21:15 a member who is active…26:47 so it's not really…
Community & unityFrom the masjid's own video, Jul 25, 2026.

Strong communities need active members

Ar-Rahman · Mohammed Abdullah

“A member who is active who cares for their community doesn't ask what can my community do for me.”

The khateeb, at 21:15

Watch the khutbahFamily kit
In one sentence

A community only stays alive when its members move from paper or nominal membership to 'substantive membership', owning a strong identity with the community and actively participating in it.

The khutbah in 8 steps

  1. Opening praise and Quranic call to taqwa and truthful speech (Surah al-Ahzab)
  2. Introduction via Shaykh Muhammad Musa: alive communities need substantive members
  3. Level one: the on-paper/invisible member (gym signup analogy, 'cultural Muslim')
  4. Level two: the nominal member who shows up occasionally but doesn't embody the community
  5. Level three: the substantive member whose life is shaped by the community; level zero: those who no longer identify as Muslim
  6. The investor-with-a-whiteboard story: parents must involve children so they grow up substantive
  7. Second khutbah, trait one: identity and ownership (owner vs guest of the house); trait two: participation
  8. Historical proof that quality beats quantity: Al-Qaqa' ibn Amr, Surah al-Anfal, Talut's army, nafir in Surah al-Isra; closing self-assessment and dua
Try this week
Honestly assess which membership level you hold in the community and work toward the substantive level
Arrive at Jumu'ah on time so you catch the first khutbah
Volunteer proactively, reach out and ask the masjid if it needs help instead of waiting to be asked
Bring your children to Jumu'ah and Eid prayers and involve them in your work and community life so they grow up attached
Be willing to sacrifice personal money or convenience (e.g., boycotts, paying more for what you believe is halal) for the good of the community
Sources the khateeb cited
Quran 33:70-71Opening verses, be mindful of Allah and speak truthfully so He reforms your deeds and forgives your sins
Quran 9:24Preferring family, money, or business over Allah and the community makes one of the fasiqeen, used to define weak community identity
Quran 9:71
Quran 8:75Blood relatives inherit one another, cited to explain the end of inheritance through the Meccan-Medinan brotherhood
Quran 8:65-66Twenty steadfast believers defeat two hundred; Allah lightens the burden knowing their weakness, participation is about quality, not numbers
Quran 2:249-250Talut's river test and 'how many a small company overcame a great company', a historical precedent that a small committed group prevails
Quran 17:6'waja'alnakum akthara nafira', nafir explained as movement and active participation, the true mark of communal strength
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“a member who is active who cares for their community doesn't ask what can my community do for me they ask what can I do for my community”
Ar-Rahman · Southeast Memphis, TN
Play from 21:15
“so it's not really about numbers it's about the quantity it's about the quality not the quantity”
Ar-Rahman · Southeast Memphis, TN
Play from 26:47
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

Today the khateeb spoke about what makes a Muslim community truly alive. He said there are different kinds of members: some are only members on paper, some show up once in a while, and some are 'substantive members' who make the community strong. A substantive member treats the masjid and the community like their own home, asking what they can give rather than what they can take. He also reminded us that parents need to be involved, because when children grow up seeing us serve, they learn to serve too. He asked each of us to look honestly at what kind of member we are and to try to be someone who strengthens the community.

  1. What is one small way our family can help the masjid this week?
  2. How can you tell when someone is a real, substantive member of a community?
  3. What would change if we treated the masjid like our own home?
Where it was given

The masjid

Masjid Ar-Rahman (Islamic Association of Greater Memphis)7906 Lowrance Road, Memphis, TN 38125ArchiveAll khutbahs at Ar-Rahman7 khutbahs
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