Q: What is the ruling on returning Salam (Islamic greeting of peace) and blessing the sneezer saying: "Yarhamukum Allah (may Allah have mercy on you) during the Friday Khutbah (sermon)? (Part No. 7; Page No. 129

A: It is not permissible to say: "Yarahmukum Allah" to the one who sneezes or to return Salam to one who greets you with Salam while the Khutbah is in progression, according to the correct opinion maintained by scholars. This is based on the Prophet's general prohibition of any talk during the Khutbah. It is related in the Two Sahihs (authentic collections of Hadith, i.e. Al-Bukhari and Muslim) on the authority of Sa`id ibn Al-Musayyib that Abu Hurayrah told him that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: If you (even) ask your companion to keep quiet on Friday while the Imam is delivering the Khutbah, you have in fact indulged in idle talk. This is the wording of Al-Bukhari, part 1, p. 224. The version as elated by Imam Ahmad in his “Musnad (Hadith compilation of) Imam Ahmad”, part 2, p. 474 states: If a person says to his companion on Friday while the Imam is delivering the Khutbah (sermon), "listen!", he has engaged in idle talk. You may only shake hands with a person if they greet you with Salam or extend their hand to shake with you. You may answer back their greeting of Salam only after the Khatib (preacher) has concluded the first or the second Khutbah. You are also allowed to hold up your hand as a gesture of greeting them back, like the case when a person greets another person who is performing Salah (Prayer). The same ruling applies to the case when a person happens to sneeze. One may implore blessings on him saying: "Yarhamukum Allah," only after the Khatib has finished the first or the second Khutbah, as has been stated earlier.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.