Use freedom to build consultative communities
“The more money you have, the more power you have, the greater will be your responsibility.”
The khutbah argues that Muslims must revive a contextual, lived understanding of Islam through gratitude, dua, exemplary conduct, social engagement, and shura-based freedom so communities can become a mercy and escape cycles of dictatorship and chaos.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Gratitude and dua are responses to Allah’s blessings, dependence, and responsibility.
- Because life is limited, believers should remain prepared and distinguish perfect Islam from fallible Muslim understanding and practice.
- Ijtihad means contextualizing revelation, embodying the Qur’an, and becoming role models and a mercy to others.
- Muslims should engage society, improve wrongdoing, support justice, and fulfill communal duties.
- The loss of shura led to historical cycles of monarchy, dictatorship, chaos, and wider religious disintegration.
- Muslims in the West, especially the United States, should use available freedom to revive ijtihad and build shura-based communities.
In the khateeb's words
“the more money you have the more power you have the greater will be your responsibility”
“leadership is not a position leadership is when you have influence on people”
“Muslims wherever they settle they are not passive they go and they get engaged and they try to fix things and improve things”
For the dinner table
The khateeb reminded us that everything we have is a blessing from Allah, and greater blessings bring greater responsibility. He encouraged us to stay grateful, humble, and connected to Allah through dua, remembering that our time in this life is limited. He distinguished Islam’s guidance from Muslims’ imperfect understanding and practice, inviting us to examine ourselves honestly. He urged us to follow the Prophet’s example by becoming role models and a mercy to others through our actions and efforts to improve our communities. He also criticized the harm of oppressive rule in Muslim history and emphasized shura, or consultation, as a practice that should begin within our families and extend throughout society.
- What blessing could you use to help someone this week?
- How could you show kindness through your actions when someone is difficult to get along with?
- What family decision would you like us to discuss together, and how could everyone have a voice?
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