The Khateeb’s killing it this Friday! …Literally.
Every Friday morning, Muslims with a Y chromosome (and a bunch with two X’s) around the globe get ready for their weekly trip to the Masjid for a sermon, or “khutbah” as we call it. For some, it’s a wonderful opportunity to get a much-needed inspiration-boost and “imaan-rush” to last until next week… …and for most, it’s a wonderful opportunity to catch a nap while in an awkward sitting position, or find new fascination with pocket lint or wayward strings jutting out of our clothes, or even discover how pretty the masjid carpet designs are.
It’s rather unfortunate to admit that for many, jummu’ah has become an utterly mundane routine every Friday as we shuffle into the Masjid, find a comfy spot to perch, and then space out for half-an-hour while waiting for the “aqimus-salaah” – the clarion call that seems to jolt majority of the crowd back to life again.
I’ve begun “hifz-ul-carpet-design,” where I spend every Jummu’ah memorizing the carpet patterns
What was the khutbah even about? I guess something to do with Islam or sunnah. I dunno. And who gave it? Some generic bearded Imam guy. Be honest- after the jummu’ah salaah ends, you tend to forget the entire point and message of the khutbah, don’t you? And I can guarantee you that if you ask any guy right now what the khutbah topic was last week or even the week prior, you’d be hard-pressed to find even a handful of people who can vaguely remember, let alone offer any lessons or take-home messages.
While there’s certainly some blame to toss at the typical attendee for being so disinterested and disengaged, an overwhelming responsibility rests on the khateeb for ensuring that his congregation actually listens and more importantly, remembers his words. And that’s where this list comes in. From my own personal experience both as a khateeb and as an avid attendee (it’s kinda obligatory), this is Muslim Medicine’s Top 10 Ranking of Terrible Khutbahs, hand-picked from actual experiences.
10 – The Khateeb Who Can’t Speak English
I remember attending a khutbah in a Masjid that pours the “back-home” culture on a little too thick, and much to my expectations, the khutbah was delivered in 5% Arabic and 95% Urdu, with zero English. Now this would be perfect if I was in Pakistan, but last I checked, I was in New York. And I walked out of that khutbah with a wonderful 45-minute urdu immersion lesson courtesy of the Rosetta-Stone khateeb, and just like my fellow attendees: the convert, the army of morally-crumbling religiously-bankrupt high schoolers, and the unfortunate traveling Arabs who happened to stop by, we all left that Masjid understanding nothing.
What I learned: “We have not sent any Messenger except with the language of his people so he can make things clear to them” [14:4]. I think there’s an example in there somewhere for khateebs to apply to their audiences…?
9 – Professor Shaykh Dr. Khateeb, PhD
Oh man, this one was just torture. There’s only one thing I remember, and it was the painful realization that I wasn’t attending jummu’ah, I was attending this khateeb’s grad-school level course lecture on the inner machinations of the fiqh of zakat. It had such mind-numbing technicalities and intricate fiqhi rulings that I was completely lost, and I’m positive the entire congregation was just as perplexed. The khateeb’s monotone Ben Stein voice made it even worse, so even the one student of knowledge in the audience capable of understanding this was probably put to sleep.
What I learned: Just like most of my college lectures, I walked out of there wondering if I was even in the right class. Khutbahs aren’t meant to be delivered from textbooks using Powerpoint presentations, they’re meant to be simple reminders for average folks.
8 – The Anesthesiologist
I call this khateeb the “Anesthesiologist” because I’m fairly certain that surgeons play his khutbah recordings in Operating Rooms to induce unconsciousness in patients. I don’t know how this khateeb preps himself before his khutbahs- does he swallow a bottle of nyquil, or inject elephant tranquilizers into his neck and then stand at the minbar?
Whatever he does, his voice, energy, delivery, and gusto are so incredibly dull and monotone that whatever message he’s giving to the audience is completely lost since half of them are asleep or passing in and out of consciousness. When “aqimus-salaah” is finally uttered at the end of all the boring droning, its like someone popped a balloon or something because the entire audience seems to look around with wild confusion as they wake up from their deep slumber.
What I learned: If you’re neither energetic nor passionate about delivering your khutbah, why should I as your audience member bother to receive your message? This is one of the most basic lessons of public-speaking 101.
7 – Hopelessly Confused Khateeb
At first the khutbah seems to start off well, but the more you listen, the more confused you get as the khateeb throws in random ayat and ahadith and pulls lessons and morals seemingly out of thin air, while coming to illogical conclusions that don’t seem to fit in with the overall flow of the khutbah. The end result is a cacophonous disjointed mutant-khutbah that doesn’t drive home any particular message and leaves the entire audience scratching their heads.
I remember one particular khutbah I attended where the khateeb began with the usual ABC’s and 123′s of “be a good Muslim” and “make sure you pray,” and then all of a sudden went into a rant about polygamous marriages, then threw some jabs at homosexuality, and then wrapped up his franken-khutbah with Muslim youth getting thrown into prisons. I mean don’t get me wrong, I actually clearly remember this khutbah, but for all the wrong reasons.
What I learned: Come on. Whether it’s done out of a sheer lack of preparation, or the khateeb is just making up his khutbah as he goes along, this is an unprofessional way to deliver a sermon. When your audience forgets your message, but remembers the Titanic Hindenburg that was your delivery, you know your khutbah was a flop.
6 – Law-Abiding Khateeb
This khutbah is a bit rare since most khateebs are sensitive to their audiences and cooperative with the MSA or Masjid Boards that invite them, but once in a blue moon you get to witness a khutbah that’s been distilled into a pure, unfiltered rant. Whether it’s a personal vendetta or something (or someone) who wronged the khateeb, this guy will make sure that his grievances are made clear by using the khutbah as his weapon of retaliation.
I remember a khutbah where the khateeb took aim at the Masjid Board itself and like Liam Neeson facing down Albanian kidnappers, took down the entire group with a serious vengeance. It was like watching an episode of The Office and seeing an angry Muslim Micheal Scott lambaste the very people who invited him to come speak, and it was incredibly uncomfortable and awkward to witness. Now granted, I didn’t have a clue as to what happened behind the scenes or whether or not such criticism was even justified to begin with, but one thing was for sure- that khateeb was definitely NEVER going to be invited back to this masjid again (and he most likely knew it), so I guess he decided to go down fighting.
What I learned: Imam Shafi’i (rahimullah) said: “To admonish your brother in private is to advise him and improve him. But to admonish him publicly is to disgrace and shame him.” It’s a sad sad day when you see the khutbah itself being used as a tool of the khateeb- a “bully pulpit” if you will- for him to viciously use against people, places, ideas, or perspectives that he personally disagrees with. I attend khutbahs to find peace, remembrance, and inspiration- not to be force-fed the khateeb’s own vendettas.
5 – Def Jam Jummu’ah feat. Wiz Khateeba
Unlike their elder counterparts, younger khateebs are excellent for delivering khutbahs to their own age group in high school and college MSAs. Their knowledge base may not be as extensive as shuyookh or imams, but they have an uncanny ability to derive pertinent life lessons from Kanye West lyrics, NBA player trades, or Assassin’s Creed cut-scenes.
To this day, I still clearly remember a fellow student in our MSA delivering a khutbah about Muslims bumping and grinding in the club. Yes, you read that right. Bumping and grinding in the club. It was one of the most bizarre yet entertaining khutbahs that I’ve ever listened to, and I guess it was ironic considering that the Muslims who were probably clubbing the night before most likely weren’t there the morning after to listen to his khutbah. But hey… you never know.
What I learned: despite poking fun at younger khateebs, it goes without saying that there is such an incredible potential in a lot of them to grow and develop into strong public speakers and youth advocates, if they’re just given a chance. It’s a shame that Masajid and Islamic Centers continue to recycle the same tired old khateebs over and over again without giving any opportunities for younger khateebs to step up. Perhaps instead of dismissing our youth all the time, we should make an effort to cultivate them.
4 – KHATEEB ANGRY! KHATEEB SMASH!
I don’t know who spat in this khateeb’s cereal, or who cut him off in traffic, or if he’s just a self-loathing Mets fan, but this guy clearly has anger issues, and rather than go to a therapist to vent his frustration, he takes to the minbar instead. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes a good verbal kick in the rear is just what a community might need to get itself back on track, but like many other things in Islam, everything comes in moderation.
