Language of the Friday Sermon and Arabic Recitation - Jurisprudential Answers - Book of Prayer

Ahmed al-Hasan Response:

The sermon may be delivered in the language of most of those attending the prayer, but the preacher must praise God, send blessings upon the Prophet and his family, and recite some of the Quran in Arabic. It is better for the sermon to be in Arabic and to be translated for non-Arabs, even if they are the majority of those attending. A person who knows Arabic may follow one who does not know it, although it is better for the preacher to know Arabic and deliver the sermon in Arabic. Ethnicity has no bearing on this matter; the imam may be of any ethnicity so long as the imam knows Arabic.