''Khutbah'' ( ar, خطبة ''khuṭbah'', tr, hutbe) serves as the primary formal occasion for public

preaching A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

in the

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic tradition. Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition can be formally observed at the ''

Dhuhr The Zuhr prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلظُّهْر ', "noon prayer") is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayer). As an Islamic day starts at sunset, the Zuhr prayer is technically the fourth prayer of the day.prayer on Friday. In addition, similar ''sermon''s are called for on the two festival days and after Solar and Lunar Eclipse prayer.

Origins and definition

Religious narration (including sermons) may be pronounced in a variety of settings and at various times. The ''khutbah'', however, refers to ''khutbah al-jum'a'', usually meaning the address delivered in the mosque at weekly (usually Friday) and annual rituals. Other religious oratory and occasions of preaching are described as ''dars'' (a lesson) or ''waz'' (an admonition), and their formats differ accordingly."Khutba", ''Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World'' The ''khutbah'' originates from the practice of the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...

, Muhammad, who used to deliver words of exhortation, instruction, or command at gatherings for worship in the mosque, which consisted of the courtyard of his house in Medina. After the

conquest of Mecca The Conquest of Mecca ( ar, فتح مكة , translit=Fatḥ Makkah) was the capture of the town of Mecca by Muslims led by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in December 629 or January 630 AD ( Julian), 10–20 Ramadan, 8 AH. The conquest marked t ...

, Muhammad presented himself as a khatib to the city in AD 630. The first four caliphs, and the

Ummayad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

s caliphs and provincial governors all delivered sermons. There were not necessarily exhortatory, but addressed practical questions of government and sometimes even included direct orders. Under the Abbasids, the caliph himself no longer preached but assigned the task to the religious judges. The Abbasids insisted they were clearing Islam of the secularism of the Umayyads, and this probably helped in strengthening the religious aspect of the sermon.

Delivery

At the beginning of the service the ''

adhan Adhan ( ar, أَذَان ; also variously transliterated as athan, adhane (in French), azan/azaan (in South Asia), adzan (in Southeast Asia), and ezan (in Turkish), among other languages) is the Islamic call to public prayer (salah) in a mos ...

'' is given, during which the ''khatib'' (the individual who delivers the khutbah) remains sitting. The '' iqama'' is given when the ''khatib'' descends. The sermon is delivered in two parts. Both parts are delivered while ''khatib'' is standing and punctuated by a pause in between them when the ''khatib'' sits down. During the sermon itself, it is obligatory to pronounce the following: *the ''hamdala'', or an expression to praise God and show gratitude towards him; saying ''al-hamdu li'llāh'' "Praise belongs to Allāh" at the beginning of the sermon is usually sufficient, *the salawaat, or invocations of peace and blessings on Muhammad, *recitation of a part of the Qur'an in the first part of the sermon or, according to some doctrines, in both, *admonitions to piety in both parts of the sermon, *and ''dua'' (prayer) on behalf of the faithful. The ''khatib'' must be in a state of

ritual purity Ritual purification is the ritual prescribed by a religion by which a person is considered to be free of ''uncleanliness'', especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification may ...

; his dress must be in accord with the prescriptions. It is commendable for the ''khatib'' to be on a

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

or an elevated place; to salute the congregation when directing himself towards them; to sit down until the

is pronounced by the muezzin; and to direct himself straightway to his audience. Finally the ''khatib'' should make the sermon short."Khutba", ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' Historically, sermons were delivered in

classical Arabic Classical Arabic ( ar, links=no, ٱلْعَرَبِيَّةُ ٱلْفُصْحَىٰ, al-ʿarabīyah al-fuṣḥā) or Quranic Arabic is the standardized literary form of Arabic used from the 7th century and throughout the Middle Ages, most notab ...

. This linguistic requirement required substantial training on the part of the ''khatib'' and this contributed to the growth of a literary genre consisting of model sermons, such as those by the renowned

Ibn Nubata Abu Bakr Jamāl al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Sharaf al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Yaḥyā ibn Ṭāhir ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Khaṭīb ʿAbd al-Raḥīm ibn Nubāta, better known simply as Ibn Nubāt ...

(d. 984). The

Sahabah The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...

, even after migrating to foreign lands, always kept the ''khutbah'' in

but would instead conduct a longer lecture before the ''khutbah'' in the local language. According to the four accepted Sunni schools of jurisprudence, it is a requirement for the ''khutbah'' to be delivered completely in

. In the modern era however, preaching in colloquial languages, while often retaining certain Arabic expressions, has become common in contemporary and non-traditional circles.