Maybe its just me, but khutbah topics about jinns, the dajjal, or the last days are pretty scary stuff, and when you have the Incredible Hulk delivering these topics, the result strikes more fear in the hearts of men than opening up an Eid gift and seeing the complete Twilight Blu-ray Disc collection. Anger in a khutbah can be creatively channeled at just the right time to elicit powerful reactions and really strike home a message, but when the entire khutbah is a volcano of fiery rage spewing fury into the faces of the audience from beginning to end, that’s what I’d call emotional overkill.
What I learned: Khutbahs shouldn’t leave adults cowering and kids whimpering in fear, and there shouldn’t be a mad rush to the bathroom after the khutbah ends so that everyone can make wudu again and put on a clean pair of pants. Have mercy on the sound system, and mercy on the really young and really old members of the audience who can’t handle these voice tones. Also, spare the congregants and the masjid itself from FBI visits after each furious khutbah.
3 – The Dark Lord Sauron
This khateeb commutes to the Masjid from the very pits of Mordor, and fashions his khutbah from the wretched fires of Mt. Doom. Like a Dementor from Azkeban he swoops onto the minbar and sucks the very life and joy out of the entire audience with his fire and brimstone khutbah. Hope you renewed your prescription for prozac, because this sermon comes with an extra helping of severe depression and no hope for salvation.
Even for Eid khutbahs, the one time where you’d hope the khateeb would make you feel warm and happy, Shaykh Grinch finds it appropriate to remind his congregation on this blessed day that “you got accepted to Hell University, and Shaitan’s your roommate!” It’s the perfect positive feel-good message for converts, struggling Muslims, and visiting non-Muslims.
What I learned: The immaculate wisdom of the Qur’an is that Allah (swt) beautifully couples His warnings about the Fire with His promises of Paradise, and couples descriptions of His punishments with His mercy and blessings so that everything is perfectly balanced. For a khateeb to cherry-pick only the ayat and ahadith that describe condemnation and punishments and completely leave out repentance, mercy, and blessings, is a travesty of negative emotional manipulation that depresses people far more than it “inspires” them to reform.
2 – Gandalf the Grey Uncle
Oh man, these khutbahs are just painful. It’s always a hit or miss, and more often than not, for an overwhelming majority of the youth in the audience, these khutbahs are a clear miss. Elder uncles are incredible sources of experience and wisdom, masha’Allah, but there are some that just don’t have the knack for being effective khateebs, at least not for American audiences.
Even when there’s a fantastic message, I usually tend to get sidetracked when the khateeb compares “the internets” to Shaitan’s playground, or suggests that the solution to all of the problems facing the youth are for brothers to go to hifz school and then get scholarships to med school, and for sisters to forget about college, just marry doctors, and send their kids to madrassas so they can grow beards as long as telephone poles. I don’t know what kind of fantasy utopia that is, but it’s as practical and feasible as organizing a Muslim-led Gangnam Style flash mob at Fajr time.
What I learned: Between the thick accent, the mistrust of newfangled technology, the old-school back-home mentality, and an utter misunderstanding of American culture these khutbahs really highlight the sheer generational and cultural gap between the immigrant and 1st generation communities. Every jummu’ah becomes a reminder of just how badly the Masjid board and the khateeb roster are missing their mark on addressing serious and relevant issues in their communities.
1 – WWE’s Friday Afternoon Smackdown
Hope you brought some popcorn and managed to grab a front row seat, because these are the khutbahs that are notoriously remembered for years. Usually jummu’ah khutbahs are a one-man show- just the khateeb speaking. But when controversy strikes, or when the audience gets rowdy or offended and tensions start to build, suddenly player two grabs a controller, hits start and “There’s a New Challenger!” gets announced as a brave soul interrupts the sermon to offer a challenge to the khateeb.
And that’s when jummu’ah becomes an episode of Dragonball Z. Ridiculously trivial masjid fights are nothing new, but when they happen at jummu’ah, the entire community gets to witness the ugliness of our ummah as the khateeb fights his own audience members. Perhaps damage control wouldn’t be as bad if it were just limited to a public war of words and egos, but seeing as how the concepts of tahdhib and akhlaaq (manners and etiquette) are nearly extinguished in our day and age, it’s shameful to admit that stories of fist-fights and actual physical violence following khutbahs are hideous moments that some masajid try their hardest to sweep under the rug.
What I’ve learned: Regardless of whether it’s the khateeb’s fault or the audience member’s, nothing is more saddening than sitting and watching a khutbah turn into such a disgraceful display. Ultimately, it isn’t just the khateeb who loses face, its the entire community.
