Some Relevant Guidance Regarding the Khatib and Khutbah
Shaykh ʿAbdul Ghanī Aḥmed in his book titled: خُطْبَةُ الْجُمُعَةِ وَدَوْرُهَا فِيْ تَرْبِيَّةِ الْأُمَّةِ
‘The Friday Sermon and Its Role in the Upbringing of the Nation’ regarding the position and significance of the Friday Khuṭbah writes:
وَتَتِمُّ فِي جَوٍّ مَهِيبٍ خَاشِعٍ تَتَهَيَّأُ فِيه النُّفُوسُ لِلتَّلَقِّي وَالْاِسْتِماع، وَيَشْعُرُ الْمُسْلِمُ فِيه أَنَّه فِي صَلاَةٍ وَطَاعَةِ اللَّهِ
سبحانه وتعالى، كَمَا أَنَّهَا تَتَمَيَّزُ بِوُجُوبِ الْإِنْصَاتِ إِلَى الْخَطِيبِ، وَعَدَمُ التَّشَاغُلِ عَنْهُ، مِمَّا يُفْرِدُهَا عَنْ سَائِرِ
الْخُطَبِ، وَالْمُحَاضَرَاتِ، وَالنَّدَوَاتِ الَّتِي لَا يَنْطَبِقُ عَلَيهَا الْحُكْمُ الشَّرْعِيُّ نَفَسَهُ
The khuṭbah takes place in a majestic and submissive atmosphere where the souls get ready to receive and listen.
It is characterized by the necessity of listening to the khaṭīb, not being distracted away from him, listening to him on the pretext of being obedient to the order of Allāh. The whole process makes this sermon different from any other sermon, lecture, discourse or seminar that does not fall under the same Islāmic ruling.
He further elaborates:
وَتَتَمَيَّزُ خُطْبَةُ الْجُمُعَةِ إِلَى جَانِبِ ذَلِكَ بِتَنَوُّعِ الْحَاضِرِينَ إِلَيهَا، وَبِاِخْتِلاَفِ مُسْتَوَيَاتِهِمْ وَطَبَقَاتِهِمْ الْعِلْمِيَّةِ
وَالْاِجْتِمَاعِيَّةِ، فَإِنَّ الْخَطِيبَ فِي خُطْبَةِ الْجُمُعَةِ يُخَاطِبُ جَمِيعَ فِئََاتِ الْمُجْتَمَعِ
All Muslims gather for this particular sermon from different levels, classes and walks of life: the educated, the ignorant, men, women, children, students, the learned, the old and the young.
وَتَتَمَيَّزُ خُطْبَةُ الْجُمُعَةِ أَيضًا بِالْاِسْتِمْرَارِيَّةِ وَالتَّكْرَارِ فِي كُلِّ أُسْبُوعٍ، فَفِي الْعَامِ الْوَاحِدِ يَسْتَمِعُ الْمُصَلِّيُّ لاِثنَتَينِ
خَمْسِينَ خُطْبَةً، وَهَذَا يُمَثِّلُ مَسَاقًا دِرَاسِيًّا مُتَكامِلًا، فَإِذَا أَحْسَنَ إِعْدَادَهُ كَانَتْ آثَارُهُ جَلِيلَةً، وثَمَراتُهُ عَظِيمَةً
Another distinguishing feature about the Friday khuṭbah is its continuity and repetition on a weekly basis. Every year the average Muslim listens to fifty-two sermons, and this is a complete educational curriculum and study course on its own. If the khaṭīb prepares his sermons well then, these sermons will yield the right fruits and bear great results!
الْمَقْصُودُ بِهِ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْخَطِيبُ لَا دَافِعَ لَهُ إِلَى الْخُطْبَةِ إلّاَ اِبْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاةِ اللَّهِ سبحانه وتعالى
As for the characteristics of the khaṭīb,’ it is vital that they should have no motives for delivering the Friday khuṭbah other than seeking the pleasure of Allāh.
Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ) once was asked about khaṭībs and how some of them seem to influence the audience, while others do not appear to move them at all. He replied that:
الْكَلِمَةُ إِذَا خَرَجَتْ مِنَ الْقَلْبِ وَقَعْتِ فِي الْقَلْبِ، وَإِذَا خَرَجَتْ مِنَ اللِّسَانِ لَمْ تُجَاوِزْ الْآذَانَ
(البيان والتبيين)
“If the words come from the heart, then they will reach the hearts, but if they come from the
tongue, then they will only manage to reach the ears.” (al-Bayān wa al-Tabyīn)
ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz (رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ) says:
لَا يَنْفَعُ الْقَلْبَ إلّاَ مَا خَرَجَ مِنَ الْقَلْبِ
(البيان والتبيين)
“Only that benefits the heart which comes from the heart.” (al-Bayān wa al-Tabyīn)
Mohammed ibn Abī ʿĀ’ishah (رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ) says:
إِذَا أَرَادَ الْمُتَكَلِّمُ بِكَلاَمِهِ غَيْرَ اللَّهِ زَلَّ عَنْ قَلُوبِ جُلَسَائِهِ كَمَا يُزَالُ الْمَاءُ عَنِ الصَّفا
(البيان والتبيين)
“When a speaker seeks with his discourse something other than Allāh, then the effects of the talk slip from the hearts of his audience just as water slips off a smooth surfaced rock.” (al-Bayān wa al-Tabyīn)
Yaḥya ibn Muʿādh (رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ) used to say in his assemblies:
مَوَاعِظُ الْوَاعِظِ لَنْ تُقْبَلَا ۞ حَتَّى تَعِيَهَا نَفْسُهُ أَوَّلَا
يَا قَوْمِ مَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِنْ وَاعِظٍ ۞ خَالَفَ مَا قَدْ قَالَهُ فِي الْمَلَا
أَظْهَرَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ إحْسَانَهُ ۞ وَبَارَزَ الرَّحْمَنَ لَمَّا خَلَا؟
“The lectures of a lecturer will never be accepted unless his self safeguards them first of all. O people! Can there be a more wrongful person than a lecturer who goes against what he said in public? He displays his goodness before the people while he opposes the Merciful [Allāh] when he is in privacy.”
Therefore, the intention of the khaṭīb must be sincere for the sake of Allāh, and he must advise people sincerely, honestly and genuinely from the bottom of his heart. The khaṭīb should be acquainted with the Qur’ān and ḥadīth because they are his most valuable commodities and assets. The khaṭīb is after all calling people to Allāh and guiding them to His path, so this can never be accomplished from other than the Qur’ān and the Sunnah. The khaṭīb must also take great care to prepare the sermon in all seriousness. He must commit absolute devotion and attention to the Friday khuṭbah; and he must dedicate a lot of time to prepare it properly.
The first step toward preparing the khuṭbah is asking himself the question: What do I want to say to the people attending the sermon? The answer to this question is the topic of the sermon, and then he must also remember to ask himself the question: What is the benefit from presenting this topic? The answer to this question should form the introduction, the details and the conclusion of his khuṭbah.
The khaṭīb should also have the required experience and competence because the Friday khuṭbah is actually not something for everyone. This khuṭbah is not for anyone who just thinks of themselves as eligible, neither is it a ground for fame and distinction on the account of people and their time. It is a huge responsibility and a serious trust so whoever stands up to it must be up to its par, know-how and must have the knowledge qualifying themselves to be a distinguished khaṭīb.
The Friday khuṭbah is an Islāmic duty that plays an effective role in shaping the behaviour of people and influencing them in all walks of life. It plays a major role in serving the call to Allāh who blessed the Muslims with a weekly gathering every Friday and ordained the Friday khuṭbah and prayer obligatory. Allāh commands the Muslims to pursue this obligation with the purpose of uniting their hearts together, uniting their words, educating the ignorant, warning the unwary, guiding the lost, stimulating the determinations, enlightening the people about their religion, and keeping them steadfast on upholding the sanctities of Allāh. The Friday khuṭbah kindles in lost souls the passion of guidance. Khaṭībs therefore are the channels and conduits for the values of Islām. Needless to emphasize, they play a vital role in our communities as role models for the young and old to emulate. We wish all khaṭībs well. May Allāh reward them for their efforts. May they…
- Understand the diversity of their congregation as they prepare and deliver the khuṭab clearly.
- Continue to share such messages from the Qur’ān and ḥadīth that can be grounded in our daily lives.
- Deliver their khuṭab with such clarity that the congregation remembers the content.
- Provide examples that the audience can emulate as good actions.
Remember that there is always room for improvements in enhancing the impact of the khuṭbah. To conclude, we also need to keep in mind that the Friday khuṭbāh is part of the services for the community. It is meant to help bring people closer to Allāh and His religion.