Khutba.AI
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Friday Sermon
Date: August 1, 2025

Your Friend

First Khutbah   Praise be to Allah, who united the hearts of friends regardless of whether they are blood relatives or not, and He instilled affection and love among them. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and we bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. May Allah’s peace, blessings, and mercy be upon him, his family, his companions, and all who follow his guidance.   To proceed: I advise you, servants of Allah, and myself, to have taqwa of Allah. Allah the Exalted said:   ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ﴾ O you who believe! Fear Allah and be with those who are truthful.   O Believers, Our khutbah today is about the importance of a true friend, that person who does not abandon you in times of hardship, who gives you sincere advice, who corrects you when you make mistakes, and supports you when you are in need. A true friend is an adornment in times of ease and a resource in times of distress. If you forget Allah, he reminds you. If you remember Allah, he encourages you. He is the true friend. The word “ṣadīq” (friend) in Arabic comes from the root “ṣidq” (truthfulness), meaning someone who is truthful and loyal in his affection. Allah Almighty mentioned the friend in the Qur’an in Surah An-Nur, when He allowed eating in the houses of relatives and friends, because it is common and customary among people to be forgiving and welcoming in such situations due to kinship or friendship.   So, Allah equated eating in the house of a friend to that of a close relative, mentioning it alongside fathers, mothers, and siblings. Allah the Exalted, said:   ﴿... أَن تَأْكُلُوا مِن بُيُوتِكُمْ، أَوْ بُيُوتِ آبَائِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ إِخْوَانِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخَوَاتِكُمْ، أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَعْمَامِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ عَمَّاتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخْوَالِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ خَالَاتِكُمْ  أَوْ مَا مَلَكْتُم مَّفَاتِحَهُ أَوْ صَدِيقِكُمْ﴾ ۚ …or your fathers' houses, or your mothers' houses, or your brothers' houses...  until He said:  ...or your friends' houses. Indeed, our Prophet ﷺ chose a friend and that friend was also “ṣiddīq” (a person of utmost truthfulness) and the Holy Qur’an affirmed the sincerity of their companionship, which was clearly manifested in the most difficult and dangerous of circumstances. Allah the Exalted said:   ﴿ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا﴾. When the two were in the cave, and he said to his companion: ‘Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us.’”   Servants of Allah, We must be aware and cautious, for a friend can either be a gateway to abundant goodness or a source of widespread harm. The Prophet ﷺ said:   «مَثَلُ الْجَلِيسِ الصَّالِحِ وَمَثَلُ جَلِيسِ السُّوءِ؛ كَحَامِلِ الْمِسْكِ وَنَافِخِ الْكِيرِ، فَحَامِلُ الْمِسْكِ إِمَّا أَنْ تَبْتَاعَ مِنْهُ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَجِدَ مِنْهُ رِيحًا طَيِّبَةً، وَنَافِخُ الْكِيرِ إِمَّا أَنْ يُحْرِقَ ثِيَابَكَ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَجِدَ مِنْهُ رِيحًا خَبِيثَةً» “The example of a good companion and a bad companion is like that of a seller of musk and a blacksmith. The musk seller will either give you some perfume, or you may buy some from him, or at the very least, you will smell a pleasant fragrance from him. As for the blacksmith, he might burn your clothes, or you may smell a foul odor from him.”  Luqman said to his son: “Whoever keeps the company of a bad companion will not be safe, and whoever accompanies a righteous friend will prosper.”  (Az-Zuhd by Ibn al-Mubarak)   Yes, by Allah, how many friends have taken the hands of their companions, becoming the reason for their success and the improvement of their lives! And how many bad friends have brought harm upon their companions!   ﴿فَاعْتَبِرُوا يَا أُولِي الْأَبْصَارِ﴾ “Learn from this, all of you with insight”   So, ask yourself: Which of the two types of friends will you choose? The Prophet ﷺ answers this clearly:   «لَا تَصْحَبْ إِلَّا مُؤْمِنًا» Do not befriend anyone except a believer.   A believing friend encourages you toward excellence and guides you to Allah. He is distinguished in his worldly affairs, firm in his religious commitment, honest when consulted, and supports you to the best of his ability. It was said to a wise man: “What kind of people should I befriend?” He replied: “One with abundant faith, sound reason, one who does not tire of you when you’re near, nor forgets you when you’re far. If you approach him, he comforts you; if you distance yourself, he remembers you. If you seek his help, he supports you; and if you need him, he assists you.”   