Friday Khutba
Jumah and the Khutba: Our Weekly Revival
02. July 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Today is Friday and it is the day of celebration for the believers. It is a blessed day when hearts find peace and bodies and souls come together in the same row. It is an opportunity that reunites us every week with Allah (swt), with our brothers and sisters and with our values. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: “O you who believe! When the call is made for prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade. That is better for you, if only you knew.”[1]
This verse shows that the jumah prayer is not only an individual act of worship. Jumah is to put aside worldly occupations and respond to the call of Allah. It is to leave behind the shop, work, trade, accounts and daily worries and turn towards the presence of Allah (swt).
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) expressed the virtue of Friday as follows: “The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday. On that day Adam was created, on that day he was admitted into Paradise, and on that day he was expelled from it.”[2] This shows that Friday is not an ordinary day. It is an exceptional time when the doors of Allah’s mercy are opened, when prayers may be accepted and when believers come together in the same row.
Dear Jama’ah!
An inseparable part of the Friday prayer is the khutba. The khutba is not only a speech. It is a prophetic address to the Ummah of Muhammad. It is the reminder of Allah’s commands and the renewed expression of the principles that guide our lives. Indeed, our scholars have stated that the command in the Qur’an to “hasten to the remembrance of Allah”also includes the khutba.
For this reason, when the khutba is being delivered, we must remain silent, listen attentively and open our ears and hearts to the messages being given. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Even if you say to your companion, ‘Be quiet,’ while the imam is delivering the khutba on Friday, you have engaged in idle talk.”[3] Unfortunately, we sometimes see people speaking during the khutba, being occupied with their phones or spending the time unaware of the messages being delivered. However, the khutba is a gathering of guidance that prepares the soul for prayer. These moments are not a time to be occupied with the world, but a time to listen to the words of Allah and the advice of His Messenger.
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Friday is also a day of preparation. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) advised us, when coming to the Friday prayer, to perform wudu properly, wear clean and beautiful clothes, apply pleasant fragrance and come to the mosque early. This is because a believer prepares both his body and his heart when standing before Allah (swt). Let us, if necessary, compete to enter the mosque and take our place in the front rows. To distance oneself from the mosque and from guidance is to draw closer to satanic traps and whispers. Let us keep ourselves and our generations close to the mosques and far from useless matters. Let us fill our bags with deeds that will benefit us in the grave. In another hadith, our Prophet (saw) said: “Whoever performs wudu properly, comes to the Friday prayer, listens to the khutba and remains silent, his sins between that Friday and the next Friday will be forgiven. Whoever plays with pebbles while the khutba is being delivered has engaged in idle and meaningless action.”[4]
Therefore, let us not make Friday an ordinary day. Let us abandon playing with the “pebbles” that distance us from the value, spirituality and benefit of Friday. Let us organise our work and programs around the Friday prayer. Let us appreciate the value of this great blessing.
May Allah (swt) make us among His servants who regularly attend the jumah prayer, listen attentively to the khutba and carry its messages into their lives. May He revive our hearts with the blessings of jumah and our minds with the khutba. May He make our unity, brotherhood and love everlasting. Ameen.
[1] Surah Al-Jumu’ah, 62:9
[2] Müslim, Cuma, 18
[3] Buhârî, Cuma, 36; Müslim, Cuma, 27
[4] Müslim, Cuma, 26
