Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 06. May 2022
The challenge in any act of public discourse or public communications is that one must tap within and seek to connect with people on what is presumptively shared common grounds, on what is presumptively something that the speaker shares with the listener; centered around the idea, in the case of jumu’a khutbahs, that the remembrance of God in this public, collective devotional act must be the foundation for the communicative act. For the speaker and the congregation in the listening role, the...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 11. March 2022
It is not an exaggeration to say iman (faith) - that most basic, core thing - is the seed for everything that has to do with our Islam; within everything that has to do with our relationship with God, with the Prophet, with the history of Islam, with the tradition of Islam. At the very heart and core of iman is a very important concept, that being to trust. Someone may claim, "I believe" but at the same time, they do not trust that God knows what is good for them or for others. They do not...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 04. March 2022
There are those who understand that their relationship with their Lord, with God, is the most personal thing in their universe. It is the most central thing, valuable and valued thing. It cannot be replicated, compared or reproduced. The relationship of a believer with their Maker is extremely personal and individual, as individual as one’s genetic code, or even more. It is the most truthful, real, honest and sincere thing in existence. Yet at the same time, it is the thing that we most...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 25. February 2022
Often as major world events unfold, the simple reality is that as these events unfold and we witness human beings engaged in minor and major challenges, for a Muslim, what ought to be the reality is the constant, persistent voice of the Qur'an reminding, alerting and provoking. The voice of the Qur'an is the very agency of God in our living reality. Look at the simple challenge. In Surah Al Shams, when God reminds us of the nafs [soul/spirit] that God has created, and of the reality of fujoor...