Justice is the duty of government
“When justice disappears, even strong and established civilizations will collapse alongside with it.”
A just government must be grounded in divine truth and impartial justice, while believers prepare for it by purifying their hearts and turning grief over oppression into faithful action.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Revisits personal purification and accountability as groundwork for Islamic government.
- Defines justice as government’s primary responsibility and grounds it in divine truth.
- Uses Imam Ali’s guidance and historical examples to warn that favoritism toward elites destroys societies.
- Applies impartiality and anti-oppression principles to families, communities, businesses, and positions of authority.
- Frames grief over Lebanese suffering as evidence of a living heart rather than weakness or despair.
- Prescribes private sujood, dua, limited news intake, patience, charity, prayer, and Quran recitation as responses to grief.
In the khateeb's words
“the most important responsibility of a government is to be just, is to treat people equitably and fairly, because when justice disappears, even strong and established civilizations will collapse alongside with it.”
“what it does mean is that I treat them the way God expects me to treat them.”
“It's okay to be sad. I think it's good to be sad sometimes. It's okay to feel pain sometimes. It's a dead heart that feels nothing.”
“giving charity, a two rakat salah, reading Quran for the oppressed, whatever it is you want to do. Don't just feel it, manifest it into action.”
For the dinner table
Today’s khutbah taught that justice is the heart of good leadership and a responsibility we carry in our homes, workplaces, communities, and governments. Justice means living within Allah’s truth while treating people fairly without favoritism, bias, or oppression. The speaker also reminded us that feeling grief over suffering is a sign of a living heart, not a weakness, as long as grief does not become despair. When our hearts feel heavy, we can turn to Allah in private sujood and dua, limit overwhelming news, ask for patience, and turn concern into charity, prayer, Quran, or another good deed. In this way, inner compassion becomes practical service.
- Where can we practice fair treatment at home this week?
- What helps you turn sadness into hope and action?
- Which good deed can we do for people who are suffering?
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