I’m aware that all these anecdotal examples paint a pretty bad picture of jummu’ah, but for every terrible khutbah that I’ve listened to, there have been numerous ones that have truly touched my heart and given my imaan the shake-up that it so desperately needs.
The jummu’ah khutbah is a legacy of our ummah established by the beloved Prophet (saws), and to stand at the minbar as a khateeb is to carry that legacy and assume the responsibility of reminding the community of their faith and purpose by aspiring to the same beauty, eloquence, passion, and strength that the Rasul (saws) himself channeled during his sermons.
There’s no denying that you and I have forgotten majority of the jummu’ah khutbahs that we’ve listened to during our lifetime. But there’s no doubt in my mind that like me, you’ve attended at least one jummu’ah where your heart was filled with remembrance, your mind enlightened with haqq, your body filled with renewed vigor, your eyes welling with tears, and your imaan cleansed of impurity. Those are the blessed khateebs whose knowledge and eloquence of speech is a gift from Allah (swt), and those are the jummu’ah khutbahs that we don’t ever forget.
In the words of Shaykh Abdul Nasir Jangda, one of the shuyoookh who taught me how to give khutbahs:
“If you want to reach the hearts of the people, give your heart as a khateeb.”
Masha Allah. Good article. I am a “khateeb” in England and I think its necessary for the imams to understand their audience. There are so many issues nowadays it becomes difficult to choose what to talk about. However I think every imam should give pure Islamic talks from Quran and Sunnah and not try to impose their eastern culture or confuse modernity and vastness and non rigidness with western culture
You said, “grow beards as long as telephone poles” This is mocking the beard which is something Allah commanded. Anyone who mocks the beard knowing that it is from the deen has left the fold of Islaam. I advise you remove this disgusting statement and make tawbah.
ROFL to read the “Dark Lord of Sauron” and “Uncle Gandalf”, man I wish I can count the times they spout stuff like all followers outside their minhaj will go to hell, using fork to eat is haram bid’ah, going to mixed-gender school is fitna haram for sisters and they better stay home married serving husband and children than go to school. I can go on and on. Sometimes I wonder if they live in 7th century. Islam is not that rigid.
I just want to give a friendly advice to all the khutabaa who are opposing this article to take it as constructive criticism and be open to improving. As a Muslim mom, I’m scared that the lack of training and planning to deliver an inspiring khutba might be one of the reasons my kids decide not to attend the masjid on Fridays. Our rasoul (saws) told us when we do something to do it well so please embrace self development because young Muslims need your inspiration.
As Salamu Alaiykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu!
I thought the post was very entertaining and revealing, very well written and an interesting perspective and insight. I enjoyed reading it and was inspired to share. Also some of the comments or responses to the post were ridiculous and just as telling as the post like the one where the advice is given to go over seas to study with a REAL shayuk along with the misrepresentation of the level and capability of the American born scholars.
Most of the problems can be attributed to the closed and elitist nature of many of the masajids in America in that they often cater to certain populations of Muslims based on culture to the exclusion of the native Muslims whose issues, struggles and voices are shunned. Many of the kutbahs that are given reflect issues that are foreing to the American Muslim and are not about the issues that are faced every day nor are they about those issues that power or bring power to the DEEN. Like what we-the Muslims are suposed to be doing here and around the world. That includes bringing back ayn money to pay zakat since, until recently, that has not been available to all Muslims who fear Allah and want to pay Zakat. This means establishing Jamaat and appointing Amirs to collect that zakat, on a local level.
As far as having to go over seas to LEARN the DEEN of Islam, why would we go there when Islam is in its most dismal state in so called Muslim lands? Is the state of the ummah, in general, a testament to the quality and scholorship of the ulamah abroad? There is not one so called Muslim country where Shariah has been made the law of the land, with ijma and consensus. No where in the last hundred years has there been ayn currency until the recent appearance of ayn currencies in order to re-establish the fallen pillar of zakat and restore the power of the Muslims. We owe much of that work to great shayuks and others.
Finally I would like to point out that we are loosing most of our 1st and 2nd generation of immigrant Muslim children because they simply have no deen. They are not being taught Deen, but their so called culture-consumerism and apologetics. So they ultimately get caught up in what dunyah has to offer them, because they have no viable Islam. There is very little investment in our youth in terms of their being able to propel Islam into the future.