Friday

One of the conditions for the validity of the Friday service is that it must be preceded by two sermons. The sermons are delivered when the number of auditors required for a valid ''j̲umu‘a'' are present. Traditionally, as instructed in classical Islamic legal treatises, Friday congregational prayers in which sermons were delivered were restricted to urban centers and normally to one major mosque in each city. Such a mosque is referred to as a ''masjid jami‘'', that is, a "Friday Mosque" (or a "cathedral mosque"). These mosques were distinguished by their central location, large dimensions, monumental architecture, symbolic furnishings indicative of its exalted stature, and, the most demonstrative of all, the ''

minbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...

'' (ritual pulpit). In contemporary times, Friday congregational prayers with sermons are common in mosques of all sizes and conditions, and not just restricted to a few central locations. Sermons are also dispensed through newspapers and broadcast on radio and television.

Special occasions

Eid Prayers at Barashalghar, Debidwar, Comilla

Sermons on special occasions generally contain features that are relevant to the celebrations (e.g. Eid) or the natural phenomena for which they are delivered (e.g. Kusuf and Khusuf). For instance, on

Eid al-Fitr , nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast , observedby = Muslims , type = Islamic , longtype = Islamic , significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan , dat ...

, the preacher has a duty to instruct the faithful congregation concerning the zakat, or almsgiving. On Eid al-Adha the preacher includes remarks specifying the rules for the

sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...

. There is a slight difference in the sermon delivered on

Eid ul-Fitr , nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast , observedby = Muslims , type = Islamic , longtype = Islamic , significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan , dat ...

. The sermon's first part must open with nine takbirs, the second part with seven. The sermon may also be pronounced while sitting. Regarding the sermons delivered during an eclipse or excessive drought, classical texts advise that such sermons must admonish the audience and ask God's forgiveness. Usually the verse 9 of Sūra At-Tahrim (Quran 66:09)is also recited and a special prayer called "Muḥammad's du'a"ʾ is said.

Sovereign's name

In the pre-modern Middle East, the mention of a ruler's name in the sermon was one of the two prerogatives of sovereignty (the other being the right to mint coins). Mentioning meant accepting the sovereignty and suzerainty of a ruler, and it was considered the principal criterion of sovereignty for an Islamic ruler. Omitting the name of a ruler from the sermon was like publicly declaring independence. This prerogative of sovereignty was introduced by Islam. It was not present in the pre-Islamic era. In addition, the sermon, a major vehicle of communication, also announced the deposition of a ruler, the accession of a ruler, nomination of an

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

, and the beginning and end of a war. The sovereign's name was also declared in khutbas during the Mughal rule;

Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...

was styled 'Zahir-ud-Din Bábar Muhammad' during Friday khutbas. Sher Khan, an adversary of the Mughal emperor Humayun, was content if Bengal was given to him in return of the emperor retaining his right to mint coins and proclaim the khutba in the emperor's name, and thereby becoming the "emperor's vassal". Currently, some Muslim monarchies practise this in their state-regulated sermon like in Brunei and Malaysia.

Khutbah and the Ministries of Islamic Affairs in modern states

In a number of countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, there is a central religious authority supervised by the government which issues a weekly sermon to be read in all mosques under its jurisdiction. In Turkey the sermons are prepared by the Diyanet, in Saudi Arabia by the Ministry for Islamic Affairs. In Egypt a similar proposal is currently being discussed.

Related concept

Abu-al-Faraj ibn Al-Jawzi ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿAlī b. Muḥammad Abu 'l-Faras̲h̲ b. al-Jawzī, often referred to as Ibn al-Jawzī (Arabic: ابن الجوزي, ''Ibn al-Jawzī''; ca. 1116 – 16 June 1201) for short, or reverentially as ''Imam Ibn al-Jawzī'' by ...

writes in his ''Ru'ūs al-Qawārīr'' of a similar concept also called ''khutbah''. Also referred to by the same name as the sermon, this concept was different. Its primary purpose was not to admonish, instruct or reprove, but rather to exalt and praise God. It invited others to worship and celebrate God's greatness. Ibn al-Jawzi employed a variety of metaphors and alluded to nature frequently.Hovannisian, p. 41-3

Notes

References

*Gaffney, Patrick D. "Khutba." ''Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World''. Edited by Martin, Richard C. Macmillan Reference, 2004. vol. 1 p. 394. 20 April 2008 *Hoiberg, Dale; Ramchandani, Indu. ''Student's Britannica India''. Popular Prakashan, 2000. *Hovannisian, Richard G; Sabagh, Georges. ''Religion and Culture in Medieval Islam''. Cambridge University Press, 2000. * Jones, Linda, ''Preaching and Sermons,'' in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God (2 vols.), Edited by C. Fitzpatrick and A. Walker, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 2014, Vol. II, pp. 478–482. *Lewis, Bernard. ''From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East''. Oxford University Press, 2004. *Wensinck, A.J. ''Encyclopaedia of Islam''. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2008. Brill Online. 20 April 2008 *Contemporary Fataawa, Idara-e-Islamiyat, 2001

External links

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