Follow righteous examples and show mercy
“Mercy is what we need in America.”
The khutbah argues that believers must follow righteous spiritual exemplars, especially the Prophet Muhammad and Ahl al-Bayt, and cultivate mercy, compassion, and service amid global suffering.
The khutbah in 7 steps
- Presents Fatima al-Zahra and Zainab as living examples of guidance.
- Warns that spiritual danger lies in following the wrong people and climbing the wrong mountain.
- Commemorates the Prophet Muhammad’s birth and his mission against ignorance and oppression.
- Highlights helping distressed people and Imam Ja'afar al-Sadiq’s teaching that Allah loves merciful people.
- Calls for mercy, wise restraint, and compassion from those with power.
- Remembers suffering communities and leads prayers for the oppressed, sick, deceased, youth, and communal unity.
- Concludes with devotional recitations and community announcements.
In the khateeb's words
“The greatest danger is not failing to climb the ladder of belief, but it is climbing the wrong mountain.”
“he would break the chains of ignorance restore dignity to the forgotten reach humanity the meaning of mercy and turn faces from idols of stone toward the Lord of the heavens”
“Mercy is what we need in America. What we need from our officials. We have the most sophisticated power, the most military power in the history of humankind. We need mercy accompanied with power.”
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminded us that the straight path is walked by people whose lives show us how to love and serve Allah. It warned that the danger is not only failing to grow in faith, but growing in the wrong direction by following the wrong people. As we remember the birth of Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ja'afar al-Sadiq, we are called to mercy, compassion, and helping anyone in distress. The speaker asked us to remember people suffering in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, among the Rohingya, in Nepal, and in America, as well as the sick, bereaved, and oppressed. We can carry the khutbah home by making sincere du'a and choosing kindness and wise restraint in our own lives.
- Who is someone whose good character helps you know what kind of person you want to become?
- How can we use strength or influence wisely?
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