Verify the news before you act
“When news comes to you, wait, verify, validate, and only after you validate should you then take action.”
Believers should respond to turbulent news with taqwa, patience, verified knowledge, humility about what they do not know, justice toward opponents, and a pure heart anchored in the Sunnah.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Defines taqwa and opens with the story of Walid's unverified zakat report, tied to Surah al-Hujurat.
- Urges listeners to pause, verify online news, and reject feelings or gut reactions as proof.
- Connects institutional distrust, normalized killing, and current violence to prophetic signs of the end times.
- Contrasts the believer's flexible plant with the hypocrite's rigid tree, urging humility amid fitan.
- Calls for justice across group differences, attention to controllable responsibilities, and solidarity with the believing community.
- Explains the Dajjal's one-eyed symbolism and argues that a pure, submissive heart discerns truth beyond appearances, ending with supplication and prayer.
In the khateeb's words
“When news comes to you, wait, verify, validate, and only after you validate should you then take action.”
“They matter to you. That's a separate issue. But as proof of what's true and false, they don't matter at all.”
“A sign of sincerity is the ability and the willingness to say, I honestly don't know what it is that I'm looking at here.”
“The heart can see the truth. But when it's corrupted, it can only see what the eyes show it.”
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminds us to slow down when we hear urgent news and verify it before reacting or sharing it. Our feelings matter, but they are not proof of what is true. A sincere believer can admit, "I do not know," remain just toward people we dislike, and care for the responsibilities Allah has placed nearby. The speaker also teaches that a pure heart helps us see beyond appearances and recognize truth during confusing times. We can practice this by pausing, checking information, caring for our families and communities, and staying connected to Allah.
- What is one way we can verify a story before sharing it?
- Why can saying "I do not know" sometimes be a sign of sincerity?
- How can we care for our family and community when the world feels confusing?
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