Last friday, it happened that all of the guys who usually give the khutba were unable to attend Jumaa. The result was everybody sitting around waiting for 45 minutes because no one knew if they were coming or where they were. Finally, one of the older men got someone to give the sermon. A thought then occurred to me: what if they had asked me to do it?
Okay, it's a little bit more complicated than that. It starts with deciding who is best to be Imam:
Selecting an Imam
Imam selection is done in the following order:
a) The person who knows the most Quran
b) The person who knows the most sunnah
c) The person who performed the migration (hajj?) first
d) The person who is the eldest
Who can be imam? (I was going to list them as they were given in Fiqh us Sunnah, but I changed my mind) Instead, I'll tell you whose imamate is NOT acceptable:
Someone who has a health problem which does not allow him to remain in a state of purity should not be an Imam for people who don't have this problem.
Okay, so it turns out you're the most qualified to be the Imam, now what?
1) Greet the people when you come to the pulpit, and take a seat. A simple "Salam-alaykom" should do. Then ask someone to give the adhan.
2) Stand up, and start the khutba off by praising Allah (SWT). The Prophet (SAW) used to say:
"All praise be to Allah, we seek His aid and we seek His forgiveness and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls. Whomever Allah guides, no one will be able to mislead him. Whoever He leaves astray will have no guidance. And I testify that there is no God except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger whom He sent with the truth and as a warner before the Hour. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be guided aright, and whoever disobeys them will only harm his own self and he will not harm Allah, the Exalted, at all."
3) Give the first khutba. The khutba should be a bit short, or as long as it usually is in your place of prayer. Remember, the purpose of the khutba is to encourage people to do good, and warn them about the consequences of wrongdoing. Fiqh us-Sunnah says to admonish (warn) the congregation, but I feel too much warning, doom and gloom will make them resent the religion. I think the ideal khutba, from my own experience, has a healthy mix of Quran, hadith, arabic wording, talk of reward, and talk of punishment, while providing the congregation with information they can use instantly. Of course, I always enjoy a good story too. ;)
4) According to islamicity.com, conclude the first khutba by inviting everyone to make a supplication (dua) to Allah (SWT), and sitting down.
5) *brief pause for supplications* in my local masjid, we use a bit of time after duas to give some announcements.
6) The second Khutba. Start off again by praising Allah (SWT) and sending peace and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (SAW), then reiterate what was discussed in the first khutba, summarizing and generally ensuring that the audience really understands the message.
7) The supplication before the prayer, say the following, pausing after each to allow the congregation to say "Ameen" (translations in blue)
"Allahuma’ Eghfir Lil’ Muslimeena wal Muslimat"
"Almighty God, forgive the Muslim men and women"
"Wal Moumineena wal Mouminaat"
"And the believing men and women"
"Al-Ahya’ee minhum wal amwat"
"Those who area live and those who died"
"Innaka samee’un mujibul dawat"
"You are indeed the One who listens and accepts all supplications"
Now you can add any additional supplications you like, such as praying for muslims in another part of the world.
8) Conclude the khutba by saying:
Congratulations! You survived giving a khutba!
For more information, check out:
http://www.islamicity.com/library/Articles/Khutba_GuideLine.htm
Okay, it's a little bit more complicated than that. It starts with deciding who is best to be Imam:
Selecting an Imam
Imam selection is done in the following order:
a) The person who knows the most Quran
b) The person who knows the most sunnah
c) The person who performed the migration (hajj?) first
d) The person who is the eldest
Who can be imam? (I was going to list them as they were given in Fiqh us Sunnah, but I changed my mind) Instead, I'll tell you whose imamate is NOT acceptable:
Someone who has a health problem which does not allow him to remain in a state of purity should not be an Imam for people who don't have this problem.
Okay, so it turns out you're the most qualified to be the Imam, now what?
1) Greet the people when you come to the pulpit, and take a seat. A simple "Salam-alaykom" should do. Then ask someone to give the adhan.
2) Stand up, and start the khutba off by praising Allah (SWT). The Prophet (SAW) used to say:
"All praise be to Allah, we seek His aid and we seek His forgiveness and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls. Whomever Allah guides, no one will be able to mislead him. Whoever He leaves astray will have no guidance. And I testify that there is no God except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger whom He sent with the truth and as a warner before the Hour. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be guided aright, and whoever disobeys them will only harm his own self and he will not harm Allah, the Exalted, at all."
3) Give the first khutba. The khutba should be a bit short, or as long as it usually is in your place of prayer. Remember, the purpose of the khutba is to encourage people to do good, and warn them about the consequences of wrongdoing. Fiqh us-Sunnah says to admonish (warn) the congregation, but I feel too much warning, doom and gloom will make them resent the religion. I think the ideal khutba, from my own experience, has a healthy mix of Quran, hadith, arabic wording, talk of reward, and talk of punishment, while providing the congregation with information they can use instantly. Of course, I always enjoy a good story too. ;)
4) According to islamicity.com, conclude the first khutba by inviting everyone to make a supplication (dua) to Allah (SWT), and sitting down.
5) *brief pause for supplications* in my local masjid, we use a bit of time after duas to give some announcements.
6) The second Khutba. Start off again by praising Allah (SWT) and sending peace and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (SAW), then reiterate what was discussed in the first khutba, summarizing and generally ensuring that the audience really understands the message.
7) The supplication before the prayer, say the following, pausing after each to allow the congregation to say "Ameen" (translations in blue)
"Allahuma’ Eghfir Lil’ Muslimeena wal Muslimat"
"Almighty God, forgive the Muslim men and women"
"Wal Moumineena wal Mouminaat"
"And the believing men and women"
"Al-Ahya’ee minhum wal amwat"
"Those who area live and those who died"
"Innaka samee’un mujibul dawat"
"You are indeed the One who listens and accepts all supplications"
Now you can add any additional supplications you like, such as praying for muslims in another part of the world.
8) Conclude the khutba by saying:
"Ibada Allah: inna Allah Ya’amuru Bil Aadli wal Ihsan, wa Ita’ee Zil Qurbaa, wa yanhaa anil fahshaa’ee wal munkaree wal bagh’yi. Ya’Izukum La’allakum tazakkaroon"
"Servants of Allah: indeed Allah orders us to be just and to excel in what we do, be generous and to take care of our kin and relatives, never do what is forbidden of all sins and not to transgress. He almighty advises you so you can remember."
9) Ask the muezzin to call the iqamah to start the prayer:
"Aqimi Salah, innaa asalata tanha anil fahshaa’ee wal munker"
(no translation, sorry :( )
10) Begin the salat.
Congratulations! You survived giving a khutba!
For more information, check out:
http://www.islamicity.com/library/Articles/Khutba_GuideLine.htm
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