The Sermon of Necessity
Khutbah Al-Hajjah
﷽
In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful to All of His Creation and the Specially Merciful to the Believers.
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ
فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
All praise is due to Allah. We praise him, we seek His help, we seek His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and our evil deeds. Whomever Allah guides, no one can misguide him and whomever chooses to stray, there is none to guide him. I testify there is no God but Allah alone, without any partners, and that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is His servant and His messenger.
قال الله تعالى يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
Allah said, “O you who have faith, fear Allah as it is His right to be feared and do not die unless you are Muslims.”
[Qur’an 3:102].
وقال الله وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا
And Allah said, “Fear Allah, from whom you ask each other, and in your ties of the womb, for Allah is ever watchful over you.”
[Qur’an 4:1].
وقال الله اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا
And Allah said, “Fear Allah and speak words as befitting. He will amend your deeds for you and forgive your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His messenger has achieved a great triumph.”
[Qur’an 33:70-71].
إِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَأَحْسَنَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرُّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلُّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلُّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ
The truest word is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The most evil matters are those that are newly invented, for every newly invented matter is an innovation. Every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Hellfire.
I started attending the Friday congregational prayer regularly since May 2004. The ‘jummuah’ prayer was a weekly event that I looked forward to for an ‘iman’ boost. It is a special feeling to be part of something larger than ourselves. I love the community spirit; I treasure being able to smile with and hug the sisters of my local Muslim community. When I first arrived here in the Unites States, I was terribly lonely and horribly homesick. I yearned for the love and comfort of my own family, who were oceans apart from me. It was during my weekly attendance at Jummuah that I started to connect with beautiful Muslim sisters from all corners of the world and from all walks of life.
Sadly, since the world shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I haven’t been back to attend the weekly ‘jummuah’, in order to do my part in protecting my children from the rising case numbers that seem to come in waves and peaks. I do so miss the weekly reminder of the ‘jummuah khutbah’ and the lovely sisters who gather together, oh so very much.
Over the years of attending ‘jummuah’, I would listen to various Imams begin their Friday sermons with the ‘Khutbah Al-Hajjah’, a beautiful narration in Arabic, the most eloquent and nuanced language in the world. Though, I’ve been able to read Arabic for most of my life, it’s only in the last decade that I have really started delving into the Arabic language and its root words.
For many years, I never completely understood the profound meaning and reminder behind the Arabic words of the ‘Khutbah Al-Hajjah’, as I don’t think I’ve ever heard ‘The Sermon of Necessity’ translated into English within the sermon itself. I think that is a great pity, for there is so much to reflect over in the Arabic words, that are beautifully woven together like a fine tapestry, in the opening of many a ‘jummuah khutbah’ around the world.
Reflections…
All Praise is due to Allah. We praise Him + seek His help + seek His forgiveness + seek refuge in Him from what is within us internally and what has manifested in our actions externally. This is the formula for true success.
Guidance is from Allah alone. As individuals who have been blessed with reason, logic, agency and choice, what we can do is to learn, teach, and model exemplary behaviour. When we fall, as we surely will, then we must turn back to the One who created us and bestows guidance upon us.
“I testify there is no God but Allah alone, without any partners, and that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is His servant and His messenger.” This is the ‘shahadah’, the declaration of faith, upon which hinges our entire being, and the pillar upon which we recline. This is our foremost priority. From this statement, comes the guidance, wisdom, and direction, upon which we must base our whole life. The ‘shahadah’ is the negation of the importance of everything else that is in existence.
The Arabic word ‘taqwa’ means to conform to the commandments ordained by God and the Messenger and to stay away from the prohibited beliefs and acts. We are severely and comprehensively warned to be conscious and mindful of Allah in adhering to Islam, the Book, the Messenger, and to refrain from following in the footsteps of ‘shaytaan’, the outcast. It’s a reminder that we all have a meeting with death at the appointed time, and we cannot die save as Muslims, who submit our will to the will of our Creator.
We are severely and comprehensively warned to be be conscious and mindful of Allah, when we ask each other for our rights, especially when it comes to the ties of the womb and kinship bonds. Allah is always present in our lives and ever watchful over us.
We are severely and comprehensively warned to be be conscious and mindful of Allah in the words we utter, for we will be held accountable for what lies in the heart and manifests on the tongue. Those who are mindful of their utterances, will have their deeds amended and granted forgiveness. Obeying Allah and the Messenger in all things is the true path to success in this world and in the hereafter.
The truth lies in the Qur’an and is manifested in the Messenger, a beautiful example for his community to follow. The Messenger is the embodiment of the Qur’an. As Muslims, we must hold on to the Book, the Messenger, his hadith and seerah, upon which we model our own lives.
Allah and the Messenger have already decided upon our religion and its practice. There is no room for innovations. Seeking to change the commandments and decrees of Allah and the Messenger is a sure path to the hellfire. Therefore, refrain from going down the path of innovation that leads to eternal damnation.
And Allah and the Messenger know Best
