Muslims must tell their history truthfully
“History is not the study of just facts; it is also the study of narratives.”
The Qur’an uses truthful narratives, not only legal commands, to connect Muslims to their past, teach justice, and equip them to preserve and tell their own histories rather than let others distort them.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Introduces the Jumuah gathering through Surah Ibrahim’s image of the good word as a firmly rooted tree.
- Challenges treating the Qur’an mainly as a list of halal and haram rules, emphasizing its many narratives.
- Explains that history includes fact-rooted narratives and connects narrative control to Palestine and media.
- Uses the story of Yusuf to illustrate competing accounts, false evidence, oppression, and justice prevailing.
- Applies the lesson to Muslim histories in India, the United States, and other communities.
- Closes by urging truthful storytelling, historical learning, justice, and prayers for suffering communities.
In the khateeb's words
“history is not the study of just facts it is also the study of narratives”
“the one who tells their stories and the facts of their past will be the one who will have their ideas spread within society”
“if we are not telling our own stories if we are not learning our own history then understand that one of two things are going to happen”
“facts can very much so be used to push forward a certain narrative that emboldens and empowers a tyrant or it can empower us as a community and as individuals”
For the dinner table
Today’s khutbah reminded us that the Qur’an gives us stories that connect us to the prophets and help us understand our own lives. Shaykh Nihal encouraged us to build love, mercy, and understanding in our faith alongside learning what is allowed and forbidden. Through Prophet Yusuf’s story, he showed how people can use false stories to hide wrongdoing, and how truth matters in seeking justice. He also shared how someone who had been wrongly imprisoned found a personal connection with Yusuf’s experience. He encouraged us to learn our history, tell our stories truthfully, and remember people who are suffering in our prayers.
- Which story of a prophet helps you understand something happening in your own life?
- When you hear a story about someone, what could you do to check whether it is fair and true?
- What family story would you like to hear more about and pass on?
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