Make repentance and careful speech daily habits
“Backbiting, slandering, talking about somebody else who's not present is damaging to anybody.”
Believers should make sincere repentance and careful speech habitual, trusting Allah’s mercy while avoiding gossip that harms others.
The khutbah in 7 steps
- The first sermon introduces Quranic calls to repentance, forgiveness, taqwa, unity, and truthfulness.
- It presents frequent istighfar as gratitude for Allah’s blessings and a means of forgiveness, elevated status, and barakah.
- Using Surah Nuh and prophetic narrations, it connects istighfar with rain, provision, relief from hardship, and hope in Allah’s mercy.
- It warns that Allah’s forgiveness must not be used as an excuse to deliberately persist in sin.
- The sermon concludes by urging listeners to make astaghfirullah a daily habit.
- A later sermon defines gheebah, distinguishes truthful backbiting from slander, and uses Surah al-Hujurat’s imagery to condemn it.
- It closes by urging vigilance over the tongue and heart, followed by community announcements and congregational prayer.
In the khateeb's words
“Backbiting, slandering, talking about somebody else who's not present Is damaging to anybody And it's very hurtful”
“Anything that you say in the absence of your brother That might hurt him That is considered to be Ghebat”
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminded us that Allah has given us countless blessings, so we should keep turning back to Him with sincere istighfar. We can hope in Allah’s forgiveness, but we should not use His mercy as an excuse to keep choosing sin. The second message focused on gheebah: speaking about someone who is absent in a way they would dislike, even when the statement is true. Before we speak, we should remember that our words affect families, friendships, and the wider community. This week, let’s practice repentance, guard our tongues, and repair conversations that pull us toward gossip.
- What is one time you could say astaghfirullah and turn back to Allah this week?
- How can we notice when a normal conversation is turning into gossip?
- What should we remember before speaking about someone who is absent?
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