Humility means apologizing and making amends
“When you do wrong, you rectify that wrong.”
Because Islam is lived through relationships, Muslims should respond to wrongdoing with humility by repenting to Allah, apologizing to people, and making amends before resentment grows.
The khutbah in 5 steps
- Allah places people in families and communities so they can develop character through interaction.
- The khutbah distinguishes istighfar from tawbah and applies repentance and repair to human relationships.
- A hadith about avoiding another Muslim for more than three days frames reconciliation as a religious duty.
- The speaker identifies arrogance, avoidance, and shame as barriers to apology, then urges humility and concrete repair.
- The gathering closes with announcements, charitable appeals, a Gaza appeal, and formal Arabic khutbah and prayer recitations.
In the khateeb's words
“When you and I do wrong, we need to be able to say I'm sorry. We need to be able to notice that I did wrong.”
“Allah wants you to humble yourself. When you do wrong, you rectify that wrong.”
“The maximum two Muslims can avoid one another is three days.”
“Parents can say I'm sorry to their children. Yes. If you cannot find that within yourself when you know you're wrong this is a sign of arrogance.”
For the dinner table
Mufti Nafis reminded us that Allah gives us families and communities as opportunities to grow in patience, generosity, and good character. Because we all make mistakes, caring for our relationships means noticing when we have hurt someone and taking responsibility. He explained that we should admit our wrong, ask for forgiveness, and make amends through our actions. He shared examples from the prophets to show that dignity and humility belong together, and reminded parents that they can apologize to their children too. Instead of letting pride or delay deepen a hurt, we can seek Allah’s pleasure by offering a sincere apology and working to repair the relationship.
- When did someone help you practice patience this week?
- What could you do after saying sorry to show that you mean it?
- How might a parent’s apology help a child feel heard?
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