Guard your tongue from backbiting
“Put your entire niyyah into praying in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.”
Believers should guard their tongues and hearts from backbiting, turn promptly to Allah through prayer and remembrance, and live with patience and sincere action before death arrives.
The khutbah in 7 steps
- Warns that everyday words and conversations affect the heart, identifying backbiting and gossip as common and destructive.
- Defines ghibah as mentioning an absent person with something they would dislike, even when it is true; falsehood becomes slander.
- Uses the Qur'anic image of eating a dead brother’s flesh to make the ugliness of backbiting memorable.
- Urges listeners to guard their tongues, avoid meddling in irrelevant matters, seek religious knowledge, and preserve community unity.
- Calls believers to stop postponing repentance, prayer, and remembrance because death can arrive suddenly.
- Uses Prophet Yusuf’s patience and trust in Allah to encourage sincere prayer, dua, and reliance during hardship.
- Concludes with supplications for forgiveness, guidance, healing, the deceased, and relief for Palestine and Gaza.
In the khateeb's words
“Ghiba or backbiting is Mentioning your brother Or your sister In her or his absence In such a way That she or he would dislike it”
“Because if you would have lied about this person That's another grave sin Even worse than the first one And that's called Tuhmat Which is slandering somebody”
“death will not come to you asking that hey are you straight with your life are you straight with your deen can I come and take your soul no it will come in an instant”
“while you are praying for that 10 minutes for that 15 minutes put all of your effort put your entire niyyah into praying in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala”
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminds us that backbiting means speaking about someone who is absent in a way they would dislike, even if what we say is true. If we lie about them, it becomes slander, which is even worse. We should protect our tongues, avoid prying into people’s private lives, and help others in sincere ways. The sermon also urges us not to delay repentance or prayer, because life can end suddenly. Through focused prayer, sincere dua, patience, and trust in Allah, we can strengthen our hearts and face hardship with hope.
- When can a harmless conversation turn into gossip, and how could we change its direction?
- What helps you pay closer attention during prayer?
- What is one good deed or prayer you should stop postponing?
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