khutba rant.
assalamu alaikum :o)
bismillah.
to have a vibrant and viable muslim community, it is vital to have a profound and enlightening khutbah on fridays. but last week, i had to endure one of the worst khutbas ever. i consider myself very tolerant when it comes to imams and sheikhs that migrated from overseas, simply because they tend to have a unique and more orthodox perspective due to their upbringing and education.
the purpose of a khutbah is to move the masses in such a way that they better themselves by reflecting upon the words of Allah, the teachings of Muhammad SAW, etc. but reaching this ideal becomes extremely detimental when the whole sermon is given in such a thick accent that the congregation has trouble deciphering and seperating the arabic from the urdu and the urdu from english. if thats not bad enough, the sermon had no organization or flow. from the outset it was painfully obvious that the khateeb had not prepared for the khutbah. even during the khutbah al hajaj he would take long pauses, as if to gather his thoughts, only to forget about them when delivering the next sentence.
as i have stated in earlier posts, the friday khutbah, sadly, is the only time of the week where many muslims are exposed to a sprinkle of islam. i completely understand why the prototype muslim american teenager may not enjoy listening to a khutbah or even entering the masjid because of khutbahs like this. with that being said, we shouldnt bend over backwards to accomodate the petty and trivial needs of such people. but its very important to not create an atmosphere where they think of attending the masjid as a punishment. rather, it should be a place where they want to go.
the desired and result would be to have let these sorts of imams lead the prayer, teach quran, and give lectures in their own language while they continue their education of the english language. such figures can still have quite a profound impact on the community. the roles they play need to be examined, defined, and narrowed so that their tools are used in an effective way, while the rest of the community can listen to a khutbah that they can understand and benefit from.
and Allah Almighty knows best.
your brother.
bismillah.
to have a vibrant and viable muslim community, it is vital to have a profound and enlightening khutbah on fridays. but last week, i had to endure one of the worst khutbas ever. i consider myself very tolerant when it comes to imams and sheikhs that migrated from overseas, simply because they tend to have a unique and more orthodox perspective due to their upbringing and education.
the purpose of a khutbah is to move the masses in such a way that they better themselves by reflecting upon the words of Allah, the teachings of Muhammad SAW, etc. but reaching this ideal becomes extremely detimental when the whole sermon is given in such a thick accent that the congregation has trouble deciphering and seperating the arabic from the urdu and the urdu from english. if thats not bad enough, the sermon had no organization or flow. from the outset it was painfully obvious that the khateeb had not prepared for the khutbah. even during the khutbah al hajaj he would take long pauses, as if to gather his thoughts, only to forget about them when delivering the next sentence.
as i have stated in earlier posts, the friday khutbah, sadly, is the only time of the week where many muslims are exposed to a sprinkle of islam. i completely understand why the prototype muslim american teenager may not enjoy listening to a khutbah or even entering the masjid because of khutbahs like this. with that being said, we shouldnt bend over backwards to accomodate the petty and trivial needs of such people. but its very important to not create an atmosphere where they think of attending the masjid as a punishment. rather, it should be a place where they want to go.
the desired and result would be to have let these sorts of imams lead the prayer, teach quran, and give lectures in their own language while they continue their education of the english language. such figures can still have quite a profound impact on the community. the roles they play need to be examined, defined, and narrowed so that their tools are used in an effective way, while the rest of the community can listen to a khutbah that they can understand and benefit from.
and Allah Almighty knows best.
your brother.
posted by sheikspeare at 7/18/2008 12:58:00 PM
6 Comments:
i couldn't agree more brother. you're dead on the spot with your take on what the solution could be. and please update more often!!!
omg omg omg =) blogroll.
that must reallyy suck. nice post, and good practical solution. now who will go suggest this to the khateeb?
My dad and I went to a masjid where they do khutbas in English. It was about birr al walidain and he went into the importance of the mother over the father, and then he even went over the virtues of the father.. in understandable English. :)
next week he'll cover the rights of children.
haha.. you know whats funny... a few days ago a friend of mine and I were discussing this very same topic...
:)
The one thing that you are missing is a solution!! do you have one!
br. haytham, he did leave a solution.....
Assuming this sheikh "migrated from overseas" for this khutba....applying the law without the awareness of the time, place, and culuture and the people to whom its being applied is doing an active disobedience to Allah and a betrayal of the law and more misguidance.
folks are turning away from ISLAM towards JOEL OSTEEN because of his enthusiasm and a connection to his community's understanding. Yet, Our Shiekhs are preaching not even in the LANGUAGE that they reside in [el-farouq: only ARABIC for a while until they got a broken-english translator]
Friday Khutbas are Lawfully Prescribed to us merely to give us an Iman High and a Rush to last 'till the next Khutba.
SOLUTION: young vibrant Muslims from here need to invest in a sound Islamic Education and scholarship to SAVE this umma here in America.
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