Such a person is truly the best of companions, as the Prophet ﷺ said:   «خَيْرُ الْأَصْحَابِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرُهُمْ لِصَاحِبِهِ» “The best of friends in the sight of Allah is the one who is best to his friend.”   ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾ O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you. I say these words of mine and ask Allah for forgiveness for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.     Second Khutbah   All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his companions. To proceed: O believers, A righteous friend is like a blessed tree: it provides you with shade and offers you its goodness. As for the bad companion, he misleads you with his words and actions, tarnishes your reputation with his poor character, wastes your time, and squanders your life. So, beware of him! His harm does not always appear suddenly; rather, he leads you on step by step until you find yourself entangled in ruinous consequences, miserable in both this life and the Hereafter. So be alert before the day comes when you say:   ﴿يَا وَيْلَتَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا * لَقَدْ أَضَلَّنِي عَنِ الذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَنِي﴾ Woe to me! I wish I had not taken so-and-so as a close friend. He truly led me astray from the remembrance after it had come to me   Make your decision to leave bad company, for you now know that a companion influences and pulls you.   The Prophet ﷺ said:   «الْمَرْءُ عَلَى دِينِ خَلِيلِهِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ أَحَدُكُمْ مَنْ يُخَالِلُ». A person follows the religion of his close friend, so let one of you look carefully at whom he befriends.   And as the poet Ṭarafah ibn al-ʿAbd said:   عَنِ الْمَرْءِ لَا تَسْأَلْ وَسَلْ عَنْ قَرِينِهِ     فَكُلُّ قَرِينٍ بِالْمُقَارِنِ يَقْتَدِي Don’t ask about a person—ask about his friend. For every companion follows the way of his friend   O dear fathers, you who care deeply for your children, be involved in choosing their friends, get to know their companions, and remain vigilant over all aspects of their lives. You exert great effort and spend your lives instilling in them the principles of their religion and society, building their values, fulfilling their needs, ensuring their comfort, and securing their future. So beware, lest bad friends undo all your efforts, waste what you’ve invested, and destroy what you’ve built.   Reflect on the words of the poet:   مَتَى ‌يَبْلُغُ ‌الْبُنْيَانُ ‌يَوْمًا ‌تَمَامَهُ … إِذَا كُنْتَ تَبْنِيهِ وَغَيْرُكَ يَهْدِمُ How can a building ever be completed and done? If you are building it while others are tearing it down? So, remember that your children are a trust placed in your hands and a responsibility upon your shoulders, and you will be questioned about them before your Lord. They are the future of the nation and the wealth of the land, so rise to your responsibility, fulfill your trust, and safeguard the future of your homeland.   (إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا) Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, send blessings upon him and salute him with peace. O Allah, send Your peace, blessings, and mercy upon him, his family, his companions, and all those who follow them in righteousness. O Allah, make us among those who truly believe in You, sincerely worship You, succeed in building righteous friendships, and treat our parents with kindness. Have mercy on them as they raised us when we were young, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O Allah, protect the United Arab Emirates, care for it with Your divine guardianship, and surround it with Your mercy and attention, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah, protect the President of the State, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, and grant him continued wisdom and sound judgment. Grant him, his deputies, his brothers, the rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince success in all that You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and all the noble sheikhs of the Emirates who have passed on to Your mercy. Admit them, by Your grace, into the vastness of Your Paradise. Encompass the martyrs of the nation with Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy on the Muslim men and women, those who are alive and those who have passed away. O servants of Allah, remember Allah, the Almighty, the Most Glorious, and He will remember you. Be grateful to Him for His blessings, and He will increase you. And establish the prayer.