Humility means knowing every blessing comes from Allah
“The believer is never too great to learn, never too important to apologize, never too knowledgeable to say Allah knows best.”
True humility means recognizing that every blessing and ability comes from Allah, remaining teachable, and refusing pride in ourselves or anything associated with us.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- Contrasts athletes’ visible confidence with reflection on humanity’s insignificance before Allah.
- Defines tawadu as recognizing that all abilities and blessings come from Allah, not as low self-esteem.
- Uses Quranic descriptions and hadith to show that humility elevates believers while arrogance competes with divine greatness.
- Uses Musa and Khidr to demonstrate that even great knowledge remains limited before Allah’s wisdom.
- Applies the lesson to education, promotions, wealth, popularity, prayer, learning, apologizing, and saying Allah knows best.
- Encourages actively sending salah and salam upon the Prophet and explains its spiritual reward.
- Warns that assuming a khutbah applies only to others can itself reveal arrogance.
- Closes by urging humility regarding one’s country, family, masjid, team, deen, and personal accomplishments.
In the khateeb's words
“That it is when a servant of Allah humiliates themselves, humbles themselves before all other creation, and most importantly before Him subhanahu wa ta'ala, that Allah begins to elevate you.”
“Your knowledge is limited and Allah's wisdom is limitless. How often do we become convinced that we know best? We assume that we know why Allah has delayed something or expedited something.”
“That the believer is never too great to learn, never too important to apologize, never too knowledgeable to say Allah knows best.”
For the dinner table
The khutbah teaches that humility means knowing that every blessing, ability, and success comes from Allah. It is not weakness or low self-esteem; it is recognizing our proper place before our Creator. The story of Musa and Khidr reminds us that even great people have limited knowledge and must remain willing to learn. We should be ready to apologize, say Allah knows best, and examine ourselves honestly when we hear advice. We should also avoid pride in our families, communities, achievements, teams, or religious identity, and respond to Allah’s blessings with gratitude.
- What is one blessing you sometimes forget to thank Allah for?
- When was the last time you learned something from someone unexpected?
- What could humility look like at school, work, or home this week?
The masjid
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