29:54 How do we approach…31:03 we train our kids, our…32:19 Beauty is our respite,…
Character & conductFrom the masjid's own video, Mar 3, 2026.

Beauty should shape how Muslims treat others

ICSC · Salam Al-Marayati

“Beauty is our respite, our rest and relaxation, our drive and focus to repair what is wrong, which is Islah.”

The khateeb, at 32:19

Watch the khutbahFamily kit
In one sentence

The beauty embedded in Allah’s creation, Qur’an, worship, and gentle character should soften believers’ hearts and move them to beautify the mosque, community, and wider world.

The khutbah in 6 steps

  1. The khutbah argues that Islam’s beauty and mercy can be obscured when religion is reduced to rules.
  2. It turns to beauty in creation, landscapes, sky, rain, changing night and day, as signs that awaken reflection and reason.
  3. Qur’anic beauty is linked to spiritual garments, worship, moderation, and the cultivation of soft, tender hearts.
  4. The speaker connects ihsan and gentleness with excellence, kindness, unity, and the repair of a violent, exploitative world.
  5. Listeners are urged to embody beauty in the mosque through cleanliness, quiet, good appearance, fragrance, kindness, and care for shared spaces.
  6. A Ramadan mural and communal supplication close the sermon by presenting art, diversity, and God-consciousness as sources of liberation and service.
Try this week
Enter the mosque neat, clean, and smelling good.
Approach people with kindness and keep voices soft; avoid yelling.
Return chairs to their places and help keep the prayer room, hallways, and bathrooms clean.
Pick up litter inside and outside the mosque.
Teach children to care for shared spaces and pick up litter.
Visit and share the Fajr at Sabr mural.
Practice gentleness, ihsan, and efforts to repair what is wrong.
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“How do we approach people with kindness? That is the beauty that we should have in mind as we enter the mosque.”
ICSC · Koreatown, CA
Play from 29:54
“we train our kids, our young children, to do the same as a sign of beauty.”
ICSC · Koreatown, CA
Play from 31:03
“Beauty is our respite, our rest and relaxation, our drive and focus to repair what is wrong, which is Islah.”
ICSC · Koreatown, CA
Play from 32:19
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

The khateeb reminded us that Islam is not meant to be only a list of rules; it should awaken our sense of beauty and mercy. Allah’s creation, the Qur’an, and prayer can soften a hard heart and help us notice meaning in the world around us. A beautiful heart is tender, gentle, and ready to care for people. We can show that beauty by entering the mosque clean and kind, speaking softly, returning chairs, picking up litter, and teaching our children to do the same. In this way, beauty becomes a way to practice ihsan and help repair what is broken.

  1. What is one beautiful thing in creation that helps you remember Allah?
  2. How can our family make the mosque or another shared place more beautiful?
  3. How can gentleness help repair something that is difficult or broken?
Where it was given

The masjid

Islamic Center of Southern California434 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020Jumu'ah Qur’an recitation 12:45 PM · Khutbah 1:00 PM · prayer 1:30 PMKhateebSalam Al-MarayatiMore khutbahsArchiveAll khutbahs at ICSC71 khutbahs
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