The Quran guides believers toward lasting change
“What am I going to do that's going to make me a better person?”
Reviving our bond with the Qur'an should be a central 2026 resolution because it guides, heals, and draws believers closer to Allah through recitation, memorization, and application.
The khutbah in 7 steps
- Opens with extended Qur'an recitation emphasizing guidance, accountability, and the contrasting responses of believers and rejecters.
- Introduces the hadith that people err, but the best are those who repent.
- Connects self-examination and New Year's resolutions with the goal of strengthening one's relationship with Allah.
- Explains that fasting, charity, salah, Hajj, and other sincere acts can bring a person closer to Allah.
- Shares a four-dirham story illustrating how one small act of charity can open doors to repentance, freedom, and goodness.
- Centers the Qur'an as guidance, healing, mercy, and blessing, urging listeners to recite, memorize, and apply it.
- Closes with supplication, a reminder of al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj, and a call to follow the Prophet's Sunnah.
In the khateeb's words
“then a person says this new year 2026 what am I going to do that's going to make me a better person”
“there are many ways to reach Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and becoming His mahbub His beloved”
“a person does not know what movement of hair a person does that will lead a person's doors to open towards the goodness”
“the book of Allah is something that there is no ikhtilaaf it is straight from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala”
For the dinner table
The khateeb reminded us that everyone makes mistakes, and he encouraged us to repent and try to do better. He shared an elder’s way of measuring a good day: looking back and finding that we had avoided lying, cheating, and hurting others. Alongside goals for health, school, work, and family, he encouraged us to strengthen our connection with Allah. He explained that prayer, fasting, charity, and other good actions can help us grow closer to Allah, sometimes in ways we do not expect. He especially called us to renew our bond with the Quran through recitation, memorization, and putting its guidance into practice.
- Using the elder’s idea of a good day, what is one choice from today you feel good about?
- What helps you feel closer to Allah, and what makes that practice meaningful to you?
More on Qur'an & tafsir
IOK · Diamond Bar, CA · Oct 24, 2026Do right despite the consequences“Doing the right thing is going to be the right thing, regardless of whether there are negative or positive consequences after.”
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EPIC · Plano, TX · Sep 26, 2026The Quran teaches us to stop rumors“Your job and my job is to crush those flames.”