Friday Khutba
Hijri New Year
10. June 2026
Dear Jama’ah!
By Allah’s permission, on Tuesday we will experience the joy of entering the Hijri year 1448. The event of Hijrah, which is accepted as the beginning of our Hijri calendar, refers to the great journey undertaken by our Prophet Muhammad (saw) and his companions from Makkah to Madinah in the year 622. This blessed journey represents one of the greatest examples of sacrifice, mutual support and brotherhood in human history. The Muhajirun migrated to Madinah because of the hostility and persecution they faced, seeking only the pleasure of Allah and the ability to fulfil their acts of worship.
The Ansar of Madinah, also seeking only the pleasure of Allah, shared everything they had with them and welcomed their brothers in faith with open arms. Their solidarity became a means for our religion, which calls humanity to goodness, beauty, truth and guidance, to reach us freely until today. Allah (swt) informs us that they are the true believers and says: “Those who believed, migrated, and struggled in the way of Allah, and those who gave shelter and helped them — they are the true believers. For them there is forgiveness and a generous provision.”[1]
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
From the hadith, we learn that Hijrah is not merely migration from one city to another, but that it carries a much deeper and more comprehensive meaning. For the migration of the true Muhajir is not limited to a particular period of one’s life.
Rather, the true Muhajir is the one who strives at every moment of life to stay away from the evils that Allah has forbidden. Indeed, our Prophet Muhammad (saw) clearly expressed this truth when he said: “A Muslim is the one from whose hand and tongue other Muslims are safe. And a Muhajir is the one who abandons what Allah has forbidden.”[2]
Therefore, the true Muhajir is not simply the one who changes their place of residence, but the one who distances themselves from sins and evil, embarking on a lifelong spiritual journey. This Hijrah that a person undertakes within their own inner world is to stay away from the calls of the commanding self and Shaytan and to turn solely towards the pleasure of Allah.
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
This is the true Hijrah and we must ask ourselves to what extent we have been able to stay away from what Allah has forbidden. For our new Hijri year reminds us that another year from the capital of our lives has passed, that we have moved one step closer to the reality of death and that we must once again take account of our past.
So let us all reflect on our past years and our actions: Have we truly stayed away from the things Allah has forbidden and from sins? Have we fulfilled our fundamental acts of worship such as prayer, zakat, fasting and Hajj? Do we have any missed acts of worship that need to be made up? Have we repented for the sins we have committed and promised not to return to them again? Look at how Umar ibn al-Khattab (r.a.) addressed his companions:
“Take account of yourselves before you are taken to account, and prepare yourselves for the great Day of Reckoning. For on the Day of Judgment, the accounting will only be easy for those who held themselves accountable while they were in this world.”[3]
May Allah (swt) grant us the ability to understand and live our lives with this awareness. May our new Hijri year be a means of goodness for the entire Islamic world and for all humanity. Ameen.
[1] Surah Al-Anfal, 8:74.
[2] Buhârî, Îmân, 4.
[3] Tirmizî, Sıfatü’l-kıyâme, 25.
