In my college the khutbah tends to be 30–45 minutes in length. Sometimes I feel that this is too long. Are there any Islamic provisions for the length of a khutbah?
Nabi (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) is reported to have said, ‘To lengthen
the (Jumu’ah) Salaat and keep the Khutbah concise, is a sign ot
intelligence.’ (Muslim vol.1 pg.286; Qadeemi)
From this Hadith, it is clear that the correct procedure is to shorten the
Khutbah and lengthen the Salaat.
The Fuqahaa have stated that the duration of the Khutbah on the day of Jumu’
ah, from the commencement of the first Khutbah until the termination of the
second Khutbah should last the time it takes to recite any one Surah from
the Tiwaal-e-Mufassal (the Tiwaal-e-Mufassal include all the Surahs starting
from Surah Hujuraat and ending at Surah Inshiraaq.’ (Shaami vol.2 pg.148)
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai