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Khutba #1
May I ask you to hold to Taq’wa, which means piety and righteousness, and to revere Allah and obey His Divine Commands! Let us choose wisely in this life and heed the consequences of our choices for the hereafter. Let us be aware of our eventuality and departure into the everlasting life. May Allah provide us all with the spirit of righteousness and obedience as best means for all of us. Surah 62 (al-Jumu’ah), Ayah 9 shows the importance, advantages, and benefits of the Friday prayers. In this Ayah Allah (swt) addresses believers (Mu’mineen) in saying: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِي لِلصَّلاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ “Oh you who believe, when the call to prayer is made on the day of congregation [Friday], hasten to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off business. That is better for you, if you know.” Islam has special rituals and traditions, each of which is to our advantage. Allah has ordered rules and regulations based on specific considerations; it was not a haphazard choice. Examples are:
All of these are to our advantage; they have numerous benefits and vital interests in personal as well as social life. Similarly Allah has ordered us against sin and many vices, examples of which are:
Allah wants us to avoid or fight against these examples (and many more) from within ourselves, for in that case it is best for our welfare. When these guidelines are strictly practiced they will help a person attain the ultimate deliverance and happiness for this life and the life to come. Similarly the same principle is true for Jumu’ah Prayer. Allah calls upon believers telling them that when Jumu’ah Prayer is called for then hasten to participate. This Command is compulsory because Friday Prayers have numerous benefits and rewards to participants. The first benefit and the most important is worshiping and remembering Allah (swt) collectively.
All Muslim believers interact or renew meeting and interacting with one another, once every week, thus become aware of each other’s affairs, needs, or problems, and try to solve each other’s problems. The Holy Quran says in Surah 49 (Al-Hujuraat), Ayah 10: إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ “Lo! The believers are as brothers, so make reconciliation among your brothers, and fear Allah that you may receive mercy
The Friday speaker ought to invite not only himself but also the believers to piety every time, since piety is the basis of all our dealings and behavior. Also, by piety we avoid sinfulness and the reprehensible. We implore Allah (swt) to enable us to perform genuine worship of Him and to avoid sinfulness to the best of our abilities.
For the end of the 1st part of the Khutba, read Surah Al-Asr, take a short intermission, then start the 2nd part of the Khutba with a short Du’aa.
In Surah 7 (al-A’raaf), Ayah 96 Allah emphasizes the practice of Taq’wa. He says:
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى آمَنُواْ وَاتَّقَواْ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاء وَالأَرْضِ وَلَـكِن كَذَّبُواْ فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ “And if the people had believed and safeguarded themselves against evil, We would have opened for them blessings from the heavens and the earth; but they belied, so We [took them to task] seized them according to what they had done.” Piety dictates establishing justice and combating of oppression. All the Prophets, be it Ibrahim, Musa, Isa (Jesus) and the Prophet of Islam, put great emphasize on justice in social life. Combating oppression and bringing about justice is the main pearl of the Divine Message in the life of the society. Combating oppression and avoidance of corruption do not belong to any specific time or duration, or to a specific place. At all times, whether at the present or in the future, and in any location, mankind must avoid oppression, fight against it and try to apply justice as best as they can. Justice in society is the noblest target of the Prophets and their successors. It is also Wajib, meaning mandatory; based by order of the religion and its wisdom. There are two splendid sayings from Imam Ali (a.s.): The first saying is:[2]
The second saying states:[3]
The nickname of the Prophet (pbuh) was al-Amin meaning The Trustworthy. Before the announcement of his Prophethood, he was more commonly referred to as al-Saadiq al-Amin, meaning The Truthful and the Trustworthy. When the Prophet (pbuh) first invited his relatives and clan to introduce Islam to them, he said, “You know well that I have never lied to you, nor have I been disloyal to anyone’s trust.” By so saying the Prophet (pbuh) indicated that Islam is the religion of trustworthiness, honesty, truthfulness and integrity; this reminds us that the life of mankind depends on these values. Unfortunately currently we are facing oppression, injustice, and abuse of the human rights specially Muslims in many places, more so of the Islamic world than others. We implore Allah (swt) to remove the injustices and oppressions throughout the world.
Included in the current events is the anniversary of the death of the sixth Imam, Al-Saadiq (a.s.). A short survey of his life shows us how remarkable his personality was, and why some people called him the greatest personality of the first century Hijrah. Throughout his remarkable life he strived to explain, show and teach the religious concepts, Islamic education, and the true depth of the Holy Quran. His institute of learning was so full all the time that over 4,000 notable scholars and thinkers of his time learned at his hands. People like Ibn U'yainah, Al-Thawri, Ibn Al-Taaq, Abu Hanifa, Ibn Malik, and Jabir Ibn Hayyan to say the least did learn at his hands and they later became the pioneers in the many fields of Islamic sciences. Al-Saadiq is credited with laying the groundwork of Fiqh, delving in the many sciences of Islam, with the Institute of Ahlul Bayt as the fountainhead of Islamic teaching for all attendants. People hailed from far away countries, hundreds and thousands of miles for one purpose and that was to study at his hand. He referred to the golden chain of narration when he quoted the Hadiths. He would say my father narrated from his father, and his father narrated from his father, and so on, until the chain reaches directly the Prophet (pbuh) himself, that is why this chain of narration is called the Golden Chain of Narration. It takes books to review Al-Saadiq’s life but suffice it what has been mentioned today. In the end we request Allah’s help to keep us on the straight path and do the works He ordered for us.
Finally, let us read Surah Al-Nasr with a short Du’aa to close the Khutba.
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