Friday Khutba
A Believer’s Way of Speaking with Kindness
16. April 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Faith shapes a person into a true believer and gives them a sense of beauty and refinement. It elevates their heart, their words, their attitude and their actions. When faith is firmly rooted in the heart, it naturally reveals itself as good character. The tongue, in turn, is what gives this character a voice. Whatever a person carries in their heart is reflected through their speech. For this reason, a believer is not someone who hurts with their words, but someone who heals, not someone who instils fear, but someone who brings comfort. A tongue that carries peace brings calm not only to others, but to the one who speaks as well.
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Allah (swt) teaches believers how to speak with elegance, even in the face of the most difficult people. When Musa (AS) was sent to Pharaoh, he was instructed: “Speak to him gently and kindly—perhaps he may come to his senses or at least feel some restraint.”[1] This shows that gentleness is not weakness, but a conscious and principled stance. Courtesy does not mean abandoning the truth. It means conveying the truth in the right way. Speaking what is right and true is not about raising one’s voice or using harsh language. What is expected of a believer and what truly befits them, is to express truth with dignity, humility, gentleness and impact. As mentioned in the Qur’an regarding the Prophet Muhammad (saw): “It is by Allah’s mercy that you were gentle with them. Had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you. So pardon them, seek forgiveness for them, consult them in matters, and once you decide, place your trust in Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who trust in Him.”[2]
This reminds us that the path to people’s hearts is not through harshness, but through words and actions grounded in wisdom and compassion.
Dear Jama’ah!
The Qur’an directs the believer’s speech toward a clear purpose: “Who could be better in speech than the one who calls people to Allah, does good deeds, and says, ‘I am among those who submit?’”[3] Beautiful speech is not about exposing others, but covering their faults, not about belittling, but uplifting, not about dividing, but bringing people together.
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) placed great emphasis on manner and tone when conveying the message of faith and he advised his community accordingly: “Make things easy, not difficult; give glad tidings, do not drive people away.”[4] In another hadith, he defined the moral boundaries of a believer by saying: “A believer is not one who insults, curses, uses foul language, or behaves harshly.”[5] When Luqman advised his son, he said: “Do not turn your face away from people in arrogance, nor walk proudly on the earth.”[6] “Be moderate in your pace, and lower your voice. Indeed, the most unpleasant of sounds is the braying of a donkey.”[7] These principles apply in every part of our lives, at home, in the workplace, in the mosque and across society as a whole.
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
So let us raise not our voices, but the quality of our words. Let us either speak the truth or choose silence. Even when we are right, let us not be hurtful. When addressing a wrong, let us focus on the action, not the person. Instead of exposing a brother’s mistake, let us try to correct it and if not, then cover it. Before we speak, write, or share anything, let us pause and consider whether our words might hurt someone. O Allah, adorn our speech with truth, our words with gentleness and our hearts with compassion. Ameen.
[1] Surah Taha, 20:44
[2] Surah Âl-i İmrân, 3:159
[3] Surah Fussilat, 41:33
[4] Buhâri, İlim, 11, Edeb 80, Cihâd 164
[5] Tirmizî, Birr, 48
[6] Surah Luqman, 31:18
[7] Surah Luqman, 31:19