In closing we know that the Muslim is a mirror to the Muslim, so in the state of the ummah we see ourselves. It is with that realization and my fervent desire for my brother, that which I what I want for myself that I beg ALLAH (swt) for HIS pardon, HIS grace, HIS help and HIS forgiveness! I beg ALLAH (swt) to forgive the Muslims and their parents and thank HIM for HIS guidance and generosity, in the victory HE has promised, ameen!
Number 5-Def Jam Jummu’ah .There’s a celebrity convert American Imam who’s a great example-funny thing is he’s white, 40 years old, from an affluent suburb, and had parents who are professionals.(Paraphrase) ‘Y’all squares from da sub-burbs be sayin’ “verily”, but in da hood we be sayin’ “true dat”…B’
Assalamu alaykum Dr. O,
Jazaka Allahu khayran for this nice reminder. I’m actually a khateeb and I believe I fall under on of these categories you’ve classified. You do realize that most of us are not the best qualified brothers to give these sermons but because there is no one else to do it, the masjid admins ask this of us. Have you ever given a khutba before? If yes, please post an audio or video link so we can watch it and learn from you and also analyze and critique it in a way that is befitting to what you’ve done here in this post.
Most people have no problem classifying and categorizing and pointing out mistakes of others when they’re not in the spotlight. It’s not that easy to prepare a khutba, or to get up on the minbar and to advise Muslims on how to get closer to Allah subhana wa tala. You mentioned the statement of Imam Asshafyie about advising people in secret, so I hope for your own religion and sincerity, that you’ve actually done the same thing with every khateeb you’ve witnessed who didn’t live up to your standards.
I agree with you in general, there is a problem in our masaajid from everything from the lectures, sermons, to the way the board manages it. But you have to keep in mind, they’re not enough good imams/brothers for every masjid. Also, some of the categories of people you mentioned, it’s their personality and you’ll never be able to change that. You must agree that people are different and the way the khutba is delivered will always be according to their own style.
Anyhow, jazaka Allahu khayran again for this nice reminder. I probably will stay away from minbar now. Maybe next time I visit NY, I’ll come to your masjid and see you there giving an inspiring khutba to be remembered for the rest of my life.
Yours truly,
khateeb
Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh Mr. Khateeb!
Wa iyyak, insha’Allah- and jazakAllah khair to you for such a touching and sincere response. It was a pleasure reading your response, and I would honestly recommend that you not stay away from the minbar, but resolve to refine your style and keep improving. The mere fact that you’re self-reflecting is testament to your potential to become a khateeb whose words earn the pleasure of Allah (swt).
I’ve delivered a number of khutbahs myself in my own MSA and a couple of masajid over the past 5 years. And when I first began delivering them, I had the very same apprehensions and hesitations that you’re describing here, probably moreso. To my knowledge I don’t think I have any audio or video recordings, but I can assure you that I was (and still consider myself) most certainly the furthest thing from being the “best qualified” for this level of responsibility.
Preparing for khutbahs by gathering ayat and ahadith, preparing a narrative, piecing together talking points, and inculcating everything together by weaving an entire prepared oratory speech delivered with skillfully-timed power, emotion, passion, and eloquence was profoundly difficult work for me, and for that I truly do understand what kind of burden rests on the shoulders of khateebs. This is by and far no easy task whatsoever, but it’s a responsibility that when I’m called upon to perform, I do my level best to make sure that I give it 150% and make it one that I feel my audience would remember. After all, I’m assuming the role that the Prophet (saws) himself took when he addressed his congregation- this is a prophetic legacy that deserves my very best effort, and then some. I can’t shy away from that because I feel inadequate- the very concept of ihsan is one that drives us Muslims to always aspire to perfection in everything that we do, and that certainly includes delivering khutbahs.
I’m fully aware that there’s usually not enough experienced brothers to deliver khutbahs- but that’s why I’m a very firm supporter of masjid communities and MSAs sponsoring brothers (or brothers taking the initiative themselves) to attend khateeb-training workshops and practice under the guidance of more experienced and established khateebs. My oratory skill and eloquence was raw and poorly-refined when I first began, but I attended a week-long intensive khateeb-training program (Qalam Institute’s initiative under Shaykh Abdul-Nasir Jangda as I mentioned in the article) that hammered very potent and effective techniques in me that dramatically improved my preparation, style, delivery, and impact. It’s efforts like this that build the kind of skill and passion that’s so desperately needed in brothers like you and I. It’s truly a shame that a lot of brothers don’t attend these programs- the benefits that they have are amazing, masha’Allah.
