16:57 One thing to remember…28:47 We should remember our…
Seeking knowledgeFrom the masjid's own video, Sep 3, 2025.

Beneficial knowledge should change how we live

ISGW
Watch the khutbahFamily kit
In one sentence

Beneficial knowledge is defined not by whether it is religious or worldly, but by whether it produces reverence for Allah, improves character and relationships, guides sincere action, and serves people in this life and the hereafter.

The khutbah in 6 steps

  1. Introduces Imam al-Ghazali's Ya Ayyuhalwalad and the student's question about which knowledge truly benefits him.
  2. Argues that worldly and professional knowledge can be beneficial when pursued with sincere aims, while ultimate value concerns the afterlife.
  3. Expands a hadith seeking refuge from incapacity, cowardice, miserliness, grave torment, unbeneficial knowledge, hard-heartedness, insatiable desire, and unanswered prayer.
  4. Explains beneficial knowledge through fear of Allah, refined manners, respectful conflict resolution, contentment, and sincere supplication.
  5. Encourages learning and teaching beneficial knowledge through several hadith about charity, Paradise, and the value of remembrance and scholarship.
  6. Gives Ashura guidance: fast the tenth of Muharram, optionally with the ninth or eleventh, remember Musa and Imam Hussain, teach this history, and pray for suffering Muslims.
Try this week
Listen to Quran while driving or at home to soften the heart.
Treat people with equal respect and avoid arguing over parking or everyday conflicts.
Fast the tenth of Muharram, optionally combining it with the ninth or eleventh.
Read about Karbala and teach its history to children.
Share beneficial knowledge with family members and continue learning or teaching.
Sources the khateeb cited
Sahih MuslimProvides the extended supplication seeking refuge from unbeneficial knowledge and related spiritual deficiencies.
Surah 49Supports putting Allah and His Messenger's guidance before personal opinion in religious matters.
Jami` at-TirmidhiReinforces the warning about unbeneficial knowledge and the virtue of seeking knowledge.
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“One thing to remember is that everyone has a story. Everyone is a human being.”
ISGW · Worcester, MA
Play from 16:57
“We should remember our history. We should read about it. We should teach our children as well. And we should feel it in our hearts.”
ISGW · Worcester, MA
Play from 28:47
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

The khutbah teaches that knowledge is beneficial when it brings us closer to Allah and improves our character. Worldly learning and professional knowledge can be good when our aims are sincere and our knowledge serves people. We are encouraged to show respect in disagreements, control greed, listen to the Quran, and make sincere dua. The speaker also encouraged fasting Ashura, remembering the sacrifice of Imam Hussain, and teaching our children about Muslim history. The main question for the family is whether what we learn is changing how we live.

  1. What is one thing you learned recently that made you kinder or more responsible?
  2. How can we show equal respect when someone frustrates us?
  3. What part of Ashura or Imam Hussain's story should our family remember and pass on?
Where it was given

The masjid

The Islamic Center of Greater Worcester57 Laurel St, Worcester, MA 01605Jumu'ah Khutbah 1:00 PM · Iqamah 1:30 PMArchiveAll khutbahs at ISGW49 khutbahs
Keep listening

More on Seeking knowledge

All on this topic
IMAN Center · Kirkland, WA · Sep 19, 2026Knowledge matters only when it changes us“Sometimes the problem is knowledge without action.”Daar-Ul-Islam · Ballwin, MO · Oct 3, 2026The first revelation calls us to learn and serve“Before any type of great transformation occurs outwardly, there must be deep reflection inwardly.”CCIL-KBW · Laval, QC · Sep 26, 2026Protect your heart from information overload“Faire confiance à Allah ne signifie pas rester sans rien faire.”