The shahada must shape how we live
“We cannot take this testimony of faith for granted.”
The shahada, La ilaha illallah, must be continually renewed and embodied through worship, gratitude, moral integrity, and peaceful solidarity with oppressed people.
The khutbah in 7 steps
- Opens with Arabic khutbah formulas, calls to taqwa, and testimony of faith.
- Explains the centrality of La ilaha illallah through Allah’s names and current suffering in Gaza.
- Warns against taking faith for granted and urges continual renewal through sincere remembrance.
- Unpacks the shahada as negation and affirmation, connecting it to Quranic passages and hadith.
- Connects the shahada with gratitude, death, prayer, hardship, and ordinary activities.
- Applies faith to Gaza through peaceful advocacy, boycott, divestment, awareness, and support for justice.
- Closes with supplications for steadfast faith, the hungry, Gaza, and the oppressed.
In the khateeb's words
“La ilaha illa Allah Is how you enter Islam La ilaha illa Allah Is how we want to leave this world La ilaha illa Allah Is how we will enter Jannah”
“So it's not just Something that we say It's something that we live by And it's not just something If we really believed In la ilaha illallah We would not be passive”
“We continue to protest peacefully We continue to make dua We continue to raise awareness With our non-Muslim Interfaith allies That are justice oriented”
For the dinner table
The khutbah centers on La ilaha illallah, meaning that no one deserves worship and unconditional obedience except Allah. The imam reminds us that faith rises and falls, so we should renew it through sincere remembrance, gratitude, prayer, and actions that please Allah. The shahada is meant to shape how we live, especially when suffering and injustice are before us. In response to the suffering in Gaza, he calls for dua, peaceful protest, sharing truthful stories, boycotting and divesting, and standing with justice-minded allies. The message is to carry faith with us in both ordinary moments and difficult ones, seeking to live and die with sincere iman.
- What would it look like for us to actively nurture our faith this week?
- How can we show that our beliefs guide our everyday choices?
- What peaceful actions can our family take when people are suffering?
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