Ruling on giving perfume to worshippers whilst the khateeb is sitting on the minbar

Question

Praise be to Allah.

What the one who attends
Jumu’ah should do is listen attentively to the khutbah and it is not
permissible to busy himself with anything else, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If you say to your
companion, ‘Listen attentively’ on a Friday, when the imam is delivering the
khutbah, then you have engaged in idle speech.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari
(934) and Muslim (851).

And he said: “whoever
touches the pebbles has engaged in an idle action.” Narrated by Muslim
(857).

Al-Nawawi said in Sharh
Muslim:

This shows that it is
forbidden to touch the pebbles or fidget in any other way during the
khutbah. It also indicates that one should focus mentally and physically on
listening to the khutbah. What is meant by idle actions here is something
that is false, blameworthy and rejected. End quote.

Giving perfume to the
worshippers at the time of the khutbah distracts them from listening to it,
and it is like the touching pebbles that is mentioned in the hadeeth.

The prohibition on speaking
and fidgeting on Friday applies only when the khateeb begins the khutbah,
until he finishes it.

But at the time of the
adhaan and when the imam sits on the minbar, it is not haraam to speak,
because of the meaning of the hadeeth quoted above: “If you say to your
companion, ‘Listen attentively’ on a Friday, when the imam is delivering the
khutbah, then you have engaged in idle speech.” This clearly shows that the
ban on speaking only applies whilst the imam is delivering the khutbah.

At the time of ‘Umar ibn
al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him), when ‘Umar came out and sat on
the minbar, and the muezzins gave the adhaan, the people would sit and talk
until the muezzins fell silent and ‘Umar stood up, then they would fall
silent and no one would speak. This was stated by Imam Ahmad, Maalik, and
al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on them).

See: al-Mughni
(2/86).

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah
have mercy on him) was asked: When is it forbidden for a person to touch the
pebbles or use the miswak during Jumu’ah prayers? Is it from when the imam
ascends the minbar or from the beginning of the khutbah? Because I see many
people who do not stop using the miswak until after the imam begins the
khutbah. And some of them use it during the khutbah.

He replied: The Sunnah is
to listen attentively to the khutbah and not use the miswak or fidget in any
other way, from the moment the khutbah starts until it ends, in accordance
with the saheeh ahaadeeth that have been narrated concerning that.

But if a person enters the
mosque whilst the imam is delivering the khutbah, then he should pray
tahiyyat al-masjid (two rak’ahs to “greet the mosque”) before sitting down.

The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If one of you comes on Friday and the
imam is delivering the khutbah, let him pray two rak’ahs but make them
brief. End quote from Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (12-336).

Based on that, there is
nothing wrong with giving perfume to the worshippers before the imam starts
his khutbah. But once he starts it, then one must stop doing that and listen
attentively to the khutbah.
Secondly:

If the iqaamah for prayer
is given when you are in the first rak’ah of “greeting the mosque” or a
regular Sunnah prayer, then you should stop that prayer and join the
congregation.

This has been discussed in
the answer to question no. 33582.

And Allaah knows best.