you [prayed], so-and-so?" He said: "No." He said: "Stand and perform two rak'ahs." In another narration: "Perform two rak'ahs." This is agreed upon (3). And in Muslim (4), he said: Then he said: "When one of you comes on the day of Jumu'ah and the Imam is delivering the khutbah, let him pray two rak'ahs and keep them brief." This is an explicit text. And because he entered the mosque at a time that is not the time prohibited for prayer, so the performance of bowing is recommended for him, according to the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "When one of you enters the mosque, he should not sit until he prays two rak'ahs." This is agreed upon (5). Their hadith is a specific incident; it is possible the place was cramped for prayer, or it was at the end of the khutbah, such that if he occupied himself with prayer, he would miss the opening takbir. The apparent [meaning] is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) only ordered him to sit to stop him from causing harm to the people by stepping over them. If his entry was at the very end of the khutbah, such that if he occupied himself with the bowing he would miss the beginning of the prayer, then occupying himself with the bowing would not be recommended.

Section: Optional prayer (tatawwu') is interrupted by the Imam's sitting on the minbar, so no one prays except the one entering [the mosque] to perform the greeting of the mosque (tahiyyat al-masjid), and he should keep it brief; because Thaalabah ibn Abi Malik narrated that they used to, in the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab on the day of Jumu'ah, pray until Umar came out; and when Umar came out, sat on the minbar, and the mu'adhdhins gave the adhan, they would sit and talk, until when the mu'adhdhin fell silent and Umar stood up, they would fall silent, and no one would speak (6). This indicates the fame of this matter among them.

Section: Silence is mandatory from the moment the Imam begins the khutbah, so speaking is not permissible