12:58 When you hide the…21:59 The only thing that…26:56 The first duty is to…
Civic engagementFrom the masjid's own video, Apr 11, 2026.

Truth demands courage when injustice is hidden

Mecca Center · Ahmed Arafat

“When you hide the truth, you're lying.”

The khateeb, at 12:58

Watch the khutbahFamily kit
In one sentence

The khutbah argues that because truth and justice are being obscured through the killing of journalists in Gaza, believers must witness truth, reject silence and distortion, preserve their cause, and act with moral courage even when costly.

The khutbah in 6 steps

  1. The khutbah opens with taqwa, repentance, and remembrance of the Hereafter.
  2. It honors journalists killed while documenting suffering in Gaza, presenting their deaths as a struggle to preserve truth.
  3. It argues that killing journalists and suppressing investigations aims to erase reality, mix truth with falsehood, and impose a single narrative.
  4. Using Qur'anic guidance, it frames standing firmly for justice and bearing witness for Allah as a moral duty, even against personal interests or when costly.
  5. It identifies silence as a second injustice and calls listeners to remember the journalists, raise awareness, and become courageous witnesses.
  6. It closes with supplication for Gaza and the oppressed, followed by a Fajr-timing announcement and prayer.
Try this week
Keep the journalists' truth and cause alive by remembering them.
Raise awareness and communicate what happened in Gaza so it is not ignored, distorted, or buried.
Speak up for justice even when doing so costs comfort, safety, relationships, or convenience.
Examine whether fear or convenience is making you silent about distant or uncomfortable injustice.
Update Fajr timing to 18 degrees in your prayer app or use the Mecca Center app.
Sources the khateeb cited
Surah 2Used to condemn mixing truth with falsehood and knowingly concealing truth.
Surah 4Used to establish the duty to stand firmly for justice and testify for Allah, even against oneself, relatives, rich people, or poor people.
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“When you hide the truth, you're lying When you mix the truth with falsehood, you're also lying”
Mecca Center · Willowbrook, IL
Play from 12:58
“The only thing that guarantees That this justice will be honored Is when it is done to honor Allah”
Mecca Center · Willowbrook, IL
Play from 21:59
“The first duty is to make sure that What they died for is not forgotten or erased”
Mecca Center · Willowbrook, IL
Play from 26:56
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

Today's khutbah reminds us that truth can become dangerous when powerful people try to hide it. The speaker honored journalists in Gaza who risked and lost their lives while showing the world what was happening. He taught from the Qur'an that believers must stand firmly for justice and speak honestly, even when truth is uncomfortable or costly. We should remember those who died, keep their cause from being erased, and examine where fear or convenience makes us silent. The khutbah ends by asking Allah to bring relief to Gaza and make us courageous witnesses for justice.

  1. What does it mean to tell the truth when it feels uncomfortable?
  2. How can our family keep people’s suffering from being forgotten?
  3. When have fear or convenience made it harder to speak up?
Where it was given

The masjid

The Mecca Center16W560 91st Street, Willowbrook, IL 60527Jumu'ah 1:00 PM & 2:30 PMKhateebAhmed ArafatMore khutbahsArchiveAll khutbahs at Mecca Center37 khutbahs
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