, she left me. After the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) `Aishah asked Fatimah and she replied, ‘Yes, he said to me confidentially: Jibril (Gabriel) used to recite the whole Qur’an with me once every year but he recited it twice this year. Moreover, there is not a Prophet but his age would be half the age of the Prophet who preceded him. The age of my brother, ‘Isa, was one hundred and twenty years and I am now sixty years old and I think that I am going to die this year.’ Dear respected Shaykh, please illustrate these Hadiths which we are perplexed about. (Part No. 3; Page No. 324) Are they authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him)? Will ‘Isa’s descent be in the manner claimed by Al-Ahmadiyyah or not?

A: First, the majority of scholars are of the opinion that the Khutbah is a condition of the validity of Jumu‘ah (Friday) Prayer based on Allah’s Saying: ...come to the remembrance of Allâh [Jumu‘ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salât (prayer)] Scholars said that "remembrance of Allah" in the Ayah (Qur’anic verse) refers to the Khutbah and consequently it is obligatory to go to it. In addition, the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed it along with Jumu‘ah Prayer. He (peace be upon him) said: Pray as you have seen me praying. Accordingly, it is obligatory to offer it along with Jumu‘ah Prayer as done by the Prophet (peace be upon him).Some scholars including Al-Hasan and Ibn Al-Al-Majishun maintained that the Khutbah is not a condition of the validity of Jumu‘ah Prayer, because it is not meant by "remembrance of Allah" mentioned in the Ayah and it is not a form of Salah. Consequently, according to them, Khutbah is not required by the Ayah or the Hadith, but it is merely an act the Prophet (peace be upon him) persisted in doing. Therefore, it is an act of Sunnah and Jumu‘ah is not nullified by omitting it.However, some of the scholars who maintained that the Khutbah is obligatory did not include the second Khutbah in this ruling. Among them is Malik, Al-Awza‘y, Is-haq, Abu Thawr, Ibn Al-Mundhir and As-hab-ul-Ra’y (scholars, especially the Hanafys, who exercised personal reasoning to reach judgments in the absence of clear texts). For them it is sufficient to deliver one Khutbah. Seeing as there is a difference among the scholars concerning delivering Jumu‘ah Khutbah, apart from the great difference concerning the second Khubah, your Jumu‘ah Prayer while forgetting the second Khutbah is valid according to many Imams of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). It is obligatory for the Ma’mums to remind the Imam at once if he forgets the second Khutbah before commencing Salah. It is expected from anyone who is aware of the Sunnah of the Prophet that he should not leave the Khutbah in general except out of forgetfulness. (Part No. 3; Page No. 325)  Secondly, it is authentically reported on the authority of `Urwah from `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) called Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) during his fatal illness and told her something secretly and she wept. Then he called her again and told her something secretly and she laughed. When we asked her about that, she said, ‘The Prophet (peace be upon him) first told me secretly that he would die in the course of the illness during which he died, so I wept. Then he told me secretly that I would be the first of his family to follow him, so I laughed.’ (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) Also, it is authentically reported on the authority of Masruq from `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: Once Fatimah came walking and her gait resembled that of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘Welcome, O my daughter!’ Then he made her sit on his right or on his left side, and then he told her a secret and she started weeping. I asked her, ‘Why are you weeping?’ He again told her a secret and she started laughing. I said, ‘I never saw happiness so close to sadness as I have just seen today.’ I asked her what the Prophet (peace be upon him) had told her. She said, ‘I would never disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).’ When the Prophet (peace be upon him) died, I asked her about it. She replied, ‘He (peace be upon him) confided to me that: Every year Jibril (Gabriel) used to recite the Qur’an with me one time every year, but this year he has done so twice. I think this portends my death, and you will be the first of my family to follow me.’ So I wept. Then he said, ‘Do you not like to be the mistress of all the ladies of Paradise (or the mistress of all the lady believers)?’ So I laughed because of that. (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) (Part No. 3; Page No. 326) Further, it is reported on the authority of ‘Aishah bint Talhah from `Aishah, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her), that she said: I have never seen anyone more like the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in good appearance, manners and uprightness, in her way of standing and sitting, than Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).’ ‘Aishah said, ‘When she came to visit the Prophet (peace be upon him), he would get up to (welcome) her, kiss her and make her sit where he was sitting; and when the Prophet (peace be upon him) went to visit her, she would get up to (welcome) him, kiss him, and make him sit where she was sitting. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) fell ill, Fatimah entered, came hurriedly to him and kissed him. Then, she raised her head and wept. Again she hurriedly bent over him, then raised her head and laughed. I said, ‘I thought she was the wisest of us but she is like other women.’ When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) died I said to her, ‘Do you remember when you came hurriedly to the Prophet (peace be upon him), then you raised your head and wept. After that you came to him and raised your head and laughed. What made you do so?’ She (Fatimah) said, ‘I would then disclose his secret. He (peace be upon him) told me that he was going to die in the course of his illness. Therefore, I wept. Then he told me that I am the first of his family to follow him. Upon that I laughed.’ (Related by Al-Tirmidhy and other scholars) There are other Hadiths reported with regard to the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) through other chains of narration on the authority of ‘Aishah and other Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet).As for the Hadith you mentioned, it is reported on the authority of `Umarah ibn Ghuzziyyah from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman from his mother Fatimah bint Husayn ibn `Aly (Part No. 3; Page No. 327) from Fatimah Al-Zahra' (may Allah be pleased with her) and it is not Sahih (authentic). This is because the narration of Fatimah bint Husayn from her grandmother Fatima Al-Zahra' is a Mursal narration (a Hadith with no Companion of the Prophet in the chain of narration). In addition, scholar differed concerning validation and invalidation of the narrations of Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr. Al-Haythamy mentioned in "Majma‘ Al-Zawa’id" on the authority of `Aishah that she used to say: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to Fatimah in his illness in the course of which he died: ‘Jibril (Gabriel) used to recite the whole Qur’an with me once every year but he recited it twice this year.’ And he (peace be upon him) told her that he (Jibril) informed him that every Prophet would live for half the age of the Prophet who preceded him. He told her that ‘Isa, son of Maryam, lived for one hundred and twenty years: ‘I think that I am going to die at the end of the sixtieth year.’ This made her weep. Al-Haythamy then said, "The Hadith is reported by Al-Tabarany with a weak Isnad (chain of narration) and also Al-Bazzar reported a part of it and there is some weakness in the narrators of Al-Bazzar."By this the perplexity is removed because the addition with regards to the age of ‘Isa is refuted. Thirdly, the issues of ‘Isa’s being raised up to heaven alive with his body and soul, his descent at the end of time, his being a rightful judge and that he breaks the cross and kills the pig, etc., all of this is stated by Hadiths but he has not descended until now. Al-Qadyaniyyah Al-Ahmadiyyah claimed things about ‘Isa (peace be upon him) (Part No. 3; Page No. 328) but all of them are falsehood and slander.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.