Above all else, the only way to truly refine your skills as a khateeb is to continue giving khutbahs and listening carefully to the naseeha and feedback that’s given to you and bettering yourself after every delivery. It’s a lot like practicing medicine- medical students aren’t immediately expected to diagnose and treat diseases like experts, we spend years honing our clinical skills and meeting patient after patient until we’re at a level of experience that we’re able to confidently and competently practice medicine. Are there times when we poorly handle a case? Sure. Delivering khutbahs is much the same- it’s a beautiful art, and requires continuous practice and improvement- after all, all of the shuyookh and scholars who are well-known speakers were all novice khateebs at one point in their lives- in fact, Prophet Musa (as) himself was a messenger who had a very noticeable lisp in his voice and yet he still preached to his people and even confronted Fir’awn himself. Surely you and I as khateebs can summon the courage to aspire to levels of eloquence like that?
Our duty as khateebs is to reach the hearts of our congregations and deliver a powerful reminder of our deen every week. If we constantly attempt these efforts with ihsan and genuinely make efforts to improve ourselves, then there’s no doubt in my mind that Allah (swt) will grant us the gift of eloquence and skill in our speech and delivery. So I strongly urge that you NOT step away from the minbar, but embrace it even more and push yourself to be like the khateebs you see on youtube and in person who can move entire crowds to tears in just a span of a few minutes. Skill like that doesn’t appear out of nowhere, it’s slowly built in us khateebs over the years. And just like them, we can achieve the same if we set our minds to it, and not become complacent or mundane with our efforts. Our ummah deserves khateebs of this caliber, and no matter how difficult it seems, with the right intentions and delivery this is by and far an INCREDIBLE and IMMEASURABLE source of barakah for those who take the minbar. Don’t turn away from that!
I ask that Allah (swt) make the daunting task of preparing and delivering khutbahs easy upon us, and I ask that He grant us khateebs the strength, power, conviction, passion, and eloquence to deliver His message with only the most beautiful of language, and I ask that He grant us the ability to reach the hearts and minds of our congregations and stir them to tears, and may He accept these efforts from us.
Maybe insha’Allah I might just be able to catch one of your khutbahs too, Mr. Khateeb- and I’m sure it’ll be memorable.
“..So in da battle of Badr dey waz all lyke pop pop pop make the Quraish drop!”
lol. That was hillarious! Mashallah!
Beta, you’re back again with patronizing condescension that makes only the feeble minded laugh. If ever I’ve read american born confused desi rhetoric it’s on this site.
And if Jangda is your role model, that says a lot.
Are you perturbed because you found yourself fitting into one of the above 10 categories of khateebs, Abu Yusuf?
As someone else who was born and raised in the US, I find his post accurate. But I guess that just makes me another feeble-minded ABCD. You can call us whatever you want, but it is exactly the attitude you just displayed that pushes away young Muslims from our masaajid.
JazakAllah khair for your passionate response, Abu Yusuf!
The internet is a nearly endless vast expanse and the fact that you exclusively find ABCD rhetoric here is pretty flattering- I aim to serve only the freshest and most confused rhetoric I possibly can, so for you to commend my writing for that is only the highest of compliments. I aim to please, my dear friend.
Sarcasm aside, however- I do take issue with you condescendingly patronizing my readership as being feeble-minded. Perhaps a “less-feeble” mind would be able to capture the core message of the entire article which is that the Jummu’ah khutbah is an honored legacy of our beloved Prophet (saws) that should be given its due respect and deference. My intention is to call attention to the complacency of how we’ve eroded the legacy of this sunnah by repeatedly doing it such an injustice week after week. If a lesson like this is something you feel is nothing more than something only the feeble laugh at, or is just contrived ABCD rhetoric, then I’m afraid you’ve missed the point entirely.
