Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 19. July 2019
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl begins by reminding us of the meaning, import and implications of the "straight path," al-siratal mustaqim, the phrase that Muslims recite more than any other as they recite the first chapter of the Quran, al-Fatiha, in every prayer and with a multitude of occasions. Despite reciting it frequently, Muslims infrequently reflect upon the depths of meaning the phrase contains. In seeking the divine path of justice, beauty, compassion and mercy, human beings have been given...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 12. July 2019
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl reminds of the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad in which human beings are told not to surrender, rely upon, become pacified, embrace or turn oneself over to the unjust. He reminds us of the weight and seriousness of "the Word" and the moral and ethical obligation upon human beings through their relationship with the Word. He recalls to the tradition that the word is light, the pen is light, the intellect is light and the ink is light--a symbolic construct of the...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 05. July 2019
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl begins by reminding that Islam is a theology of logic and common sense, and describes what it means when God tells us that God is with us, but that there are rules--like the laws of nature, the laws of gravity or the laws of causation--as to what God will and will not bless or partake in when it comes to human actions. He reminds of what actions would cause a severance from the divine. Returning to the foundations of the faith from the time of the Prophet, he reminds...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 28. June 2019
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl begins by reminding us what it means to be called by God to be a witness--to be one who tells the truth--on behalf of God, and the heavy burden of the duty of testifying to the truth, both in terms of being a bearer of good news and also of bringing warning. He speaks of the latest news of Jared Kushner's Deal of the Century to bribe Palestinians with money that comes from Saudi, and the direct analogies to colonialism and the White Man's Burden. He calls upon Muslims in...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 21. June 2019
In this incisive and explosive khutbah, Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl indicts the leadership of the Islamic Center of Southern California (ICSC) in their decision to censor and ban him from delivering the khutbah at the ICSC that day after he requested that they perform janaza prayers for President Muhammad Morsi, the slain democratically elected leader of Egypt. He shares the exchanges that led to his ban, and then elaborates on why their decision was not only wrong, but immoral and unethical....
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 14. June 2019
Dr. Abou El Fadl reminds Muslims of two traditions of the Prophet: 1) One cannot obey rulers if it means disobeying God; and 2) That there will be people in power who lie and promote injustice; if one is among those that validate such power, one cannot be of the people of the Prophet. He elaborates on these through a commentary on current events and the implications of the power relationships taking place across the Middle East and the West. He calls attention to the tragic influences of Rupert...