The last issue is regarding your side comment about a teacher of mine- in the medical field, we’re taught as med students that every doctor’s opinion or recommendation stems from his or her own clinical expertise. If we disagree with that opinion or the doctor’s perspective, that in no way, shape, or form strips the doctor of his title and medical degree and render him as just a reference of his last name. To address them as such would be incredibly disrespectful, not to mention utterly unprofessional. If I hold random physicians to that level of respect, then it should be obvious that I hold scholars and shuyookh to FAR greater levels of esteem. Regardless of whether or not I agree with them, they are religious authorities who hold Islamic degrees of distinction, and I would never be so disrespectful as to address any scholar without their title and solely refer to them by their last name alone. If you’d like a clear example of what it means to be patronizingly condescending, I’d say this hits pretty close.
I’m sorry you didn’t find this article (or my other articles) to your liking. However if you find my work to be lacking, by all means please feel free to address it with me- use the “Contact Us” form, message me on our Facebook group, e-mail me, or even post here and directly call me out for something you feel should be addressed. But I humbly ask that you please leave my readers and the shuyookh out of your responses- I’m clearly the target of your disapproval, so please don’t collectively take jabs at them along with me.
If you’ve read this far, jazakAllah khair for your patience with me. If anything I’ve said here or on my site has hurt or offended you, I offer my sincerest apologies and ask for your forgiveness. May Allah (swt) bridge the bond between us as brothers, grant us barakah in our time spent here and dealings with one another, and shower His mercy upon us all.
Dr. O, your point about doctors and opinions and references is well and good. However Islamic titles are deceptive. Perhaps you should fly abroad and study with real shuyookh who know the Quran and Sunnah in meticulous and judicious detail. Those scholars have spent an entire lifetime studying and don’t use terms like Boo-yaa or talk unnecessary talk on twitter accounts with opposite genders. What I mean is real scholars don’t do that. And if you are seeking real scholars then I’m afraid you will have to venture abroad. There are many scholars in Muslim lands you can learn from. In America what we have are du’aat and motivational speakers, and you made mention of one of them. But they are just students who studied for 4 or 7 years and naive abcd’s think such light training makes them scholars. That’s far from the case. Are they doing a good service to the community? Yes. Are they scholars? Not by a long shot.
As far as the point about khateebs Dr. O, you’ll find a wide variety no matter where you go. As for the rest of your site, perhaps my sense of humor has not yet developed to appreciate abcd humor. Allahu a’lam.
These ABCDs are the future of Islam in America not people over seas. If your so unhappy with the future of Islam in America, well maybe then you should pack your bags and go back home with the real ‘scholars.’
Salaams,
It would be good for yo to add what type of khutba’s you prefer to listen to. well i guess i am form south Africa and we have many great Khateebs. Yes do find 1 or 2 khateebs as u explained but not as bad. also if you study the life of our prophet you will find his sermans were simple. The problem is that what we find in certain places is that if te khateeb has to talk about salaah etc.. ppl will respond we need current issues. but the reality is the salaah is the most current issue as thats what we will be questioned about in our graves and qiyaamah etc..
Pure sufi analysis! Well done!
wha…?
Correct me if I am wrong, the bloke who wrote this must be a member of jamati islami/ shibir party Or follower of mawdoodi? Seems like his got some sick agendas!
As salaam alaikum Mr. Sadique!
I’m Dr. O, and I’m the bloke who wrote this. Pleasure to make your acquaintance! I assure you I’m not a member of any party in Pakistan or Bangladesh, nor am I follower of Mawdoodi. I’m an average guy from America who has unfortunately attended a few terrible khutbahs over the past decade or so. The only “sick” agenda that I have is finishing med school so I can start curing sickness.
JazakAllah khair for commenting though- hope you enjoyed the read!
Well its only the incapable masjid management to blame. The poor khateeb did not force him self on the mimbar. They could find good capable khateebs, but they look for the cheapest ones Or the ones who will be under their thumb!
Friday khutbas have indeed become ‘mudane routines’ even more so in Muslim countries such as Yemen. Very unfortunately.
Hilarious and apt about the Friday sermons. Not just in N.Y. even in many places it is almost the same situation. Many Imams do not prepare well for their sermon and keep on repeating the sermons for many years. It is time that they take this opportunity to update the Ummah on the current issues based on the Quran and Ahadith. Imagine a student attending nearly 50 lectures each year and not getting the point to change his life in any aspect.
Now it could be me reading this while I’m sick, but my eyes literally started tearing up when I read Wiz Khateeba’s dialogue. How many brain cells died in the process of coming up with that? Or is there an app for murdering the English language?